The activity is a trip to a traditional Finnish sauna, followed by dinner.
“I’m not sure how those two things go together, but we’ll see,” coach Pete DeBoer said, chuckling.
Lindell was looking forward to the sauna and how his North American teammates would enjoy the experience, particularly the bracing plunge into the Baltic Sea that is de riguere to the experience.
It’s the first of several outings that Lindell, Heiskanen and Hintz selected for this trip. There is an optional outing Tuesday to see a game involving Jokerit, a legendary hockey club of which Lindell owns a part. Plus other events that have been kept secret.
Lindell said Monday that the three Finns arrived at the itinerary collectively. There was no fighting or pulling rank.
DeBoer has enjoyed watching his Finnish players embrace this unique opportunity. They are at the forefront and the focal point, which is not always the case. While each is an important part of a team that is a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup, those three players rarely seek, nor embrace, the limelight.
Not so this week.
This trip is all about the Finnish Mafia, which is a nickname for the Stars’ Finnish players.
The coach says that the trio is super motivated to put on a show throughout the week, on and off the ice.
“We have been talking about it last year since it got announced. I think they are very excited to play in front of their families first, but also to show our team where they are from and their culture,” DeBoer said. “They have things planned, things that are uniquely Finnish that we don’t get in North America. They are excited, they have been planning it for a long time now.”
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