Not to mention about the Red Bull helmets that is meant for bringing the "breakthrough" players under U20 age (best U20 player). Like Konsta Helenius, or Jani Nyman. U20 player statistics.
Last game of the season, no real point to get injuries before real playoffs fights start. Thats why 'soft' playing, and both teams solidified their positions already. Welcome to Finland 👍
@@JetLagWarriors Furthermore, IFK, finishing 6th in the league, has a very experienced team that has been assembled with playoffs success in mind. The intensity of the game will be totally different when you watch them in the quarter finals on the 22nd. KalPa, finishing 7th, had to save themselves for the first round playoffs (only teams in 7th-10th place), starting on Friday the 15th. They play a mini series (best of 3) in just four days and the winners are playing again in the first quarter final on Wednesday 20th. Btw. Are you familiar with the European way of calculating points for a league game? The winner is awarded 3 points, if you win in OT or on penalties you get 2 points and the OT/penalty loser gets 1 point. To the surprise of nobody: if you lose in regular time you will get no points.
BTW HIFK #88 Joonas Rask is Tuukka Rask's brother, believe it or not! What a coincidence you talked about Tuukka first and then went to his brother's game!!
Fins are pretty damn incredible. Toughest European players too. Finland also has the highest percentage of NHL players relative to population. Cheers from Canada
If you want to bring your beer to the seats you have to buy a ticket that allows it in a separate section, its basically the same price, they just want to seperate drunken people from kids etc.
Tho feels kinda weird, it never affected kids and families anywhere, no matter the sport, like, in latvia they also start to implement that, but most of the kids that went to watch hockey games during KHL matches back in the day and are grown ups now, they arent alcoholics.
@@undekalmarsson8450 I dont know which arena is this for, but in my hometown arena they sell you non alcoholic stuff in bottles which you can take to seats, so there isnt really opportunity for that.
@@Swarmah Don't try to make sense Finnish alcohol laws. Only the government officials are selling alcohol from a governmental office that has a monopoly on selling alcohol called Alko. Only mildest of beers (less than 3% alcohol) is allowed in grocery stores and they are legally bound to cage off the alcohol products at 9pm or earlier depending if it's a special day. Night clubs and bars have strict schedule when they're allowed to operate and all alcohol is taxed to hell and back. It's cheaper to buy drugs although I've opted out on using either.
@@aleks5405Actually, all kinds of alcohol drinks no more than 5,5% are sold in normal grocery stores, anything stronger you would have to buy from Alko or drink at a bar/restaurant.
This is a great arena but tbh nowdays the best arena is in Tampere ;) you should have visited a Ilves VS Tappara game! its literally the best Tampere/Finland has to offer. Two local teams going at each other.
only hifk fans would say their arena is the best in finland, but even in this video the experience and matches are so boring. I watched 2019 first time hifk match in this arena against ilves and it was so silent and boring that i would even like to talk with friends at the same time than watch the full match
The Finns have the coolest names. Love seeing them in the NHL and watching them in World's Strongest Man competitions. From my era: Jari Kurri Esa Tikkanen Saku Koivu Teemu Selanne, and strongmen Jouka Ahola Riku Kiri and Janne Virtanen
the HIFK #88 is brother of Tuukka Rask, HIFK 47 Leo Komarov played for the leafs, HIFK #81 played for Oilers and HIFK #21 played for St.Louis and Flyers.
I saw the name Rask on his jersey! I was curious if it were a common name in Finland, and maybe they were unrelated. AND! I remember Leo Komarov! I didn't notice his name. I would've mentioned it in the video! Thanks for this info
The rink is larger than in North America. Therefore the game is not so physical and more based on skill, speed and puck control. Also in the NHL, Finnish players are more on the skill/speed side..like Aho, Barkov, Rantanen, earlier Selänne, Koivu, Kurri....On physical side there are players like Ristolainen, Hakanpää and earlier Jarkko Ruutu.
