Tampere (from our correspondent) – Do you know the nightmares of the Finns? Like when a stranger looks them in the eye and smiles at them? Or when Fin wants to leave the apartment, but learns there’s a neighbor down the hall? In the mood of the hockey hall, forget about shyness and restraint, here, too, cold northerners are changing.

They put on a bizarre cow or bear costume, put a Viking or at least a paper helmet on their head, and glasses on their nose, through which they see the world in the colors of the Finnish flag.

Here’s what it looks like during Suomi’s matches at the World Cup in Tampere. There is a great mood among the home fans, also thanks to the fact that their favorites are playing almost one hundred percent. They only lost the first two points in the fourth game, in raids against the Swedes.

After the twisted duel with the Latvians, the Finnish fans were smoking in one of the pubs right in the hall long after midnight. The tones of the song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”, with which Finnish metal band Lordi won Eurovision sixteen years ago, filled the arena.

After the unequivocal triumph over the USA two days later, other musical gems were still ringing in the room an hour after the end of the match.

They showed that the Finns had a positive attitude towards harder music on the first day of the championship before the game against Norway. Helloo Helsinki! she cut the Finnish national anthem in a rock version, which must have given goosebumps to the overwhelming majority of the audience.

Hello Helsinki! and the Finnish anthem Maamme:

It should be mentioned that the beautiful new Nokia Arena has not officially sold out yet. However, in the Finnish games, there was not much left to fully accomplish.

Naturally, far fewer people go to the duels of underdogs or non-Finnish teams in general, in such cases do not expect a full stadium, as for example in Ostrava 2015 during the unremarkable game between the USA and Denmark.

Still, the atmosphere in Tampere, the country’s second largest city, is pleasant. Certainly not hopelessly weak like at the previous Nordic World Cup nine and ten years ago.

Although Czech visitors demand high prices (beer is sold here for about two hundred), they can still really unpack in the stalls. You’ll meet some Finns on a break, as they wind dangerously through a hallway packed with people with all kinds of drinks.

A group of Latvian fans caught the eye of a lady from the IIHF media team, who is holding a phone in her hand. “No, please don’t take our picture, we’re too drunk,” the fans in traditional crimson shirts laugh. But there is no alcoholic indecency to be seen.

Entertainment in the hall during matches is provided by the host or director, who is good at working with the unusually giant cube above the ice.

Here, the presenter hands the microphone to two children from opposing fan camps, after which they encourage the room to clap with their shouts. At other times, the referee appears on the dice, signals fouls with his hands, and creates a fun dance creation with a mix of gestures. Fans are instructed to emulate the number.

Other things don’t fit so much. Very often, the announcer will confuse the expulsion or the goalscorer. Czech names are a problem for him, and so when reading the queues, patvaras like David Krejčel or Jan Škočka arise, pronounced with a typical Finnish diction.

But fans will surely forgive such things. After three years, they can play hockey directly in the stadium during the World Cup. Thanks for that. Thanks!