Henrikki and Me

This is currently my only "Event Blog" that does not focus on harness racing. In May 2022, the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships were held in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland. My fellow ice hockey and harness racing enthusiast Henrikki Halme invited me to stay at his classic sprawling Finnish farmhouse in Nummela, about 45 minutes outside Helsinki, so that we could attend the tournament. My trip lasted 17 days, most of which were spent at all-day hockey marathons. Henrikki occasionally uses his home as an "event venue", hosting visiting groups for meals and meetings. His farm house has been featured in several Finnish movies and TV shows. I previously shared several photos of his home in my "Finland 2012" blog.

Finland, Sweden, and the USA were positioned in hockey Group B, which played games at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. Tampere is about a 2 hour drive from Nummela, requiring extensive travel on game days. Russia was excluded from the tournament as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, and games in Helsinki were moved from the Russian-owned Helsinki Halli to the Helsinki Ice Hall. This unusually aggressive action by Finland toward Russia foreshadowed its NATO membership in April 2023.

        

In the preliminary rounds, Finland secured first place in Group B, including a 4 - 1 thrashing of the USA. I was pleased that Henrikki's daughters Iris and Ursula accompanied us to the Finland - USA game. Finland's only loss was to Sweden 3 - 2 in a shootout. Sweden finished second in Group B, losing 3 - 2 in overtime to the USA. The USA squeaked through to the playoff round in fourth place. In Group A, Switzerland finished in first place, Germany in second, and Canada in third. Finland had a very strong, cohesive, well-coached team emphasizing defense, passing, and standout performances by goaltender Juho Olkinoura.

       Henrikki and Me

       Face Painting

We usually watched two games per day in Tampere. Between games, the arena was emptied and fans entertained with live music, hockey-related games, sponsor exhibits, much beer (of course), and food trucks at the outdoor "Fan Zone." We took selfies with Miracleo, the official mascot of the tournament. I had my face painted with the US flag in support of our team. As principal sponsor of the tournament, the Czech carmaker Skoda featured its attractive and practical automobiles in the Fan Zone. Unfortunately, Skoda does not currently market cars in the USA. Every country had its own cheering section. The "home crowd" Finns were enthusiastic and boisterous, but very polite to other fans. After Finland defeated the USA, Finnish fans were apologetic about their victory when they saw my USA scarf and face painting.

Finland and the USA met again in the semi-final, when Finland beat the USA 4 - 3. Canada easily disposed of Czechia 6 - 1, setting up a dramatic final match with Finland. A fiercely contested game found Finland and Canada tied 3 - 3 in regulation, which resulted in 3-on-3 overtime play. The winning goal for Finland was scored by Sakari Manninen on a power play. The home fans went wild as Finland won its fourth Gold Medal in the World Championships, and its first title ever on home ice. The Bronze Medal went to Czechia, which manhandled the USA 8 - 4. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin attended the final and led her country in a big celebration. Finnish goaltender Juho Olkinoura was named MVP of the tournament with a 0.86 Goals Against Average, 96.05% Save Percentage, and 4 shutouts.

                    

Days without hockey commitments were spent pleasantly touring around southern Finland. One evening Henrikki and our friend Anssi Suominen invited me to a charity fundraiser in Helsinki, where I was the winning bidder on passes to a Finnish amusement park for Henrikki's daughters. Henrikki sometimes works as an agent for Finnish art. He took me to a pre-auction exhibition in Helsinki, where he gave me a brief overview of several important Finnish painters and their works. I spent a pleasant spring afternoon with Henrikki and our journalist friend Marja Mahlamaki discussing our interests in breeding and racing Standardbred trotters. I made multiple day trips to Helsinki, enjoying spring afternoons in the central Esplanade park and strolling along the shoreline of the harbor park. I spent two pleasant afternoons at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Museum of Finland.

                    

I was surprised to discover that Helsinki has a vast system of interconnected underground tunnels and bunkers built during the Cold War which could accommodate more than the entire population of the city during an emergency or attack. I made several long drives away from the city. Finland is a country of vast birch forests, lakes, and small farms. Villages, houses, farms, and apartment buildings are clean and well maintained. Most Finns have moderately priced, relatively new vehicles in excellent condition. A day trip to the old city of Turku was very pleasant. I toured the medieval Turku Castle, built in the 13th century as a protected residence and administrative center for the Swedish governor when Finland was ruled by Sweden. I was particularly impressed by the advanced educational opportunities offered to Finnish students at schools large and small. University education is funded by the State. Virtually everyone I encountered spoke English. As a result, Finland is a very easy country to tour for Americans. My overall impression is that Finland is a country of hard working and now-prosperous people whose common culture, language, and traditions foster trust in their government, and create a strong spirit of co-operation and sense of community.

COVID travel restrictions were still in place, and upon my departure I underwent mandated COVID testing at the Helsinki (Vantaa) airport just before my flight. Fortunately I tested negative and was able to return home.