The first-ever Kraken games played in Europe are less than three weeks away. Seattle and the Carolina Hurricanes will play a two game set on Nov. 12 and 14 in Helsinki, Finland.
Finland has been ranked “Happiest country in the world” nine years running by the World Happiness Report. The league is doing everything it can to make sure the Kraken and Hurricanes feel the love.
An NHL advance team has been overseas getting everything ready for the latest “NHL Global Series.” Lynn White, senior VP of international strategy for the league, noted in a KOMO-4 interview that “It’ll be our 49th and 50th regular season games in Europe.
“We need to change (Helsinki’s Veikkaus Arena) from a 200-by-100 foot (international standard) rink to a 200-by-85 foot (NHL standard) rink. We also need to ensure that the ice surface, dasher boards, glass, netting, the playing environment itself meets all of our NHL standards.”
Key Word In Overseas Travel: ‘Acclimate’
By design, the Kraken’s last game before Finland will be a home date with the Rangers on Saturday, Nov. 7. After the Thursday and Saturday games with the Hurricanes, the Kraken won’t play again in North America until hosting the Canucks on Thursday, Nov. 19.
“Making sure that there’s enough time for the players to acclimate as they arrive in-market, and then enough time for them to re-acclimate when they come back,” says White.
The league also tries to make sure players have all the comforts of home. “It’s sometimes as simple as unfamiliar products. If you’re used to one chewing gum brand, you might not be able to get the same chewing gum brand abroad. It’s solving and adapting. But the reward is great, the opportunity to showcase our game to a fan base who typically would not be able to experience the NHL live.”
Both teams will have cheering sections. “There will be a fairly sizable group of fans both from Seattle and Carolina, above 700 between the two markets, which is extraordinary when you consider the distance both fan groups are traveling.”
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