Helsinki — The Fourth Period

BY DAVID PAGNOTTA,
SPRING 2019, THE FOURTH PERIOD

For the second-consecutive season, the NHL returned to Europe for its NHL Global Series contests, this time adding a trip to Helsinki, Finland featuring two games between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers.

As Finland-born stars Patrik Laine and Aleksander Barkov stole the spotlight, fans from all parts of Europe stormed Hartwall Arena, selling out the joint both nights and getting a first-hand taste of NHL action.

I’ve been fortunate to cover multiple games overseas, but this was my first trip to Helsinki and it certainly did not disappoint. Though a small ‘big city,’ there was plenty of explore outside of hockey. And while I missed out on a couple of local dishes featuring elk and pike, my stomach was more than happy with the choices I did make – resulting in a few extra hours at the gym upon my return home.