With puck drop for the Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes at the NHL Global Series in Finland around the corner, Brandon Montour is counting down the days to his first Finnish hockey experience.
Now in his 11th NHL season and third with the Kraken, the defenceman is in a Suomi state of mind.
“I’ve never been to Finland, so it’s cool to check off another country you get to play in,” Montour told NHLPA.com. “I love the Finnish players I have played with throughout my career – they’re really great guys – and I know they love going back during the summers.”
The two games, scheduled for Nov. 12 and Nov. 14 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki, Finland’s capital and most populous city, will provide a unique experience for the players, an opportunity Montour doesn't take for granted.
“I’m excited to play in Helsinki and in that arena. The fans are going to be amazing and bring a lot of energy, so that’s going to be something that shows their love of the game and how much it means to them.”
The Global Series will also feature a special homecoming for several players. Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko, Jani Nyman and Ville Ottavainen along with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho and Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Juuso Välimäki, will have the opportunity to play in front of fans in their home country.
Montour, one of Seattle’s alternate captains, is happy to let his Finnish-born teammates take the lead when it comes to playing tour guide.
“On the road, I like to organize dinners and plan some other things, but the Finnish guys on our team are obviously very excited and proud to be playing those games in their home country. We’ve known about this game for about two years, so Kaapo has had some time to put some ideas together and come up with some plans for the boys.”
While the main focus will be on earning points and doing his job on the ice, Montour, who signed a seven-year contract with the Kraken as a free agent on July 1, 2024, is also looking forward to enjoying the experience.
“Kaapo has been sharing his experiences, what he thinks everyone will appreciate and enjoy in Finland. I feel like it should be a pretty laid-back time away from the games, but obviously, the games count in the standings, and you treat it with the same preparation and commitment as every game you play. Outside of that, it’s a great chance to further bond as a team, to share all these new things with one another.”
This will be Montour’s second Global Series experience.
In 2019, while playing for the Buffalo Sabres, he travelled to Stockholm for a pair of games against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Ontario-born defenceman has also visited several other European countries during his hockey career, including when he competed for Canada on the international stage.
“I have been to Sweden a few times in my career, and played in Slovakia and Denmark, too,” said Montour, who won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024. “I was in Austria for a bit as well. That is the cool thing about opportunities like this one, having the chance to see different cultures up close, and seeing what life there is all about.”
As for his off-ice to-do list this time around, Montour, who is closing in on 700 NHL career games, has one particular experience he'd like to enjoy.
“I want to enjoy the sauna experience. With it getting colder at this time of the year, enjoying a sauna when we are in Finland would be great. I know it’s a big thing there. Hopefully, we get to make that happen.”
Returning to North America with a pair of wins is the top priority.
“That’s the goal. It’s great to have a new opportunity like this, but once the puck drops, all your focus goes to getting those two points. Definitely looking forward to it all.”
