Panthers Finding New Fans in Finland

HELSINKI -From all over Finland, hockey fans descended upon Hartwall Arena on Wednesday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the Florida Panthers in their final tune-up before playing back-to-back games against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday and Friday at the 2018 NHL Global Series.
As the only open practice of the team's week-long stay overseas, many eager fans arrived early to the event, filling up the seats throughout the 14,000-seat arena's lower bowl to get as close to the action as possible. And as they began to cheer, the Panthers suddenly felt right at home.

"It was a good atmosphere for our guys," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "It was good to see the excitement. All the little kids there screaming after for autographs from some of their heroes that they watch on TV, that was a pretty cool experience for our guys."
Among the fans in attendance was Pyry Hopearuoho, a nursing student who took the long bus ride all the way from Aleksander Barkov's hometown of Tampere to see the Panthers captain in person for the first time. She also plans to attend both games, wearing her Cats beanie proudly.
"It was partly because they drafted Barkov," Hopearuoho said when asked about the seeds of her Florida fandom. "But they've also drafted a lot of Finns since then. It's what made me give them more attention, but then they just became an exciting team to follow. They have so many young players. I'm just waiting for them to be really, really good, and I think they will be."
Hopearuoho said she doesn't miss a single Panthers game on television, usually watching the matchups the day after they take place in North America due to the time difference. She also said that although Barkov is obviously a local favorite, his teammates also garner recognition.
"[Vincent] Trocheck is so much fun to watch," Hopearuoho said. "I already liked [James] Reimer when he was in Toronto, so I was so happy when he became a Panther. There aren't really any guys I don't like… I would regret if I didn't come [to practice]. Seeing them right there, it's so cool."
Following practice, Barkov took the microphone and spoke directly to fans, thanking them for coming out while also answering a few questions. After that, the 23-year-old superstar center signed autographs for local children that were frantically trying to get his attention as he made his way down the tunnel back to the locker room - a hockey tradition Barkov said he relates to.

"It was nice," said Barkov, who has tallied two goals and six points in nine games this season. "We don't really see that in the NHL, that so many fans come to practice and watch us practice just to see the players. If I was a young guy and two teams were practicing in my hometown, I'd probably come and ask for stick or something just like they did."
In the excitement, Barkov joked that he almost ended up losing some of his gear.
"They almost took my helmet off my head," he said, flashing a grin. "It was fun. I really enjoyed it."
With no more practices left on the docket, Barkov and the Panthers now await their back-to-back matchups with Winnipeg on Thursday and Friday. And if Wednesday's turnout is any indication, there will likely be no shortage of Cats fans in the stands for those two games.
"It's great for the game," said Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who had more than a few fans rocking his No. 5 jersey in the crowd. "I'm happy that we get this kind of support, and that Barky and [Jets forward Patrik Laine] get the support they deserve here in Finland. We're excited to play in front of a good crowd.
"We've had a few lulls now in between games. Whether it was between the first and second game [of the regular season], the preseason to the first game, or right now, it's tough to get out of it and get back in it. But I think we've had some good days to prepare. The guys are starting to get good sleep. It's all going to culminate with playing well tomorrow."