Blue Jackets and Avalanche will meet in Finland next season
Blue Jackets’ trip to Finland is officially underway again.
When two planned matches against the Colorado Avalanche in Helsinki were postponed due to the pandemic due to the pandemic, it was announced on Thursday that both teams will play next season on November 4-5. At the Nokia Arena in Tampere.
“I haven’t talked about it with anyone (at home), but I’m sure everyone will be excited to see me play,” said Tampere striker Patrik Laine. “It’s been a couple of difficult years with COVID and all of it, so it’s fun for everyone out there, fans and everyone else to watch my play and just watch NHL hockey in general.”
Laine, another of the two Finnish players on the Jackets list, added a significant qualifier to most of her comments about the trip. He is a pending limited free agent with no contract extension for next season, so it is possible that he may not be in the Blue Jackets. The same goes for goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.
“It was exciting to hear the news and hopefully I’m still here,” Laine said after taking team photos on the ice at the Nationwide Arena. “It’s the next step (accepting the extension), but it should be fun.… It’s different here, for North American guys. They usually get to play in their hometowns, but it’s quite rare for Europeans to get that opportunity. So yes, it’s pretty cute. ”
According to Laine, Blue Jackets will spend about five days in Helsinki before heading to Tampere to play consecutive games against Avalanche. In Helsinki, which is closer to Korpisalo’s hometown of Poria, teams had to play earlier this season before the NHL postponed all international games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transfer of the games to Tampere will place them in a new arena in Laine’s home village, which opened in December. It also evokes special memories Jarmo Kekalainen, CEO of Blue Jackets, who was born in that city, graduated from the University of Tampere in 2000 and played professionally for both teams in the League, Tappara and Ilves.
“I’m looking forward to showing a little bit of Finland to our team, staff and players, so it’s going to be exciting,” Kekalainen said. “I’ve spent some of the best years of my life in that city, so it’s great to come back with our team and show these guys what the city is all about.”
A new addition to Tampere is the Nokia Arena, which was completed in December and has a capacity of 13,455. It will also be used in the 2022 Men’s World Championships, which will be held on 13-29 May. In Helsinki and Tampere.
Laine, who is currently absent with an undisclosed upper body injury, is not sure if she will join the Finnish team, which will compete for the world championship in the same year when the Finnish team won gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Korpisalo has not played since March 22 and is scheduled for hip surgery.
Other Finns in the organizational structure of Blue Jackets include amateur scout manager Ville Siren and European player development coach Jarkko Ruutu. Avalanchhe employs Finnish strikers Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen and goalkeeper coach Jussi Parkkila.
As for the match, there is potential for two exciting matches.
Columbus swept the season series against Colorado this year and won the Avalanche twice in four days. Every game went to the wire. The Blue Jackets won their first overtime on November 3 at the Denver Ball Arena as Laine excited the crooked flesh, and then won a rematch at the Nationwide Arena on November 6 with rookie Cole Sillinger at the end of the third round.
The Blue Jackets later dropped out of the playoffs and played without Wave for 20 games, while Avalanche rose to the top of the NHL standings as a challenger to the Stanley Cup.
“It’s one of the best teams in the league, so it’s a big challenge,” Kekalainen said. – There are four points available, just like in our games here and in Denver, but as we can see, we are in the playoffs and they are the number one team in the league. We had success against them this year, so you never know. We’re just waiting for two exciting games and we’re fighting for four points.
They also enjoy their surroundings while making a rare road trip outside of North America.
“It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s a great opportunity to go there and grow the game, introduce (NHL),” said Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen, who hasn’t visited or played in Finland before. “It’s the regular season games, so it’s even better. I don’t consider it negative. You’re putting your team out to leave, and it’s a really cool experience. I’m looking forward to it.”