Azorcan Tours Podcast

Bryn: 00:00

I don't know if there's anything more exciting than the world juniors anywhere, but coming up in 2028, we're going to Finland. Bryn Griffiths along with Paul Almeida, and this is the Azorcan Tours Podcast. How are you doing, Paul? I'm doing great. Here we go.

Bryn: 00:27

Another one over there. The twenty twenty eight world juniors returning to hey. It's returning to Europe. It's returning to Finland. I'm excited.

Bryn: 00:37

You're excited. Everybody's excited.

Paul: 00:39

Oh, yeah. And Finland, that's a true heartland of hockey in Europe. That's a hockey country. And like always, the twenty twenty eight World Juniors, it's gonna run between December 26 to 01/05/2028. And guess what?

Paul: 00:53

The whole cities have been announced, Bren. And they are? The two t's? Turku and Tampere.

Bryn: 00:59

Got it. You gotta talk about the fact that Canada is a country where hockey is a passion, but man, Finland is too.

Paul: 01:06

Yeah. We're you know, we call hockey a religion in Canada. Yes. For Finland, many call it their national identity. The country consistently produces elite players and competitive teams, and they only have a population of 5,500,000 people.

Paul: 01:21

But we're all familiar with guys like Team Mussolini, Saku Koivu, Yari Curry, and more recently, guys like Alexander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen. They've helped build Finland's reputation for producing skilled and intelligent players. But the most important part of Finnish hockey culture isn't just the stars. It's their system. Youth development is incredibly strong.

Paul: 01:45

Kids grow up in organized clubs, learning both skills and team structure early. Finnish teams are known for discipline, strong defensive play, exceptional goaltending. And we've seen that all at the world juniors that we've been at, Brent.

Bryn: 01:58

Oh, yeah.

Paul: 01:59

And major hockey tournaments. You can never count out the Fins. I always say before a tournament starts, never count out the Fins. They might not win the tournament, but they're gonna make people hurt along the way.

Bryn: 02:09

They have got a big heart, a heart of Lion. It's amazing. But but let let's talk about the World Junior Championship, and then let's also talk about the World Juniors coming up in Finland because for me, it's a great matchup.

Paul: 02:20

Yeah. And we already know the World Junior is one of the most exciting hockey tournaments that there is. Yep. And, you know, watching the young NHL prospects, the intense rivalries, and it being during the holiday season makes it a fan favorite for people every year. Whether they're watching it on TV or they're experiencing it live, The World Juniors is always top of mind between Christmas and New Year's.

Paul: 02:43

Having it in Finland adds another dimension. The games take place during the darkest time of the year in the North. Right. You know, late December, early January. But don't worry.

Paul: 02:53

Finnish cities lean into winter. They are winter cities. Streets glow with holiday lights, cafes are warm and cozy, and the entire country feels festive around New Year's. It's basically the perfect setting for a hockey tournament.

Bryn: 03:08

Let's talk about Turku. Historic gateway to Finland. A lot of people know that, but this is, this is gonna be a lot of fun.

Paul: 03:16

Well, Turku is located on the Southern Coast, near the Baltic Sea along the Baltic Sea, and it's actually the oldest city in Finland. It dates back, to the thirteenth century. And for centuries, it was actually Finland's capital before Helsinki. And today, it blends that history with a lively student and cultural scene. Tournament games in Turku will probably take place at the Gatorade Center and it's the home to the local La Liga team TPS Turku and TPS is one of Finland's most historic clubs.

Paul: 03:46

The team's produced NHL talent and won multiple Finnish championships. So Turku fans know their hockey. And when you visit the city, you'll notice a few landmarks. Number one, and I've been there many times, the Turku Castle. It's a massive medieval fortress near the near the harbor.

Paul: 04:03

Turku Cathedral, one of Finland's most important historic buildings, and the Ara River, which runs through the city center and it's lined with restaurants and cafes.

Bryn: 04:14

What about Finland's hockey capital? You know what I'm talking about here. We're talking about the second host city. And this is North of Helsinki. Right?

Paul: 04:23

Yeah. The second city. It's it's also considered the hockey capital of Finland. Right. It's located about two hours North of Helsinki, and it sits between two lakes and has a strong industrial history that helped shape modern Finland.

Paul: 04:37

And we're talking about? Tampere. A lot of

Bryn: 04:40

great hockey players have come from this neck of the woods.

Paul: 04:43

And the city is famous for something else. It's incredible hockey culture, Bryn. Tempur is home to two of Finland's biggest clubs, Tempura and Ilves. Their rivalry is one of the fiercest in the country and maybe the world. And the games here will take place at the brand new Nokia Arena, a modern complex that opened in 2021, and it's quickly become one of Europe's best hockey venues.

Paul: 05:08

And the arena is built directly above the central railway line in downtown Tampere, which means fans can literally step off the train, walk straight to the building. Our hotel will be right downtown. You'll be able to walk to the arena. And inside, the atmosphere is fantastic. Steep seating, passionate crowds, modern amenities, a perfect venue for a global tournament like the World Juniors.

Paul: 05:32

And Tempere also has something every hack hockey fan should see. The Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame located at the Vaprikki Museum Complex. If you want to understand Finnish hockey from the grassroots to the Olympic medals, that's the place to go. Their main trophy is called the Canada Cup. Did you know that, Brian?

Bryn: 05:50

I did not know that.

Paul: 05:51

Their main Really? Championship trophy for the La

Bryn: 05:53

Liga is called the Canada Cup. Wow. Okay. We we the elephant in the room here is the fact that we're going during the winter. Yeah.

Bryn: 05:59

And everybody thinks of Finland in the winter. That means snow, short daylight hours, temperatures below freezing, that kind of thing. But these cities are built for winter.

