The First Ever Chiclets World Concierge: First Stop Oulu, Finland For Beers, Bets And More

Just like the song goes “ I have been everywhere man, I have been everywhere” and I am going to pass this knowledge onto the great fans of Barstool by using experiences.  But let us be serious, this blog is mostly about winning money.  We will give you a bet on the local team that will make you cash and add a few fun facts about some of the great hockey cities around the world. For all the stat people in the crowd, I have played hockey in 18 countries and have visited a total of 33.  Make sure to always check the game notes!

Location: Oulu, Finland home to the Kärpät Hockey team.

This is the largest city in Northern Finland and I mean Northern.  Located about 100 miles South of the Arctic Circle, this makes you basically neighbors with Santa who can be a pain from what I hear. Northern Lights can be seen from the city square.

Kärpät Alumni Pick For Best Bar:  St. Michael Irish Bar

Yes, there are Irish pubs in Northern Finland and if you are going to keep up with the locals you better be ready for a long night.  The Finns are known for a few things one is the language is impossible and they can drink. Saddle up to the bar and you can watch sports from across the world but especially the local hockey team.  “Far end of the bar under TV is the best seat in the house!” 

FOOD AND BEER:

Lapin Poron Kylmäsavuliha - this is cold-smoked reindeer meat which is best in kebab style. This strong tasty meat is on a hoagie roll and is perfect for a filler when you are out on the town or after a nice win. 

Karhu Beer - is the hands-down best Finnish beer and is a nice pale ale.  This beer is always flowing and can’t be missed with the bear head on the can.  Bear meat is also very popular in this area.

Local Team and Some Alumni: Oulun Kärpät - Have won the top Finnish league championship 8 times and boast a ton of former NHLers as alumni. 

Top Finns: Sebastian Aho, Jussi Jokinen, Pekka Rinne, Joni Pitkänen and Jesse Puljujärvi.

Top Imports: Michael Nylander, Jeff Hamilton, Martin St. Pierre, Kyle Turris and Tim Thomas, yes this Tim Thomas debated by Foley and Whit on the latest Chiclets.

Arena: Oulun Energia Areena - Capacity 6,614, fans always create a great environment for the home team.

Murls' Best Bet: Kärpät vs Ässät

Kärpät 3-way -160

Twitter: mattmurley19

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