Back home: Stars’ trio of Finns savoring “special” Global Series trip with team

Roope Hintz got the golden helmet at practice Thursday.

The honor is traditionally given to a team’s leading scorer in Finland, and it was a perfect gift on a day when the Stars center was welcoming his teammates to his adopted hometown of Tampere. The native of Nokia played two seasons for Ilves, so he was sort of the host for the lads in Victory Green as they moved from Helsinki to get ready for their Global Series games against the Florida Panthers on Friday and Saturday.

“There’s a new leader now,” joked teammate Esa Lindell, who had to handle a lot of the hosting duties when the team practiced in Helsinki earlier in the week. “It’s a good thing.”

“I didn’t have it that often when I played,” Hintz said about the helmet. “It was kind of a cool joke from the boys and I told them I could do one drill with it.”

For Hintz, Lindell and Miro Heiskanen, the trip to Finland is a rare occasion. It allows them to go back in time and remember where their hockey careers started, and it also gives their teammates a little insight into how they became who they are today.

“Our Finnish players have been talking about this since it got announced,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Any time these players can show off where they’re from and play in front of their families and friends, it’s really, really special. You can’t replicate that. And because of how special those guys are as people and teammates, our group is excited for them. They want to put on a show and make it special for them.”

That’s one of the reasons the gold helmet is fun. Growing up in Finland, it’s a sign that you are a top-level player. It’s like getting the “C” on your sweater in North America or getting extra stripes on your letterman jacket in high school. It’s a symbol that every child yearns for when they’re playing the game they love.

“It brings back memories of playing here, so it was pretty special,” said Lindell.

Hintz grew up in Nokia and attended skating school at an early age. Lindell said he also remembers going to skating school at a very young age. This trip brought back a few memories of that. Heiskanen started skating with his dad and sister at a rink near his home in Espoo. As he grew up, that became a daily hangout with his friends as they would skate for four or five hours every day after school.

“It was pretty much every day,” Heiskanen said. "That’s what you wanted to do.”

Heiskanen also played soccer but had to decide on which sport he wanted to pursue around age 12.

“It was always hockey for me,” he said. “I just loved skating and playing.”

The sport is a big part of the culture of Finland. Lindell became a huge fan of the local Jokerit team and often attended games. Recently, he became part of the ownership group when the team had to leave the KHL. That was a great opportunity for him, and part of the reward was dropping the puck at a home game on Tuesday with his teammates in the building and some very happy fans in the stands. The cheering section sings songs, waves flags and brings a special energy to home games in Finland, and Lindell said that brought back memories.

“To be honest, when I heard that, it kind of gave me chills,” he said. “It took me back to when I was in the stands with them.”

The Jokerit “Joker” logo is iconic and also offers plenty of opportunity to reminisce, Lindell said. It was a big reason he became a fan as a youngster.

“Of course, there is a lot of emotion tied to all of that,” he said. “It’s a huge part of the community, so you want everyone to have fun and be a part of it.”

Lindell played two seasons for Jokerit and one for Ässät Pori. Heiskanen played two seasons with HIFK. Hintz played two seasons for Ilves in Tampere and two for HIFK in Helsinki, so those happy times come flooding back when the players skate in local rinks and watch league games on television.

“We come back in the summer, so that’s very different,” Heiskanen said. “It’s good to be here now.”

While it’s impossible to categorize individuals simply by where they learned to play, there is definitely a scouting thread with the Finnish players.

“They are very well coached, very detailed in their approach to the game,” said Stars GM Jim Nill, who spent years scouting for the Detroit Red Wings. “They’re soft-spoken, but very driven.”

There is a quiet pride here, and it shows in the Stars’ trio of Finns on this trip. They are extremely proud of who they are and where they come from, but they’re not going to boast about it.

“I think that’s fair,” Lindell said. “I’m not comfortable talking too much, but just being here, you are very proud.”

The Stars have a long history with Finnish players. Jere Lehtinen is in his 11th season running the Finnish National Team and will be front and center when the 4 Nations Face-Off takes place in Boston and Montreal in February. It’s the first best-on-best tournament for NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, and that is expected to get the Suomi pride going again.

Lehtinen is a big part of the 31 Finns who have worn Stars colors. That’s the most of any team in NHL history. Edmonton is second and Florida third, but the list of familiar names is impressive in Dallas. From Sami Helenius to Kari Lehtonen to the quartet of Jussi Jokinen, Antti Miettinen, Niko Kapanen and Niklas Hagman, the eyes of Finland have been on this franchise for a long time.

So it’s appropriate that the team is playing in Finland this week.

“Until you play overseas here, you don’t realize the impact of the NHL everywhere in the world,” DeBoer said. “When you see how excited these people are to see your players and come out and watch a game, the hospitality you receive, it’s eye-opening. That’s the one thing I hope our players get from this.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.