It is definitely worth a visit if you are visiting Helsinki (#NHLGlobalSeries) during the winter!

I started the weekend with nostalgia again. Right in the morning, I contacted Padasjoki, where Mikko, who used to work as the production manager at the Montreal stick factory, answered the phone. I asked Mikko about the history of Montreal sticks, and the conversation also turned to Mikko's mentor and the founder of Titan, Antti-Jussi Tiitola. We agreed during the call that I would visit Padasjoki later and write an article about Montreal's history. The history of Titan is also very interesting, so I want to create separate content for that as well!

During the call, I drove to the newly opened exhibition at Cultural Centre Tahto. This was the first day that the Sports Museum of Finland's exhibition "Leijonat - Koko kansan joukkue" was open to the public. People started gathering as the doors opened at 10:00 AM. Yesterday's opening event included Jere Lehtinen and many other former Finnish national team players. The idea of the exhibition is to bring memorable moments, players, and phenomena of Finnish ice hockey to life for people to experience. The Finnish ice hockey national team, the Lions, still holds an almost exceptionally unifying power in Finland. It is similar to what many other countries have in sports like football, for example.

Honestly, I don't remember anything about Finland's first World Championship other than the newspaper articles. They also appeared in my older brothers' rooms. I was under 6 years old back then, and it was only when I entered school that the World Championship really hit me. It's a bit of a pity that I wasn't any older so that I could vibe with the Lions' first World Championship in the same way. Actually, the Slovak national team's World Championship silver in 2000 was my first real memory of a match that I followed from start to finish. Back then, Slovakia lost to the Czech Republic 3-5 in the final.

Later on, I have gotten to witness many finals won by the Lions. The 2011 final is memorable because it was only the second World Championship since 1995. For our generation and younger ones, it was a new and unique experience. A long time had passed since the previously won gold. After 2011, the championships won by Finland haven't quite felt the same. I remember when one of my friends jumped into the sea with all their clothes on to celebrate. It was wild!

The Finnish Ice Hockey Museum is located in Tampere. However, a new exhibition has now been put together from Tampere and other parts of Finland, which will be open all winter. The exhibition featured a lot of historical information spanning a long journey. All the texts were also translated into Swedish and English. What stood out most from the exhibitions was perhaps the world's most legendary VHS cassette. Petteri Poukka recorded the 1995 World Championship final on a VHS tape. Later, he has carried the tape with him on travels in Finland and abroad. Now the cassette has visited over 40 countries and more than four continents!

So as not to spam the entire content of the exhibition, I strongly recommend visiting it if and when you are in Helsinki during the winter. For instance, fans of the Canes and Kraken traveling here during the #NHLGlobalSeries week should definitely check it out. It gives some perspective on this country and the status of ice hockey here. You might even learn something along the way.