Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov expresses his excitement about playing in his hometown, Tampere, Finland, as part of the 2024-25 NHL Global Series. Barkov recalls watching the Panthers play in Tampere in 2009 and considers it a dream come true to now play there. Teammate Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell also share their enthusiasm for bringing NHL hockey to Finland, highlighting the impact on young players and the special experience it will be for the country.
"It’s more than a dream come true." More from Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell on the opportunity to play in Finland next season ⤵️
Panthers to play in Aleksander Barkov’s hometown for the first time next season https://t.co/rRbktGbFKP
Hear from Barkov & Coach in today's "5-Minute Morning Skate" with @DougPlagens! 🎧⏱️ Cats and Stars drop the puck at 8 p.m. ET. https://t.co/dUGj7Xe2xN
“All the young boys & girls who grow up playing, they’re going to get so much out of it. I remember watching [in 2018], I got a lot from it so I just know it’s going to be a special week for the whole of Finland & the players.” Anton Lundell on heading to Tampere next season! 🇫🇮 https://t.co/2gImNt4IE9
“It’s pretty cool. It’s going to be special, for sure. We were all excited when we heard the news… It’s a really cool thing to bring over [to Europe] the best hockey we have.” Eetu Luostarinen on the chance to play NHL hockey in Finland 🇫🇮 https://t.co/Js2VeWYWgK
“It’s a dream come true. Even going to Finland was huge but going to my hometown, where I saw my first NHL team, which was Florida Panthers… I never thought about a chance to play in my hometown with an NHL team. But now it’s going to be a reality.” Sasha on #NHLGlobalSeries 🇫🇮 https://t.co/2Zbfn54gQ7
Hear from #FlaPanthers captain Sasha Barkov as he talks about his team officially being part of the 2024-25 NHL Global Series — at his home rink in Tampere, Finland. YouTube Channel LINK ➡️ https://t.co/xT5KpbRp6z https://t.co/HbLDK85WvR
Barkov, who watched the Panthers play in Tampere in 2009, on playing in Finland next season: “It’s a dream come true, for sure. … I never even thought about a chance to play in my hometown with an NHL team, but now it’s going to be a reality.” https://t.co/v7lJhRtdSf