@@JetLagWarriors Of course larger ice means more ice to to defend. Therefore you don't see much of high checking, but more five man trap. NHL has way more end to end action but european hockey is all about having five players defending. People often think that having more ice surface creates more speed and lets skill flourish. Actually it is just the opposite. Most of the time team with the puck gets to skate to red line, then it is dump and chase, without true chase.
Actually, the IFK rink is closest to an NHL rink in Finland (at least in Liiga that is). I think IFK rink is 60x27,7 meters where as NHL rink is 61x26 so 1,7 meter difference in width and only one meter in length. "Olympic size" rinks are 60x30 meters so they are 4 meters wider than NHL rinks.
@@kala1780doesn’t matter. It’s still bigger and moreover the playing style translates from the general FI standard of larger rinks even if this rink is slightly smaller than that.
Very nice video, thanks for that! As a regular home fan for IFK I really enjoyed the outsider view on our team and arena. Unfortunately you ended in one of the more boring games but I hope you get a chance to see a more exciting match during your stay in Finland. The playoffs start tomorrow.
I don't know if you missed it, I didn't see it in the video, but before the 2nd and 3rd period, there is a HIFK tradition that they play Bill Masners Lets play hockey! I think they have done it since the 70's.
I've always wanted to attend a Men's World Hockey Championship game in Europe. The atmospheres look fantastic on TV. The rink you're in - Helsinki Ice Hall - was one of two host rinks for the 2022 tournament. The other was Nokia Arena, which a few Finns have mentioned here. Nokia Arena hosted again in 2023 alongside Arena Riga in Latvia.
As a neutral spectator I prefer Ilves games over Tappara. More fans, better atmosphere and better arena show around the game. But both are good, I recommend to visit Tampere! Nice city also, stay over night.
@@user-ih7uu7wl9k couple years ago there is not the arena. In this year tappara has the most audience in the home games and away games. And tappara have text "suomen seuratuin = the most followed in finland" in tapparas advertisements. But it's true that kärpät and hifk are also popular teams.
2 weeks ago i went there to watch HIFK-Pelicans and all I can say that it was the best hockey experience I had. Lil over 8000 people, crowd cheering all around the arena. Pelicans finished 3th in the Liiga this year so they are against HIFK again. HIFK won 6-1.
Go watch Tappara - TPS tomorrow. Both are legendary teams, Tappara is 19 times finnish champion and 2023 CHL/European champion. NHL player examples from both teams Tappara: Aleksander Barkov, Patrik Laine TPS: Mikko Koivu, Miikka Kiprusoff, Saku Koivu and maaanybother
I also visited that arena for the 1st time week ago :) It was not hockey tho, a concert. Nice to see a video visiting helsinki, that is not the usual tourist stuff like löyly, cathedral, kauppatori... Hope you like your visit! Please go enjoy our nature, it has a lot more to offer than any of our cities :) I watched your Shanghai video after. Made me think about asian tourists, they must feel so weird when they come visit Finland, since there is not many people lol!
Well, I love hockey, so I had to make this video (and there will be more hockey videos coming!) But still, you will see Loyly, Senate Square, The Rock Cathedral etc. on our channel. They are 'tourist stuff' but... we are tourists! We want to see them too :)
I think the best hockey games to watch live in Finland are the ones where Ilves and Tappara play against each other because both teams are from Tampere and I think those are at pretty much always sold out so the atmosphere is awesome!
American here...when it comes to international hockey I always root for the USA--for obvious reasons--but Finland is my second team due to my scandinavian ancestry. Finland is where I want to be...so far from Cairo...so far from Japan!!
@@akseli66 The most northwestern part of Finland belongs to Scandinavia peninsula and outside the Nordic countries, especially in German and English languages, Scandinavia is sometimes synonymous with the Nordic countries.
@@Huckfinn37 why are you trying to teach finnish geography to a finnish person? And just bcs Spain has a tiny land area in africa does it mean its an african country?
