The Seattle Kraken practiced at a subterranean facility 121 feet below ground at Helsinki’s Veikkaus Arena during the NHL Global Series trip.
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Seattle Kraken captain Jordan Eberle said the team’s practice space at Helsinki’s Veikkaus Arena is “indeed another memorable experience,” describing a rink carved through bedrock about 121 feet below ground.
The underground practice facility is where the Kraken will train as they prepare to play the Carolina Hurricanes twice during the NHL Global Series—on Thursday and Saturday—at the same arena.
Eberle said the setup includes rock above the roof “pretty low,” prompting jokes with Kraken forward Curtis Douglas, whom Eberle described as the NHL’s tallest player at 6-foot-9.
Eberle also said the rink has ventilation tubes across the ceiling but is otherwise surrounded by rock blasted out of the ground, and that Jokerit has locker room facilities in the below-ground space.
The arena’s practice rink, affectionately dubbed “The Cave,” was built to serve as an on-site training facility for the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships, after Veikkaus Arena (then known as Hartwall Arena) opened in 1997 with a contractual requirement to build a separate training rink.
The underground location also doubles as a civil defence shelter, reflecting Finland’s broader approach to sheltering after bombing during World War II and later expansions during the Cold War and following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The team is using the dual-purpose facility at a time when Helsinki is hosting the NHL Global Series for the first time since 2018, with Kraken players also describing the experience as a distinctive part of their Finland trip.
The above-ground version of the venue, where Jokerit plays home games, is a 15,500-seat arena that closed in the wake of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was later reopened after a forced takeover and a purchase by Trevian in February 2025.
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