Stubb said having Barkov, one of Tampere’s own, shine in his hometown arena was a source of pride for the city.
“This is one of these cities that have come a long way in the past 20 years and not only in terms of the new arena, but the rest of it,” Stubb said. “But then for Sasha to score yesterday and give an assist 28 seconds into the game, I think it was a big thing for the city and, of course, big for Sasha. You know, Finns don’t always show their emotions, but you could see that Sasha was quite emotional yesterday.”
Stubb honored Barkov, Lundell, Luostarinen, Mikkola, and Panthers assistant Tuomo Ruutu, who is from Vantaa, at a dinner in July after they won the Stanley Cup last season. Barkov, the first Finnish-born captain to win an NHL championship, presented Stubb with a signed Panthers Barkov jersey, and the five Finns posed for photos with the president.
Stubb said he watched the game Friday on television before flying back from China. Prior to going to Nokia Arena on Saturday, he made a surprise stop at Tampere City Hall for the ceremony honoring Jari Kurri for winning the Borje Salming Courage Award, which is presented by the NHL Alumni Association to the Europe-born NHL alum who has been a positive influence in their community and best embodies Salming’s legacy of courage, bravery and dedication on and off the ice.
Stubb was accompanied by his 89-year-old father and brother Nicolas, and they visited both locker rooms Saturday after the game. He proudly noted that his father scouted most of the more than 65 Finnish NHL alumni at the ceremony.
“All the players that we have, all the players that are in Europe have somehow come through him and Central Scouting,” Stubb said. “He started in 1983, so we’re talking about a time when there was still an iron curtain, no Czechoslovakian players, no Soviet players could come. So, it’s fun. It’s a family thing.”
“We usually see him when we win, so that’s a good thing and a big honor,” Barkov said. “Obviously, he’s the president of my country where I was born and where I grew up, so it’s always an honor to be around him. He was great and we all know he loves hockey more than anything, and it was a big honor to see him in our locker room for sure.”
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