@@akseli66 Etkö ymmärtänyt mitä kirjoitin? Saksan ja Englannin kielellä Scandinavia on joskus synonyymi Pohjoismaille,joten on aivan turha jokaiselle englanninkieliselle alkaa selittämään Pohjoismaiden ja Scandinavian eroja kun heillä on tämä käsitys
But it's still less intense at least in terms of violence than in the NHL, especially in the Youth Leagues. The coaches hate giving the opponents power play for no good reason. The line I was fed was: "You don't break (the rules) ever. Outmatch them with skill, force them to put three on one and let them screw up".
great video, sadly you didnt see any hometeam goals :/ (but im happy because im KalPa´s fan :D) you should go watch some playoff hockey in finland too! U should go to Nokia Arena in Tampere
in hifk pelicans matches usually it's a very physical game and the pelicans "ultras" are also coming to that game so it should be a good atmosphere in the arena@@JetLagWarriors
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (HIFK) is historically a Finnish Swedish sports club founded in 1897. They had teams in various sports. The ice hockey hall is from 1966, and the second oldest in Finland. NHL players to come from HIFK includes Ville Husso, Mikael Granlund, Niklas Hagman, Olli Jokinen, Sami Kapanen, the Ruutu bothers Tuomo and Jarkko and Esa Tikkanen. With some of those names, the team actually has a reputation as a physical team. HIFK's traditional local rival is Jokerit; a team founded in 1967, and historically supported by the rural people who moved to newly built suburbs due the 60s' urbanization era. NHL players to come from Jokerit includes Teuvo Teräväinen, Esa Lindell, Valtteri Filppula, Teemu Selänne and Jari Kurri. Jokerit played in the KHL between 2014-2022, which caused some issues, and still do. They are now playing in 1. division in Finland and working they way back to league. Their home arena, built in 1997, sits empty at the moment, because it has Russian ownership. Third major Helsinki metropolitan area team is Kiekko Espoo, founded in 1984. NHL players to come from Kiekko Espoo includes a three-time Selke Trophy winner, Jere Lehtinen, who probably embodies your definition of a Finnish player the best. The trophy for which the teams play in Finnish league is called Canada Bowl. It was donated by the Finnish Canadian community in 1950, and first time won the next year. First actual season was played in 1927-1928. The most successful team-also during the recent years-is Tappara from Tampere. Tampere is regarded as the capital of Finnish hockey. The other league team from there is Ilves. Both play in recently built Nokia Arena. First Finnish born to play in the NHL was Finnish Canadian John Albert Pudas, who played four games in Toronto St. Patricks in 1926-1927, and who then went on to have a long career within hockey. Finland's contribution to ice hockey includes some of the equipment: "Koho - Utopia Forssasta (Koho - Future from Forssa) Official Trailer". If you wondered what that other sport played on the trailer was: "PESÄPALLO: FINLAND’S ANSWER TO BASEBALL | MLB EUROPE PLAY STORIES".
My old teacher had a student who became a professional hockey player in finland so our class used to get free seats to some hockey games every now and then
You should go to watch TPS play in Turku. The capacity there is about 11 000, so when it gets full, the atmosphere is awesome. And I think whole experience is just different.
In Tampere you sit right by the glass. And also wow the canadian prices :O I have seen a hockey game with just 12 euros. Really makes up for the 9 euro beer i guess :D Also junior hockey players cear the ice here. Some games are more physical than the others - but you are right, league games are less that because the team members are playing so well together. Come to see a game in tampere, we have a nice venue 8)
I think, outside Toronto, the prices in Canada might be a little more manageable. The Leafs' prices are completely absurd. Especially for a team that never wins LOL
Tampere is the hockey capital of finland. We have the two best teams of the country atm. Just went to see their game last week, it was so good game.@@JetLagWarriors
In Turku, Finland the second division team, TUTO has a bar stand with tables behind the goal. Great place to get wasted directly behind the glass. Been there many times, it is a more expensive ticket, but totally worth it to reserve a table. 😅
Unfortunately you went to the most boring game of the whole season. Seems like the players tried avoid injuries because they want to play in the playoffs.
