"Fishy", saunas, and the card circle – Sebastian Aho opens up on Finnish morning TV

Sebastian Aho appeared live on Finnish national TV and its morning show this morning. One of the viewers immediately described the guest as a computer, but Sebastian noted that in North America he's called 'Fishy' or 'Sea Bass.'

Carolina kicked off their trip to Finland straight from the plane with a practice session. It was Aho's first-ever European trip with the team, and he was super excited about it, admitting he was even a bit nervous. Aho was also looking forward to seeing family and friends. The last time Aho played at Veikkaus Arena, he clinched the U20 World Championship gold there, and the locker room was still the same this time around.

Aho mentioned that he and many other Finns wanted to come to Finland to win, and he believed his teammates wanted to win for them, too. The trip to Finland fits really well into this point of the season, even though the jet lag was still lingering. However, the journey passed pleasantly with a card circle, playing Spades in pairs with the Canes players.

Aho made it into the card circle in his second season, getting his spot when a Swedish player quit the group. Now he has been playing cards for eight years. Along with Aho, the card table currently features Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal, and Shayne Gostisbehere. Since Spades is a team game, Aho and Jarvis are currently in the lead.

Sebastian is a hockey nerd and loved being at the rink, but now as a family man, he's had to cut down on that time. In Finland, Aho has acted as the itinerary planner, and good food and a sauna are on the agenda. Today, the Canes aren't hitting the wings just yet, but are heading to a fine-dining restaurant instead. Aho has been a bit nervous about organizing the schedule, but he's received help from friends in Helsinki. The sauna is definitely something everyone is looking forward to, and now the Canes' locker room has its own sauna, too. At first, the sauna was large, but the stove was too small. Now, however, the stove is the right size.

In Finland, people usually go to the sauna naked, but Aho and the other Finns have had to humble themselves and wear shorts. Aho also mentioned that he feels like he's from Oulu rather than Rauma, even though Rauma is listed as his birthplace. Oulu has always felt like home to Aho, and if he orders a pizza in Oulu, it has to come with mayonnaise on top.

The Finnish players from Carolina and Seattle won't have time to hang out with each other during this trip, but they plan to at least high-five after the game. In North America, Aho often goes out to eat with various Finnish players the night before games. Sebastian Aho said he knows most of the Finnish players well, laughing that the interaction is often typical Finnish behavior—just a simple greeting is enough.

The hosts asked Aho what the worst place to play is. He hesitated for a long time before saying that somewhere like Winnipeg is far away and can be tough to travel to, though he added that their arena is technically great and it's where he made his NHL debut. As great places to play, Aho praised Montreal and New York—they always brought the energy!

Winning the Stanley Cup was one of the most significant achievements of Aho's career. There was almost an obsession with winning the trophy because the team chased it for so long. Now, heading into the second season as champs, it has been easier to start and they've been able to play more relaxed. Still, winning the trophy is always tough, and the team wants to defend it again this season. The Stanley Cup was celebrated last spring for a whole week, right up to the parade.

When Aho was asked what one thing he would bring from Finland to North America, he mentioned rye bread and chocolate; visitors from Finland always brought him those. He also missed the people living in Finland. From North America, Aho would love to bring the weather and golf courses to Finland. Raleigh was an easy place to live and is the perfect spot for Finns.

Teuvo Teräväinen was a huge help to Sebastian Aho when he started in Carolina. Aho lived at Teuvo's place at first and got help with driving and language skills. The duo could speak their own language and analyze their own game. Learning English took some time, and sometimes the coach's instructions would fly right past him, but thankfully Aho picked up the hockey terminology quickly.

Finland has many dialects, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi spoke his local dialect; Aho said he didn't really understand 'Jepu' even in Finnish. Because Aho had a tight schedule and had to rush off from the interview, the hosts played out the segment together with the Finnish artist Arpa's song 'Oulu-Theme.'