Panthers embrace sauna culture with Global Series arrival outfits

TAMPERE, Finland -- The Florida Panthers were steamed when they arrived at the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal on Friday.

Well, actually, they were ready for a steam.

Embracing the famous saunas of Finland, the Stanley Cup champions arrived for their game against the Dallas Stars on a snowy day at Nokia Arena in bathrobes, looking ready for a trip to the sauna.

They were clearly ready to play hockey, too, defeating Dallas 6-4. They will go for the Global Series sweep Saturday (Noon ET; NHLN, SN1, Victory+, SCRIPPS).

There was some question after the game, though, who came up with the idea to arrive in the robes.

Captain Aleksander Barkov, who is from Finland, said forward Matthew Tkachuk was to credit for the idea.

“It wasn’t my idea. I think it was 'Chuckie,'" Barkov said. "So, Chuckie’s idea."

Barkov said it was not the first time the team wore the robes on this trip. They also wore them to the actual sauna on Wednesday.

"We’ve been wearing them for a while on this road trip, for a lot times, so we just thought maybe we should wear it for the game as well and we did," Barkov said.

Two members of the Panthers who opted not to wear the robes to the game were coach Paul Maurice and general manager Bill Zito.

But why?

"To generalize from the coaching standpoint, the No. 1 rule of coaching is never let them see you naked," Maurice said. "That’s the priority, so you can keep some self respect."

It was just another example of how much the Panthers and Stars have embraced this trip for the two regular-season games this week.

The Stars and Panthers each hit an actual sauna earlier this week as part of their adventures in Helsinki and Tampere.

In addition to the trip to the sauna, Barkov took Tkachuk, who is American, to sample some Finnish foods at Vanha Kauppahalli (translated Old Market Hall).

When asked what else was in store for the Panthers, Barkov said, "Sauna, sea, lake."

Barkov is one of five Finnish players in the Panthers traveling party, the others being forwards Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, defenseman Niko Mikkola, and assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu.

The Stars have three Finnish players: forward Roope Hintz and defensemen Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen.

Although the Stars arrived in their usual game day suits, they were also wearing Hintz’s signature shoes. The Stars forward introduced the white sneakers, which he helped design, this week in connection with the NHL Global Series. A portion of the proceeds from their sale will go to the Dreams Come True project by SOS Children’s Villages, which support extracurricular activities for underprivileged children in Finland.

Maurice said the arrivals were all in good fun.

“I thought it was great and it was done in fun. And I hope it was taken respectfully, too," Maurice said. "But this was a big part of our journey. This was a big part of what happened to us here. … That’s part of the story here. The food has been incredible. For what Tuomo (Ruutu), what Barkov and the three other Finns did for the players: introduced us to their culture and things (they do).”

NHL.com staff writers Shawn P. Roarke and Tom Guiltti contributed to this report