Tampereen the new ice rink, the Nokia Arena, opened to the general public for the first time on Friday. In the evening, in the first league game of the arena, the ice will be taken over by Tappara and Ilves.
The match led by Tappara is sold out and up to 13,000 visitors are expected to attend.
The doors to the arena’s event area opened three hours before the match began. What do the hockey people think of Tampere’s new crown jewel?
Tommi Peiponen and Hannamari Heinonen came with their children Johannes and Lumi to watch the local match between Tappara and Ilves.
“To me this moment is historic, ”says Espoo Tommi Peiponen says.
“My father brought me to the Hakametsä Ice Rink for the first time in the mid-80s. I have been there since I was a little boy watching games. ”
Tommi Peiponen and Hanna-Mari Heinonen arrived from Espoo to watch the Tappara – Ilves match with the whole family. There is support in the family in many directions.
“Father and girl encourage Ilves, son Tappara. The mother is from Savo and she encourages KalPaa, ”says Peiponen.
The youngest in the family, Snow and John, play hockey themselves. They got tickets from the Christmas calendar.
“The parents then got to join us,” Heinonen jokes.
“This place looks great. We still hope for an exciting game, ”says Heinonen.
View of the hall. The LED-edged tray bathes in lights.
Family left his car in the parking lot of Koskikeskus, which is a few minutes’ walk from the arena.
“We prepared with quilted pants if we had to wait long. We got in quickly, ”says Peiponen.
The inspection of the corona passport also went smoothly, Heinonen says.
Nokia Arena events use a corona passport, which is requested from anyone over the age of 16. In Friday’s match, passports will be read by as many as 25 inspectors at the arena entrances.
Paavo Heino (left), Topi Makkonen and Aapo Hautakangas say that it is a luxury to have a big hall in the middle of the city.
The people of Tampere pals Paavo Heino, Topi Makkonen and Aapo Hautakangas are proud of the new arena.
“It’s a luxury now to have a big hall in the middle of the city,” Heino says.
Makkonen has played in all of Tappara’s home games this season. He calls himself a “decent fan”.
“We have two good team teams in Tampere. It is worth it that we have the finest hall in Finland, ”Makkonen adds.
Ice rinks have become familiar to Hautakangas through their own hobby. He has previously played for the Tappara junior team.
“There is a world-class framework here. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed when we get to the stands. “
From the answers and fan shirts, it is almost possible to deduce which team the friends support. However, the question is: who will win today?
“Tappara,” they say in unison.
Pertti (left) and Oscar Soljamo arrived at the opening match from Sweden.
Pertti Soljamo and his son Oscar Soljamo came from Sweden to watch Tappara – Ilves. They are originally from Toijala.
“If you can’t get here to watch the game, then the television is open,” Pertti says.
The duo are set to enter the Nokia arena next spring to watch the World Hockey Championships.
“Oscar has already bought us tickets,” says Pertti.
Tappara’s cheerleaders waited to enter the hall.
Arena completion has been followed with excitement as the original nominee sponsor Uros ran into severe financial difficulties in the fall. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks before the first match in the arena that it became clear that Nokia, the telecommunications company, would be the new sponsor.
Pertti and Oscar are happy to name the arena. Among them, the current name of the arena, Nokia Arena, is better than the previous one, Uros live.
“However, fans come up with a nickname for the arena,” says Pertti.
“It could be a Forest Forest,” Oscar jokes. He refers to the location of the new arena above the railway and the name of Tampere’s old Hakametsä ice rink.
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