© Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

TAMPERE, Finland — Finland President Alexander Stubb has hockey in his blood.

Like many in his country, Stubb grew up playing the sport. He also had a strong connection the NHL because his father, Goran Stubb, was Director of European Scouting for 40 years before retiring in 2023.

So, it was no surprise that one of the 56-year-old president’s first stops after returning Saturday from a diplomatic trip to China was at Nokia Arena to watch the Florida Panthers play the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland presented by Fastenal. It was the 11th NHL regular-season game played in Finland and fourth in Tampere, including Florida’s 6-4 win against Dallas on Friday and two during the 2022 NHL Global Series between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

“It means a lot,” Stubb told NHL.com of the Global Series games in Finland. “It’s a little bit like the Super Bowl in the NFL. It’s always a big event. And then when you get two basically Finnish teams playing good ice hockey, it means a lot. It’s a lot of fun.

“We are a hockey-crazy nation and, of course, to see our big stars playing here means a lot for all of us.”

The Panthers have four players from Finland: captain Aleksander Barkov, center Anton Lundell, left wing Eetu Luostarinen and defenseman Niko Mikkola. The Stars have three: center Roope Hintz, and defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell.

Barkov has had the biggest spotlight on him because he is from Tampere and responded with four points (one goal, three assists) in Florida’s victory Friday. To the delight of the sellout crowd of 12,786, Barkov helped set up Evan Rodrigues‘ deflection goal just 28 seconds into the game, scored on a 3-on-2 at 7:11 of the first period and assisted on goals by Sam Reinhart in the second and third.

Stubb said having Barkov, one of Tampere’s own, shine in his hometown arena was a source of pride for the city.

“This is one of these cities that have come a long way in the past 20 years and not only in terms of the new arena, but the rest of it,” Stubb said. “But then for Sasha to score yesterday and give an assist 28 seconds into the game, I think it was a big thing for the city and, of course, big for Sasha. You know, Finns don’t always show their emotions, but you could see that Sasha was quite emotional yesterday.”

Stubb honored Barkov, Lundell, Luostarinen, Mikkola, and Panthers assistant Tuomo Ruutu, who is from Vantaa, at a dinner in July after they won the Stanley Cup last season. Barkov, the first Finnish-born captain to win an NHL championship, presented Stubb with a signed Panthers Barkov jersey, and the five Finns posed for photos with the president.

Stubb said he watched the game Friday on television before flying back from China. Prior to going to Nokia Arena on Saturday, he made a surprise stop at Tampere City Hall for the ceremony honoring Jari Kurri for winning the Borje Salming Courage Award, which is presented by the NHL Alumni Association to the Europe-born NHL alum who has been a positive influence in their community and best embodies Salming’s legacy of courage, bravery and dedication on and off the ice.

Stubb was accompanied by his 89-year-old father and brother Nicolas. He proudly noted that his father scouted most of the more than 65 Finnish NHL alumni at the ceremony.

“All the players that we have, all the players that are in Europe have somehow come through him and Central Scouting,” Stubb said. “He started in 1983, so we’re talking about a time when there was still an iron curtain, no Czechoslovakian players, no Soviet players could come. So, it’s fun. It’s a family thing.”