Panthers' Barkov buys big stake in his former team

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has decided to buy a big piece of the hockey club he started playing with at just 14 years of age. The 24-year-old has purchased a piece of he Tappara club in his hometown of Tampere, Finland. The team plays in the Finnish Elite League.

“This is a huge step for me and a big honour to become an owner of the team where I grew up,” Barkov said. “Obviously, if somebody wants to be an owner in the NHL you need to have a lot more money than I have right now. But this a big step for me and obviously like I'm new at this thing, so I'm going to learn every day.”

Barkov's stake in the team makes him the organization's third largest investor.

"Aleksander Barkov's investment is financially significant for us and contributes to securing the investments we need when we move to our new home arena," said the team's CEO Mika Aro in a press release.

Meanwhile, Barkov was one of the first Panthers back on the practice ice when facilities could reopen for small groups of players. He said the team's medical staff has taken precautions to minimize risks and that he feels safe being on the ice and in small groups of skaters again.

“For me, the Stanley Cup playoffs are everything,” Barkov said. “I would not leave my bed and just go to games and practices just to play in the playoffs and try to win a Stanley Cup. This is what I live for and this is what we live for as a team. We want to win and we're going to do everything it takes.”

Florida will take on the New York Islanders in the first-round best-of-five play-ins.

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