I love a parade, and were it not for my absolute need to work (one does that when one’s bank account doesn’t have a pulse) I would likely be joining the revelers either in downtown Los Angeles or at Dodger Stadium later today for the one that’s going to honor the just-crowned World Series champions. At least for today, the weather’s ideal and the mood will be celebratory, and as I shared elsewhere yesterday my dad’s passion for the team at least allows me to feel pretty decent for the folks who have waited chai times two years for this chance to share theirs.
So I’ll need to focus my attention elsewhere, which to a true sports fan like moi means I’ll at least be paying attention to what’s going on in a little town called Tampere (no, not Tampa and, sorry, JD Vance, not Tampon either), as CBS SPORTS’ FLM previewed yesterday:
Two of the NHL’s top teams head to Europe for a two-game series that starts Friday and could also double as a Stanley Cup Final preview.
The Dallas Stars and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers are in Tampere, Finland, for the second and final leg of the 2024 NHL Global Series.
Well, now you’ve got my attention. I make no secret for my love and respect for the Panthers, who survived the gauntlet of distraction and disappointment to finally emerge victorious three days into summer over an Edmonton Oilers team that came far closer to rallying from an 0-3 hole than did the Dodgers’ opponents, if for no other reason they didn’t have a distracted pitcher attempting to make a putout at first base in their showdown game.
Besides, it’s a very special event for a very special Panther, as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti observed:
Aleksander Barkov looked at the players from Tappara’s U12 team surrounding him at Nokia Arena on Thursday and thought back to when he played in the same youth program in Tampere.
“It’s amazing,” Barkov said. “I was one of these kids maybe 20 years ago.”
He has been looking forward to these games in his hometown since they were announced in March, but it felt almost surreal to the 29-year-old center to be practicing at Nokia Arena on Thursday.
A crowd of 15,000 was in the building when Barkov brought the Stanley Cup there July 31 after he became the first Finnish-born captain to win it when the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final. The arena will be packed again the next two days, in part, to see Barkov, one of the best hockey players Tampere has produced, play NHL games.
“To come here in the summer, celebrate with the city and having the Cup here was amazing and now bringing the teammates here to play two NHL games, it’s really hard to describe how great it feels right now to be able to be here,” Barkov said. “I was talking to (former NHL forward) Jussi Jokinen before the practice and he told me to try and enjoy these couple days and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if I have enough time to enjoy it.’
“This is so nice I don’t know if I can realize how special this is.”
“I heard he’s kind of like a god up here, especially since winning and being the first Finnish captain to hoist the Cup,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “So, it’s going to be really cool to see over the next few days everything that comes with it and us being here. It’s cool for him to show off his hometown. I know he’s so proud of it.”
And while he’s arguably the main attraction, he’s not alone, as the CBS SPORTS acronym added:
While Finland is home to just 5.6 million people, the Nordic country is a hockey powerhouse. According to TheHockeyWriters.com, there are 37 Finnish players on NHL rosters, which equals more than 5 percent of all players. That includes center Roope Hintz of Tampere and defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell for Dallas. …Barkov hails from Tampere, while center Anton Lundell, center Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Niko Mikkola are also returning to their native country.
So it will be Friday night and a hockey-appropriate 39 degrees in Tampere when this all goes down later today, even though it will be far warmer and sunnier where I’ll be following it and, of course, the ever-growing faction of band-wagoners who have embraced the champions as so many South Floridians tend to–out of frustration with the Dolphins, a wait-and-see attitude with Miami FC and even thinking a decade is too long a drought for the Heat.
I’ll be paying attention. Because this is the parade I REALLY wished I had attended, and I’m sure hoping for another opportunity in my lifetime.
Courage…