Saturday’s party was seemingly more low key than the previous one, a gathering at PadelOne Arena in Kivimiehenkatu as opposed to 15,000-seat Nokia Arena, but it was just as special, including a trip to the sauna and some home-cooked food following the fan gathering.
“Hopefully, Mom will cook something I can eat out of the Cup,” Barkov joked. “I eat a lot, but I can’t cook. Grilled chicken and grilled sausages, that’s all I can do.”
Barkov, like all the Panthers, are hoping to have the predicament on planning a third straight party following the 2025-26 NHL season, which drops the puck on Oct. 7.
“The more you win, the more [you] want to win again,” Barkov said. “We were able to repeat, and now, our team [is] almost the same. Why wouldn’t we be able to repeat again? We know what it takes.”
— NHL.com/fi Senior Independent Correspondent Varpu Sihvonen contributed to this report