In Lantana, a Finnish flag waves outside Suomi Talo, which means Finland House in Finnish, located on Finlandia Boulevard. The building serves as headquarters for some of South Florida's most passionate Panthers fans. The Finland Club has been celebrating Finnish culture in Palm Beach County for 80 years. Walls inside are lined with pictures and crests representing every town and city across Finland. Club members gave WPTV Anchor and Panthers 360 host Mike Trim a tour of their gathering place. One longtime member explained that the Finns came with Flagler, building The Breakers, and then shipped back to Lake Worth in the evenings.
The Panthers roster has four Finnish players who have become local heroes: Captain Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola and Eetu Luostarinen. All four played crucial roles in the Panthers' two Stanley Cup championships. Last June, when Barkov and Lundell captured gold for Finland at the World Hockey Championship, the Finland Club called all the Finns Sunday morning and the whole place was packed. Club member Jorma Olsson said the president was afraid they were going to lose the roof when Barkov scored the overtime goal. Last season, 43 Finnish players competed in the NHL. The Panthers hold an annual Finnish Heritage Night at Amerant Bank Arena, where fans have flown from Finland to attend. The Finland House hosts a large festival each year in Bryant Park, typically held in late February or March.