It is of course nice to win a game, but a tournametn like this is also a very important social event for all participants. I am sure that Helsinki and its hotels, restaurants, shops, museums and people will do their best to make your stay plesantly memorable. Helsinki is a city of 550.000 inhabitants, an ideal place to meet old friends and make new ones. Sports play an important role in the well-being of young and old alike. So much the better if sports and exercise can be done in a relaxed mood, without the stress elements of a hard competition.
Hockey is a sport played with the heart - and for the heart.
With this in mind you can all be winners. On behalf of the City of Helsinki and its citizens I bid you cordially welcome and wish you the best of luck.