Reflecting on a whirlwind week in Finland

WINNIPEG -When Patrik Laine first came to Winnipeg, he said the city reminded him of home.
After a memorable week in Finland, I understand why.
"It's just like home," he said during training camp in 2016. "It's a good city, and it's nice to be here."
At the time, he was answering a question regarding his first few days in the Manitoba capital, and admitted having his beloved PlayStation, Call of Duty, and FIFA games with him helped with the transition.
But what's also helpful is that Winnipeg's scenery, vibrant communities, and yes - even the weather, share incredible resemblances to the then 18-year-old's home country.
Up until last week, I had to take his word on that. But after a seven-day trip through Helsinki, Turku, Espoo, and Rauma, I completely get it.

The first three days were spent in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. We stayed in the heart of downtown, where the amount of foot traffic and cyclists reminded me of exactly how Corydon or Osborne Village look in the middle of August.
We ventured to Hartwall Arena, where the Winnipeg Jets will face off with the Florida Panthers on Nov. 1 and 2, as part of the NHL's Global Series.
With ads plastered on the side of the building featuring Laine and his fellow countryman Aleksander Barkov, it wasn't hard to imagine how excited the city, and country, would be as the event got closer.

The arena is the home of the Kontinental Hockey League's Jokerit squad, and while the organization was in the middle of preparing for the team's training camp (their first game is on Aug. 23), they were more than happy to show us around.
The main rink seats 13,349 people, and has a practice rink attached to it, which is built right into the rock that surrounds the building.
The next day, we met up with 2017 first round pick Kristian Vesalainen, and followed him and his brother around downtown. Vesalainen took us to some of his favourite spots - his old home, his favourite kebab restaurant (where he's been going since he was a kid - fun fact, the same person still runs the place), and to the outdoor rink he used to play on.
The pride the 19-year-old had when talking about his home of Helsinki was noticeable, even as we wrapped up the day at the Allas Café, a coffee shop that overlooks Helsinki's main harbour.

Before we knew it, our three days in Helsinki were over, and we were off to Turku, a 90-minute drive down a scenic Finnish highway.
But before we got there, we made a quick stop at Warrior Areena to meet up with a Finnish and Winnipeg legend, Teemu Selanne.
Selanne was gracious with his time and sat down with JetsTV for a one-on-one interview, chatting about his hockey academy, player development in Finland, and what players like Laine and Barkov playing in the Global Series games means to the country.

It wasn't the last we'd see of Teemu on the trip, but it was the last we'd see him on this day, as we hopped in the car to finish our drive to Turku.
That drive was the next time I was reminded of home.
Tall trees lined the highway for all 155 kilometres, at times breaking only for tunnels built right into a rocky countryside. Anyone who has made the drive from Winnipeg to Kenora, or through Riding Mountain National Park, can relate to the scenery we experienced.
That scenery continued right down to the warnings to keep an eye out for moose crossing the road, a sight all too familiar to many drivers in Canada.

Friday was a busy day. It all began at 10:30 am, when our crew met up with Laine for his final day of training in Turku. While living there all summer, he worked out with the same trainer he's had since he can remember. That same trainer had worked with countless athletes before Laine, and it was easy to see that the Finnish forward had the program figured out.
He told us every Friday was the same - in fact, every day of the week was the same in terms of what was on the agenda. That particular day, it was all about endurance. The 20-year-old went through sprint after sprint, six sets of one-minute bursts, before resting briefly, and starting all over again.
Following some resistance training, Laine would usually head to the rink to skate, but this day was different. He was playing in the Liiga Alumni All-Star Game that night in Rauma, about a one-hour drive away.
From the minute we walked into the arena, we were treated to Finnish hospitality. Any question we had was answered quickly, and if any help was needed, there was no hesitation.
Laine was joined by other Finnish legends, including Selanne, Teppo Numinen, Jere Lehtinen, Jyrki Lumme, Mikko and Saku Koivu, just to name a few.
A highlight of the game, outside of Laine's hat trick earning him MVP honours, was when all five Jets (current and former) put on Jets jerseys and formed a five-man Jets line: Laine, Selanne, Numminen, Sami Niku, and 70-year-old Veli-Pekka Ketola - who wore Jets colours from 1974-1977 while the team was in the WHA.

Following the game, Laine and Selanne stayed on the ice for interviews before heading into a massive group of kids waiting for autographs. They signed and signed before heading to the dressing room. It was just a taste of what's to come in November, an event Laine said after the game he can't wait for.
Our last day was back in Helsinki, where we had some time to pick up some souvenirs.
The best place was one of the many farmers' markets that lined the streets of downtown Helsinki on that particular sunny Saturday afternoon.
Sure, some of the items being sold were much different than what you'd find at any of the markets here, but there was something about strolling from vendor to vendor, the fresh produce, and the many food options that left me thinking of a Saturday morning trip with my family back home in Winnipeg.
So Patrik is right. It's easy to feel at home, especially once the jet lag wears off.
Thank you Finland, for making our JetsTV crew feel at home. We can hardly wait to get there for the Global Series, and we're excited to publish all our video content from the trip as those two games get closer.
See you soon!