As I was researching Helsinki I came across the various videos from Jet Lag Warriors, whose content I appreciate in general. Seeing their hockey videos prompted me to check the schedule during the dates I would be in town and, as luck would have it, there was indeed an HIFK vs Ilves game. Of course I knew zero about either team. Just knew that I wanted to attend a game during my visit to Helsinki. After doing a lot of back and forth between the seating options on Ticketmaster and the virtual tour feature on the Ice Hall's website, I landed on section F4, Row 5, Seat 69. Felt like I'd have a good view based on what I was seeing.
What I did not catch during my scan is that there are support bars of some kind that run over the rink and one of them connected right above the right shoulder of my seat. You can see it highlighted below.
It had zero impact on my view or comfort while seated. And the seats were actually pretty roomy and comfortable for basic level options. First time I stood up, however, I clocked myself pretty good on the noggin. Later when I got up I almost didn't remember, then did remember mid-rise, and adjusted to dodge the bar. I distinctly noticed some of my more experienced Finnish neighbors lightly laugh at my recognition. To their credit, I did not hear them laugh the first time when I stood up directly into it. Anyway, more interesting shots of the action from my seat further down. But first, the arrival and initial impressions of the Helsinki Ice Hall.
I was riding the tram with a couple of guys late 20s / early 30s and one of them had a kid in a stroller. They were wearing Ilves gear so I knew they were heading to the game. Like the soccer game Thursday night, this was somewhat of a family affair. And you can see that a bit with the crowd walking in.
I did not arrive with too much of a cushion before the drop of the puck, so I grabbed a few shots of the concourse on the way to my seats. Nice, comfortable place to enjoy some hockey. Think the arena seats ~8,000 for games. Good size crowd, but less than half the size of the United Center, for example, which is the last venue where I saw a game live. This was more on the level with the ol' Conte Forum at BC. Conte opened in 1988. Helsinki Ice Hall in 1966. You feel the 20+ year difference. But honestly, I prefer the more modest, less fancy vibes of the Ice Hall.
Also snagged a pic of the ice and a pic of the practice fields for some local / national soccer team (Ice Hall is quite close to the Olympic Stadium).
And while I was hoping to find a great hat or shirt option from HIFK concessions, I did not see anything that I felt like I needed to bring home with me. They have some cooler stuff in their online store, but a limited range of offerings here at the rink. Lástima.
So, time to check out the view from my seat. Not bad.
Crowd was lively, with supporters keeping some chants going from the get go. I checked the standings later and saw that these were two of the worst teams in Liiga. Would not have known it based on fan enthusiasm. Through the course of play, however, there were some clues that Ilves weren't great.
As the game unfolded I learned that the house DJ had a bag a tricks. First time my ears perked up was when I caught this:
Huh? That was unexpected.
Then a penalty was called on Ilves and we got this:
Okay, this was fun. There were songs for specific occasions. "Who Are You?" for penalties on the visiting team. Faceoffs during home team power plays got "Crazy Train" and "Bulls on Parade". Lot of good energy stuff right up the alley of this Gen X attendee from the US.
I forget when or why this was played, but was glad to hear it:
Then the magic happened. HIFK scored. Took me a bit to realize what was going on so this first clip catches it mid-celebration.
Wait, what? Are they playing "Flamethrower" from the 1981 J. Geils Band album, Freeze Frame? The same album I later had signed by Stephen Bladd, drummer for J. Geils, because he was a customer of the Lexington, MA video store I worked at during college? Yes, yes it was. Did a bit of googling in my seat and Wikipedia confirmed that is indeed their goal song. Wow.
Next goal I was ready from the beginning:
Great times were being had by all at the Helsinki Ice Hall!
Now, it was not quite Chelsea Dagger after a Blackhawks goal during the Stanely Cup.
But it was fun. Also, for what it's worth, I did experience the Chelsea Dagger Stanely Cup celebration live once. Can't remember which game exactly, but I was lucky enough to be treated to that back in the day.
During intermission I roamed around a bit. Again, like I witnessed at the soccer game, the Finns do NOT get cheated when it comes to intermission concessions. Beer hall seating was full and everyone seemed to have a cup in hand. No idea how they poured that many beers that quickly.
Also snapped some pics of the ice lit up in the home red.
I stayed for the second period and was treated to four (4!) more HIFK goals. Four more "Flamethrower" celebrations! More than made up for leaving the soccer game at half and missing the two quick second-half Finland goals against Lithuania.
Having witnessed a total of 6 goals I counted myself lucky and left after the second intermission.
Snapped a vibe shot from the tram stop near the arena.
And then a few more shots of the area near my apartment.
And then wrapped it up for the night. Sunday would be another full day, starting with a 10:30 ferry to Tallinn.
The middle part of my Saturday in Helsinki was fluid. My original and overly aggressive plan for Saturday was to take a train to Tampere for a day trip, similar to what I did with Porvoo. Tampere would be a 90 minute train each way. And I had a hockey game to see at 5pm (next post in the queue). So while I would have loved to have seen some of Tampere (like the Stable Yards), I made the executive decision to bail and spend more time in Helsinki. This decision was easier to make as the VR train service offers insurance so you can cancel your trip and pay like 10 euros instead of eating the 70 or 80 euros it would be for the round trip. I bought the insurance, canceled my ticket, received my refund. Very nicely done, Finland.
