2022 Men’s World Cup notebook: The team arrives in Finland
The 2022 U.S. National Team arrived in Helsinki today just after 10.30. The group is greeted Risto Talvio, who has hosted U.S. teams in Finland since 1984. Yes, you read that right. Talvio is almost 40 years old, and its task is to work with the host organization to ensure that the logistics related to staying in Team USA for the World Cup in Finland are handled in a timely manner.
The players and staff left Chicago on Saturday for a direct transatlantic flight to Helsinki. The training staff arrived mainly in Windy City on Friday, and the players and coaching staff arrived from all over the United States on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. before the flight to Finland.
The eight-and-a-half-hour flight included dinner and breakfast and reviews of the food were quite positive. The group spent time watching movies, playing games, sleeping, reading and exploring, as the 24-player collection features top athletes from across the country and many who have not played together before.
The process of arriving at Helsinki International Airport was quick and seamless and resulted in the United States arriving at its headquarters hotel an hour early.
TRAINING IN THE ORE ARENA
Team USA will train until Tuesday at Malmi Arena, a three-player game used mainly for youth and adult hockey. Each of the three ice sheets is 200×90. Malmi is one of Helsinki’s 60 districts and about a 25-minute drive from the team’s headquarters in central Helsinki.