– There it is fellas, says the taxi driver as the car approaches the end of the journey. A huge gray building by the highway.
The skyscrapers of Manhattan loom in the rearview mirror, but looking out from the back seat, the landscape is rugged. On the side of the road stand factory halls and smoking factories, warehouses and old apartment buildings.
The sight brings to mind the hip hop music videos of the late 90s, where young people who rise from poor conditions talk cleanly in the hope of a better tomorrow.
The same atmosphere is maintained by the man behind the wheel.
We gotta make a change. It’s time for us as a people to start making some changes, sings 2Pac and the taxi driver turns up the volume on the old Toyota’s radio.
We are on our way to the morning practice of the hockey team Metropolitan Riveters, who plays in the PHF league.
Three Finnish women play in the team, who have a rare opportunity to play professionally in North America. They too are doing pioneering work for the benefit of future generations.
The address of the ice rink entered into the navigator directs the car to the large parking garage and the driver announces that we have arrived. At the same time, he gestures towards the sliding glass doors.
The driver advises to take the elevator to the third floor and continue from there. I do the work as told.
The elevator rushes by and when the doors open, the sight is surprising. Not an ice rink at all, but a traditional shopping mall. What on earth?
The everyday life of a hockey professional begins
It’s 6:50. 27 year old Eveliina Mäkinen the alarm clock rings and he silences the beeping of the phone. The apartment is quiet and the next wake-up call is ready in five minutes, so Mäkinen is still turning on his side under the blanket.
6:55 a.m. At the second company, the atmosphere has changed. From the kitchen you can hear the purr of the coffee machine and the clinking of plates as the roommates Minnamari Tuominen32, and Anna Kilponen27, are busy with their morning activities as usual.
6.58. The smell of fresh coffee makes Mäkinen creep towards breakfast.
7.05. The entire Finnish trio of the Metropolitan Riveters is on their feet and the apartment is in controlled chaos. You can’t afford to stay in the bathroom while three adults are getting ready to leave. Ahead is the most important event of a professional’s day, the morning exercises.
7.19. Two of the three residents have already been kicked out. Defenders Kilponen and Tuominen are again waiting for Mäkis, the team’s goalkeeper. The door slams shut at 7:20 and the women are ready to go.
The trio’s drive from their home in Montclair to the hall in East Rutherford takes between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on traffic. So Eveliina Mäkinen has plenty of time to finish her unfinished breakfast on her way to work. If the morning rush hour is out of sight, you can admire New York City’s towering apartment buildings on the horizon.
Mäkinen, Kilponen and Tuominen are already in training, but the Finnish journalist is still looking for ice in the shopping center.
Shoe stores and electronics stores are closed, but a queue of four people has formed in front of one counter. The customer service representative of the world’s largest coffee shop chain will help you in the right direction.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, the first sign is heard that the direction is right. A reporter who grew up in ice rinks can’t help but mistake the sound when the skates scratch the ice and the pucks rattle against the Plexiglas.
From around the corner, a cool stream of air hits your face, and at the same time, a full-scale rink is revealed, in the middle of the shopping center. A team of ice hockey professionals roams the court.
There is a sharp whistle, everyone turns towards the head coach in windbreakers Venla Hovia, who is waiting with a flipchart in his hand. The players gather around him, and get down on one knee to listen to the instructions. It’s time to work.
Morning practice is not a given in women’s ice hockey, but the current hall deep in the heart of the shopping center has made it possible to double ice shifts compared to the previous season.
In addition, Jersey players have their own dressing room facilities that belong to the professional team.
The location in the shopping center attracts random visitors, as the public can get close to the events and it is possible to watch the matches from three floors.
Here, Finnish hockey professionals live their dream come true.
“It would be great if one day women had their own NHL”
Ice practice has ended and a line of sweaty and smiling women leaves the corner of the rink.
– We still have a video meeting, Anna and Venla will come after that, sighs “Minttu” Tuominen on the way to the dressing room.
The location for the Riveters’ meetings is the adjacent Angry Birds park.
On the left side you can see a cafe, on the right you can see signs for a surf simulator and a ski slope. People walk by the rink with shopping bags in their hands.
– There has been a great atmosphere at the games and there has been a lot of audience. Here it is possible to introduce hockey to people who have never heard of the whole game. Someone can walk past and think that I want to come here again, says head coach Venla Hovi.
For Anna Kilpose, born in 1995, the life of a professional means a little girl’s dream come true.
The tough level of the matches in the PHF league has convinced and it has made Kilponen, who was born in Orivede, dream of even bigger things.
At the moment, for example, the national team players of Canada and the United States, with a few exceptions, do not represent club teams, but play exhibition matches and train in small groups for prestigious competitions.
– It would be great if one day women had their own NHL, where all the best players in the world would actually participate, the defender paints.
The Riveters mainly play on weekends and the week off often falls on Wednesday. So Tuesday is a great day to spin and wonder about the mood of the big world.
The afternoon sun is still shining its last rays as we walk along the Hudson River. On the other side of the water, a cinematic view of the Big Apple opens up.
– For a very long time in Finland, women’s hockey players only had the national team as their goal. No one even dared to dream of becoming a professional, Mäkinen reflects when the conversation turns to goals and future plans.
– Yes, we are still paving the way for future generations as well, continues Tuominen.
The talk is interrupted for a moment when a ferry stops next to it, which transports people from the Jersey side towards the city. Towards brighter lights.
PHF is also moving in the same direction. The league announced in early December that the teams’ salary cap will double from the current $750,000 to $1.5 million for the 2023-2024 season.
– It’s still a bit surprising when the salary comes rushing into the account every two weeks. Where exactly did this come from? I guess I’ve been playing with it a bit, Tuominen muses.
The dream of becoming a professional is no longer a myth.
– We are living it now, says Mäkinen, who played in Sweden for the previous four seasons.
– It’s always worth dreaming, the name of our home hall already says that, Tuominen points out and flashes a sly smile.
The sun has set and the millions of lights in Manhattan are gradually turning on their glory. The words of the taxi driver in the shopping center parking garage come to mind.
– Welcome to the American Dream, welcome to the American Dream.