Back to what I did do on this Saturday. The first part of the day was spent visiting Puu-Vallila and biking around the city. I returned the bike to a station near Kamppi. I should say, with the help of a nice local who saw me struggling I was able to return the bike. Helsinki's City bikes are known to be a bit challenging to return to their docks. I had no problems with my first ride. But I wasn't getting it at Kamppi. This younger woman and her like 7 year old came over to save the day. I thanked them and then turned to the Kamppi commercial center.
Found it was having a little NHL experience on the plaza in front. Pretty low key when I was there. Not sure if this kind of thing happens regularly or was scheduled deliberately to coincide with the HIFK v Ilves game I was going to later that afternoon.
Inside the mall I buzzed through a few different places before I was presented with my first MUJI encounter. I now see that MUJI has made it to the US, with some stores in NY and Boston having opened up since 2017 (i.e., after I left). MUJI is not in Mexico and was not on my radar. This place is a retail experience. Even moreso in the moment as I thought it was some unusual Helsinki secret. They do have other locations in Europe and I probably walked by the one in Lisbon without realizing it. Regardless, I was legit astonished at what I was seeing. It's like Ikea + Container Store + Crate & Barrel + Old Navy + Zara fused into a more stylish version of all of them combined. Whoa. Did not actually buy anything. But if I do make it back to Helsinki with Judy this place will be on the short list of things to do when we're there.
The mall overall was quite nice. Good vibes / feel, and more than a few restaurant options, such as these.
Eventually I popped back outside and saw a Lidl across the way.
Had to duck in there for a survey of the snack options. Saw some fun things that didn't disappoint. But refrained from buying either of them.
Was compelled by the bakery section. Pulled a few of these out of their little containers to come home with me.
Noticed that the Taco Bell seemed to be delivery vehicle central. Wondered if that's where the guys were eating, or if they were anticipating a wave of imminent orders. Either way, there's a Taco Bell in central Helsinki, fyi.
Don't know what these guys were all about, but they had a beer pong set up and were playing Fight for Your Right to Party at volume, but in the least aggressive and obtrusive way possible.
Couple more vibe shots, including the silent chapel.
Decided to take a slightly different path back to the apartment. Had been to / through Bulevardi and the Design District enough times at this point. So I wound up heading south along Kasarmikatu and the plaza around the Winter War Memorial caught my eye. Glad I passed this way.
Back at the apartment I tucked into these guys that I pulled from the Lidl bakery. (Had already chomped the pig-in-a-croissant-blanket immediately upon exiting the store.) One on the left was some kind of bacon and cheese deal. Middle one was legit delicious. Think it was called Hawaiian something. Unclear why. But it was great. Last one was a pretzel bun kind of thing. Fine, but definitely the runt of this litter.
Now time for a brief rest before heading to the hockey game.
In researching Porvoo I saw Burger Company highlighted within Google Maps. 4.7 rating, more than 300 reviews. Must be pretty good. So I pinned it and planned on stopping there for lunch during my day trip. It's a solid 15 minute walk from the bus terminal which I now use as my reference point for all of Porvoo. And it's in the opposite direction of most of the priority sights you'd want to see in a brief visit. So in retrospect, it was a questionable call to target Burger Company for lunch in the first place.
It is set in a nice, residential area on the far east side of what you might consider downtown Porvoo. So the approach was pleasant enough.
The guys working the counter / kitchen were friendly in taking my order. I can't find a specific menu to point to, but there are some pics in their google listing that give you a good idea of what they offer. Looks like a mix of staples and specials. I'm pretty sure I ordered some kind of spicy crispy chicken 'burger' that promised either sriracha or chipotle flavor. Got the combo with fries and some funky orange soda. There was one other dude sitting at the counter seating in the window, so I figured I'd give us both some space and sat at a little table wedged between the door, counter, and soda fridge.
But after failing to make myself comfortable I decided dude and I would have to deal with our mutual proximity in the window. Definitely a better spot. Nice little view. Dude finished up pretty soon, so I had the window to myself, and high hopes for my meal.
Unfortunately it was just okay. First couple of bites were decent. But then the bun started to disintegrate a bit, turning into a flaky and mushy layer that blended into the chicken breast. Sloppy. The first couple of fries were decent, but seemed to go cool pretty quickly and then didn't have much flavor. I probably left half of them on the tray.
Looking more closely at the reviews and pics on its google listing, I'm seeing a lot of praise for things I did not order. Skagen fries. Burritos. And some of the actual burgers sound pretty good. "Mexi Vibes" has my attention. But I didn't want to eat a huge meal that would put me to sleep, nor try anything potentially funky that could put me in an awkward situation on the bus ride home (I mean, look at those Skagen Fries). Played it safe with the spicy chicken and came away with a 'meh' feeling. Can't win them all. If I ever find my way back to Porvoo for multiple days, perhaps staying in an Airbnb in this side of town, I would likely give it another go. Maybe for some take-away dinner. But it's not a great option for a quick daytrip. I miscalculated.
