It's a trip the Panthers captain has been thinking about from the moment it was announced in March that they would participate in the 2018 NHL Global Series against the Winnipeg Jets for a two-game set that gets underway at Hartwell Arena on Thursday (2 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN3, NHL.TV).
"It means a lot," said Barkov, who hails from Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of Helsinki. "I think the games sold out in less than 10 minutes. That shows that there's a lot of people who love hockey here and loves the NHL and loves watching games. You're going to see that everybody's excited here about those two games. Even the open]*
The 23-year-old forward showed coach Bob Boughner around Hartwell Arena as soon as the Panthers arrived from the airport. Boughner said it's easy to see the excitement from Barkov and fellow Finn and Panthers forward Juho Lammikko, a native of Noormarkku, Finland, which Lammikko said is about three hours away.
"I asked him how many goals he's scored in this arena, we were joking around," Boughner said. "He's happy to be home, and obviously Juho as well. I think it's going to be a great week for those guys, sort of being ambassadors of Finnish hockey, and obviously [Barkov] being a superstar in the National Hockey League. No better guy to represent your country and your team than [Barkov]."
The Panthers will have a full day off Monday, when they continue to get adjusted to their surroundings for the week. Barkov said he would spend the day at a sauna.
"Maybe jump in the lake if I'm at home or in the city here," he said. "It's nice."
Florida (2-4-3) will practice Tuesday with two days to prepare for a back-to-back set against one of the top teams in the NHL. Barkov said he would have 20-25 friends and family in attendance for each game.
"Just to see Finland again, I still can't believe I'm in Finland wearing a Florida Panthers jersey," said Barkov, who has eight points (two goals, six assists) in nine games this season. "I'm getting ready to play two NHL games in front of family and my whole country. It's going to be awesome.
"Maybe today and tomorrow just get rest and get used to the country, the time change. The next days, just get ready for the games. I know it's going to be a great atmosphere over there; it's sold out. People [here] like hockey, so it's going to be great."
In the meantime, Barkov's teammates will turn to him for recommendations on where to eat and other activities around the city. He's confident they'll be impressed.
"I think they're going to like it," Barkov said. "It's not like New York or Miami; it's a little bit different. It's more calm. But overall, Helsinki is a nice city. There's a lot of good restaurants and very good places to go and see and walk around.
"The weather's not bad either. I know it's really cold, but I'm pretty sure all Canadians are used to that."
