Matthew Tkachuk Enjoying Finland With Close Friend Aleksander Barkov
Florida Panthers stars Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov were spotted enjoying some Finnish cuisine together after they arrived in Finland for the Global Series.
Photo via the Florida Panthers (Twitter // FlaPanthers)
Matthew Tkachuk wasted no time picking Aleksander Barkov’s brain on Finnish cuisine when the Florida Panthers arrived in Helsinki to kick off the NHL’s Global Series.
Almost immediately after the team got off the plane, the two were spotted together sharing a meal.
Needless to say, Tkachuk was having a good time with his fellow superstar.
“I liked the fish,” Tkachuk said. “The salmon.
“It seems like a lot of the traditional dishes here are the salmon with the rye bread, so we had a few of those that I liked. And then there was one desert that Barky’s gotta explain, it was a cake that he had in school, that was a really good one.”
During the team’s nine-hour flight to Finland on Monday night, Tkachuk could not help but be excited for his Finnish teammates who he battled alongside during two-straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final in his first two seasons in South Florida.
And Tkachuk knows how much this means for his good friend, Barkov, in particular.
The Panthers will take on the Dallas Stars in a two-game set on Nov. 1 and 2 in the captain’s hometown of Tampere, the same city that threw a massive celebration for him a few months prior when he brought the Stanley Cup home.
Barkov means a lot to Finland in general, especially after becoming the first Finnish captain to ever hoist the Cup when he led Florida to a championship in 2024 and is certainly on track to finish his career as one of the greatest Finns in NHL history.
“I am actually very excited, and I am most excited for the Finns on the team,” Tkachuk said. “What a cool opportunity for them to play in front of friends and family, to be back home.
“This is a once-in-a-career moment potentially. This is an incredible opportunity for them to show off their country. I know they are super proud of it and excited to show us the best parts about it. That’s gonna come first and foremost and then the hockey is second, so I’m super excited to play in front of their great fans.”