7:58 - the full name of the team is Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (Sporting Society Comrades, Helsinki in English). Think HIFK rolls of the tongue a bit more 😂
Many Finnish NHL players came back to Finland to play during the NHL lockdown in mid 90's and Teppo Numminen played for TuTo which was then a premier league team for a short while. I remember an interview where Teppo said that he got hit and bruised more in one game in the SM-Liiga than he did in the NHL in one week. Granted, the game has changed a lot since then.
Well, that's why the Baltic booze train is a such a good joke. Finns go to buy cheap booze in Estonia, Estonians go to Latvia, Latvians go to Lithuania and Lithuanians go to Poland.
The yellow team goalie pad reads "Piki Team" which is an ad for a company. In SM liiga they try to get all the ad money they can get because the league is not that rich. Thats why they stuff ads into everywhere they can on the players jerseys and gear.
The NHL plays in a smaller rink with more pauses that last way longer. That’s the main reason for the super physical play. But it’s also the league where almost the whole hockey world wants to play and the money in it is insane so that pushes the players more as well.
And another difference that tbf changes nothing is that the away team can wear their home jersey if they don’t collide in color with the home team’s jersey. In the NHL the visitors always wear white
Funfact. Nordic countries in Europe eat more icecream than more southern countries, in Europe or in US. Elsewhere its promoted as summer delicasy. Here it is just basic delicasy that we eat all year around. :)
The name HIFK comes from sweden. Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna i Helsingfors. It just means "Sports club from Helsinki" when freely translated. It might be hard to pronounce for a foreigner, but in Finland we just say IFK spelled or HIFK just as a word (not spelled)
Really liked your take on Finnish hockey. I personally watch through all recaps of NHL each morning before work and I'm not all that invested on Finnish league due to it being just as un-local as NHL but NHL has better pace. And for sure, there was no stakes at this game and no one wants to injure themselves right before the playoffs. Hope your playoff game will be more intense. :)
the H in HIFK stands for Helsinki, so no need to say Helsinki after HIFK. HIFK is an abbreviation for "Idrottsföreningen kamraterna i Helsingfors" (Swedish)
Brazilian here. Maybe you could at least once watch to a futsal (indoor football) match. It's very fast and has more goals. I got surprised when I watch it live, especially because I watched the best national team during that time and also a game between Brazil and Portugal.
Hifk and Kalpa are kinda the midtear teams. The best ones come from Tampere and they are Tappara and in second place is Ilves. Also if you see them, buy Terissaari OY drinks. They are Miera, Merta, Sidukka, Korte. Non alcoholic are just omenalimonadi, mustaherukkalimonadi.
A good comparison in the Finnish league for the Maple Leafs is Ilves from Tampere: founded in 1931, 16 titles (tied for most), but the last one was in 1985.
If you didn't know in Liiga the hockey rink is some what more wide than in the NHL. I've been to Hartwall Areena in Pasila many times watching Jokerit, but also Florida Panthers vs Winnipeg Jets in 2018 that was in Hartwall Arena, because of the NHL world tour thing or whatever it is and the rink was like 1m-2m more narrow, so 0.5m-1m from both sides.
the HIFK-Pelicans game will have much more intensity the two teams always play very physical against eachother and also the Pelicans "ultras" are coming to the game like 200 people so it should be a good atmosphere in the arena
So you're from Toronto, there plays three finnish players in Marlies at the moment. Roni Hirvonen (played Hifk earlier), Topi Niemelä and Mikko Kokkonen, hopefully they make it to Maple Leafs one day!!!
So sad you had to see this game. It was one of the worst games this season. Also you should have sat on the other side 😅 There seats go all the way down and the atmosphere is the best! Great video, spotted many of my friends on it too :D