Paul: 06:08

Right? Public transportation runs smoothly. Their sidewalks are maintained, and people are used to moving around in cold conditions. The winter vibe is actually part of the charm when you go to Finland. Between games, you may wanna try a sauna.

Paul: 06:22

It's a natural natural ritual. Right? Yeah. Yeah. So you can warm up in the sauna, grab a bowl of salmon or soup or reindeer stew, drink a coffee in the candlelit cafe, walk through those snowy streets decorated for the holidays.

Paul: 06:37

I mean, Finns constantly rank as the world's biggest coffee drinkers, So you'll find excellent cafes everywhere. And, yes, the saunas are everywhere. There's saunas at the hotels

Bryn: 06:48

Right.

Paul: 06:48

Departments, even some arena facilities have saunas. So on a cold day between games, maybe try a Finnish sauna.

Bryn: 06:55

Yeah. That would be the Finnish way to celebrate for sure. Hey. Let's talk about some of the special parts to, about attending the world juniors and that kind of thing because the atmosphere at the ones we've been to in the past is fantastic.

Paul: 07:08

Well, the biggest part is seeing fans from other countries and interacting with them, Brynne, as you know. Right? And, of course, we'll have a large group from Canada traveling with us. But you'll see people there from Sweden, The US, Czech, Slovakia, and, of course, Finland itself. And Finnish fans, you know, they chant, they drum, you know, they have the huge national pride whenever their team's playing.

Paul: 07:29

Whenever the host team plays, as you know, Brynn, on these world junior trips, it's a different vibe in

Bryn: 07:34

the whole Yeah. Yeah. You know,

Paul: 07:36

it just raises exponentially. And if Finland never makes a deep run-in the tournament

Bryn: 07:43

We'll know.

Paul: 07:43

We'll have the national flags everywhere. It'll be amazing. And we remember 2016 when they won the tournament, just how loud that arena was and for them to win it as a host country. As you know, any host country is gonna get that push whenever they're, at the World Juniors.

Bryn: 07:59

It's the memories that you'll that you'll remember, of course. Yeah. You stuck me right in the middle of the Russian parents at the 2020 event, which was in, what was then Czech Republic, and I still talk about being in the middle of this group of parents who could not speak English yet. Somehow, we communicated through the language of hockey, which is something that I will never forget. What about travel between the two cities though?

Bryn: 08:24

Well, the

Paul: 08:25

the cities the cities are fairly close together. You know, there's a little triangle you can draw in Finland from Helsinki up to Tempere down to to, Turku. Alright. So that little triangle, everything is pretty close. The distance between them is only a 140 kilometers and they have trains that connect them in two hours.

Paul: 08:42

We'll have our bus if we ever need to go watch a game in the other arena. But you could actually attend games in both cities during the tournament without much problem. And Helsinki also is the major gateway Yes. Where we go into. So it's about hour and a half to Tempur, two hours to Turku.

Paul: 09:01

And the system between cities is fairly easy. We'll have the buses to go back and forth, and you can also take the trains.

Bryn: 09:07

I know some people who say, you know what? I would just like to maybe take the train today for a bit of an experience because

Paul: 09:13

Absolutely.

Bryn: 09:14

I'm sick and tired and talking to the same people on the bus. I'm kidding. It's not the case. It's a great group. But let's talk about why this particular twenty twenty eight world juniors could be special because there's always that upcoming young star on any team from any country.

Paul: 09:32

That and, you know, a world junior's in Canada. You get the massive crowds, the intense media attention. Finland has something a little different. You know, you have a knowledgeable hockey culture combined with cozy winter atmosphere. Smaller cities, passionate fans, a country that truly understands the game, modern venues like the Nokia Arena in Tempur, historic hockey tradition in Turku and Tempur.

Paul: 09:59

This could end up being one of the most memorable world juniors in recent history.

Bryn: 10:03

Okay. So why should somebody consider going to Finland for the world juniors?

Paul: 10:08

Well, as we mentioned before, elite international junior hockey. You get to watch the stars of tomorrow today. Two unique Finnish cities, not the capital city, but two the two next biggest cities in Finland and both very unique. Passionate and very welcoming people. So the games will have a great atmosphere and the opportunity to experience one of the world's great hockey cultures firsthand.

Paul: 10:33

Finland is very passionate about hockey. And from the historic streets of Turku to Hockey Mad, Tampere, the twenty twenty eight World Juniors promises to be an unforgettable tournament. So start practicing your Finnish words, Brynn. Okay. Pack a warm winter jacket Always.

Paul: 10:51

And prepare for your first real Finnish sauna. It be great. Let's talk about the Azorcan Tours website and the priority list and also, the Facebook page. So our website, azorcan.net, you can find information about all our tours there or if you wanna take a tour. And, priority list, get on it.

Paul: 11:09

Get your friends on it if they're interested in traveling to Europe, whether it be the World Junior, Spangler Cup, or our sightseeing tours. Get on the priority list. You'll get the first be the first to get the information, get the tour announcements, get updates. And then our Facebook page, one of our fastest growing ways that people follow us, Azorcan Tours on Facebook, tour announcements, destination information. And we're when we're on a tour, we post daily.

Paul: 11:36

So you'll be able to see where we're going, what we're doing. Might be somewhere you're interested to go in the future, and you'll get a firsthand, look at what we're doing every single day.

Bryn: 11:45

Make sure to you subscribe to the Azorcan Tours Podcast because at this particular event, we are very active. It's always a lot of fun for us to, talk about hockey and to, send a nice warm hello back from Finland to everybody in Canada because you know how big this event is in Canada, and it is a monster coming up in Finland. And we can hardly wait. 2028 is not that far away. Hey, Paul.

Bryn: 12:10

Thanks for your time today. Thank you, Brent.