Kraken fans meet fellow Seattle supporters in Helsinki as team bonds ahead of Global Series opener

The Story

A West Seattle family spent Wednesday exploring Helsinki before stopping into a bar called “Kraken Helsinki,” where they ran into another newly arrived Seattle couple ahead of Thursday’s start of the NHL Global Series between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Steve Lariviere, his wife Diane and their adult daughter Kimberly had been sightseeing through the city’s streets, a museum and a church before checking out the bar, which they found through its online presence. Lariviere said they were looking for other Seattle hockey fans who might be in town early.

“We’ve been Kraken fans since Day 1 so we just put our money in early,” Lariviere said, describing how they booked tickets through Victory Travel, the NHL’s designated tour partner for the two-game series on Thursday and Saturday. “Diane had just retired so we figured ‘Why not? Let’s go, let’s go. And that’s when we bought into it.”

The Lariviere family’s fan group left last week and stopped in Stockholm, Sweden before reaching Helsinki by overnight ferry on Tuesday morning. Most of their group spent Tuesday on a ferry ride to Estonia for the day, while Lariviere—who said he has been a hockey fan since 1967 and is from Boston—stayed in Helsinki to tour the city.

Lariviere’s daughter and wife also described meeting other supporters since arriving. Diane Lariviere said, “We’ve met a lot of fans that I think we're now pretty good friends with,” adding, “We’ve even run into Canes fans that have been very pleasant.” Official NHL fan events were scheduled to begin Thursday afternoon at pre-designated establishments Henry’s Distillery and Hook.

The on-ice preparations in Helsinki have been matched by team bonding off the rink. During Wednesday afternoon shopping around the team’s hotel, Matty Beniers, Berkly Catton and Mackie Samoskevich were seen walking with Brandon Montour, Chandler Stephenson and Josh Mahura.

Samoskevich, who had described the focus after practice as “fun” with teammates on and off the ice, said earlier Wednesday that spending time together has helped him settle into the group. He added that his previous Global Series experience in Finland, two years ago with the Florida Panthers in Tampere, has shaped what he expects on a trip that includes a roughly 10-hour time difference from Seattle.

He said he has been trying Finnish foods and taking part in a Finnish sauna that included a cold ocean dip, and he also noted a Tuesday dinner session with the full team. “This trip's been really good for spending time with the teammates and it's been really fun,” Samoskevich said.

Catton described similar time with teammates during the team’s Tuesday off-day, saying he and Stephenson went clothes shopping because they “always say we like the Euro style a lot,” before also taking in the sauna and dinner together. “Yeah, it's a fun team bonding experience in a different country with just the guys,” Catton said. “So, going to the sauna and doing stuff like that is great.”

Kraken head coach Lane Lambert, who said he had never visited Finland despite having family there, spent Tuesday’s off-day touring with his wife Annie, his brother Ross, and his Finnish sister-in-law from Lahti, about 65 miles away. Lambert said the goal is for players to enjoy the opportunity to visit a place many have never seen before, while staying sharp once they reach the rink: “Certainly, what we've asked them is, when we come to the rink we're dialed in.”

For fans, the Lariviere family’s week is also expected to include more time with other supporters before games begin Thursday night, with additional downtime Friday ahead of the series finale on Saturday. “It’s been really fun,” Diane Lariviere said. “My family’s from a Nordic background so you’d think I’d have come here before. But no, it’s my first time.” She added, “It’s been real easy. The food’s been great, people are good. It’s been easy as pie. I’m so glad we did this.”