Right before the 2009-2010 season began, the Florida Panthers made a trip to Finland to play a pair of preseason games against a couple of the country’s local teams.
A young Aleksander Barkov, just 14 years old at the time, was in the stands watching for the first game, a Panthers 3-2 overtime loss against Barkov’s hometown team Tappara.
“I’ll never forget that,” the quiet Barkov reminisced.
Little did he know that memory would come full circle so quickly.
No tricks, all treats! Save 70% on digital access!
Treat yourself to unlimited digital access for only $3.