Kaapo Kakko heads home to Finland with Seattle Kraken for NHL Global Series vs. Hurricanes

The Story

Kaapo Kakko and the Seattle Kraken spent more than nine hours on a plane Saturday into Sunday, arriving in time for the next step on Seattle’s schedule: the NHL Global Series Finland against the Carolina Hurricanes at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki.

The Kraken will play the reigning Stanley Cup champions on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET and again on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, after Seattle’s 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Saturday.

Kakko, who grew up in Turku, about 90 miles west-northwest of Helsinki, said the trip is the closest he can get to a true “home” game. The 25-year-old forward said he expects to see many people there, including “Family, friends, a couple of old coaches,” along with his grandparents, who will attend their first NHL game and their first trip to North America.

Kakko said his relatives back home are following the games with a 10-hour time difference, watching from TV, but the Finland swing gives them a chance to be there in person to see him play. He said that time in the city before and after the games should make the experience more memorable.

While the trip will carry extra meaning for Seattle’s other Finnish players, Kakko said he hopes it becomes something special for the whole team. The Kraken have a 9-6-1 record this season and earlier in October completed a five-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents, an early bonding stretch that came before this longer stay in Helsinki.

Kakko said he expects the Global Series to feel “something different,” in part because the team will be in one place for a full week and will have time to do more off the ice together. He said he has been charged with helping plan those activities, consulting former Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen, who grew up in Vihti, about 30 miles northwest of Helsinki, for restaurant and activity recommendations.

For Kakko, Finnish culture starts with the sauna. He said “that was the first thing that came to mind” when planning the week and suggested his teammates try a plunge into the frigid Baltic Sea. He also said he wants them to experience traditional food, pointing specifically to salmon soup as a post-sauna staple.

On the ice, Seattle will focus on winning its two games against Carolina, and Kakko also expects the trip to help introduce the NHL to fans in Finland. In addition to the two matches, each team will hold an open practice at Veikkaus Arena on Friday, which Kakko said he believes will be a draw for young fans.

Kakko also described Veikkaus Arena as a venue he remembers from childhood, when he saw NHL games there but said tickets were “too expensive” for him to attend. He said his dream at the time was to play for TPS Turku in Finland’s Liiga and noted he later played for TPS Turku for two seasons before being selected by the New York Rangers with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

With the Kraken set to return to Helsinki for the Global Series, Kakko said he expects the arena atmosphere to be strong and that Finnish fans are “happy” to see the games. He said there will also be Hurricanes supporters because of Sebastian Aho, and he wants to see how many Kraken fans make the trip as well.