CALUMET — Many people these days have a “bucket list,” a dream list of things that they would like to do or see before they “kick the bucket.” This could include seeing the Grand Canyon, visiting the Louvre in France or taking in a Packer game at Lambeau Field. For Antti Hassinen (GOTEE) and Petteri Moisio (WITH GLASSES), it was catching a Calumet Wolverines hockey game at the Calumet Colosseum.

The Wolverines are a local senior men’s team who play in the Great Lakes Hockey League.

Why would an amateur hockey team, made up of former Copper Kings and other locals who just love the game, in the Upper Peninsula be “bucket-worthy” for these two friends? It is tale that begins in Helsinki, Finland, where Hassinen and Moisio call home.

“I found out that this area was the birthplace of hockey on the internet,” said Hassinen. “There was a show about the Gibson Cup and the rivalry between Calumet and Houghton on vicesports.com a few years ago.

“I started to do some research and discovered that this area was also home to a large population of Finnish Americans. I kept digging on the internet and learning more about the (Finnish) traditions. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to come to see our ancestry and discover what this old-time hockey is all about?'”

He contacted his friend over a year ago.

“I thought he was crazy,” said Moisio with a smile. “I was like, ‘Where do you want to go?’ But I heard him out as he described an old hockey league and a place where a lot of Finns live.

“I told him I would check with my wife to see if it was okay. Of course it wasn’t, but I had one year to work on her to make her agree.”

Even more incredulous was Michael Babcock, who is on the board of directors for the Wolverines and serves as their media manager as well as being a long-time player.

“Antti emailed me several months ago, and I thought it was a joke,” said Babcock. “He talked about making a 4,100-mile trip to see a hockey game in Calumet with a friend. It was pretty much out in left field.”

Babcock quickly learned, however, that they were for real. Their email correspondences and travel itinerary all came to fruition on Saturday afternoon as he met them in downtown Hancock.

While Hancock is deep in celebrations of Heikinpaiva, the friends did not plan to be in town for the celebrations, they had other goals in mind, but enjoyed the fact that things worked out by happy accident.

“It was just coincidence that our game and their trip plans occurred during Heikinpaiva,” Babcock said.

“The people here were so friendly,” said Moisio. “Everybody greeted us and welcomed us. The older people especially wanted to speak Finnish with us, and there were some really good speakers. They wanted to tell stories of their youth. It was wonderful as people are very reserved in Finland and would not be so open with you.”

After Heikinpaiva, the duo had pasties at the Suomi Restaurant and toured Dee Stadium before heading north to Calumet.

“This could be Finland,” said Hassinen. “The weather and the forest outside the city is all very similar. We even had our sauna at the hotel.”

Upon arrival at the historic Calumet Colosseum, the two drank in the hockey history scanning the details of faded black-and-white photos and finding Finnish surnames.

“Aho, Erkkila and Frantti, these are all popular family names back home,” said Moisio.

Interestingly, neither of them were big hockey players while growing up. They said they played their fair share of pond hockey as kids, but that was about as far as it went. Hassinen is an avid lacrosse player. However, ever since they discovered the Gibson Cup, they have been following the Wolverines religiously on the internet.

As time came for the opening face off, the two headed out to center ice donning their Wolverines jerseys and wool caps for a ceremonial puck drop as the Wolverines went to work against the Mosinee Papermakers from Wisconsin. And then it was game on.

“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” said Moisio with a big smile. “A year in the making.”

Hassinen was too busy following the action on the ice to say anything. Names and numbers that were once just statistics and photos on an office computer in Helsinki had come to life for him in Calumet.

However, when their host and hometown hero, Babcock, found the back of the net halfway through the first period, Hassinen went crazy.

“This is incredible, I can’t believe were here,” he said. “I have to pinch myself.”

As for the hockey, it was just as the two expected if not better.

“Look at them,” said Hassinen. “They are skating hard and the pace of the game is great. They are putting their heart into it and making a good effort.”

In between periods, the two were minor celebrities as fans welcomed them and double checked that they were from the real Finland and had bought international-airline tickets for a Calumet Wolverines hockey game.

The icing on cake was the fact that their beloved team won in an 8-5 victory and Babcock scored two goals.

“It couldn’t get any better,” the two said.

After the game, they all gathered at Luigi’s Sports Bar in Calumet to tell tall tales and rehash the game. While the two Finnish friends had visited the United States separately numerous times before and seen the sights of New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, both noted that there was something special about this authentic far-north adventure.

“This is why we are here,” said Moisio. “We want to learn about our history and hear how people from Finland have lived through the generations. We wanted the real thing.”

Babcock added it was certainly a shot in the arm for him and his team as well.

“The Finns certainly helped motivate me to play a better game,” he said. “Its always more fun when someone is excited about what you are doing. I’ve been playing hockey for this team for a long time and sometimes you forget how fun it should be. Those two helped bring that fun back for me on Saturday night.”