Add Kyle Turris to the growing list of NHLers who found life in Europe slightly less cushy than they were used to.
Speaking with the Globe and Mail, here are some of the complaints the 23-year-old Senators forward had about playing for Oulun Karpat of the Finnish league:
---- He hated the big ice.
---- There was nothing to do in Oulun, a city of 150,000 that Wikipedia calls “one of the northernmost larger cities in the world.”
---- The travel was “horrendous,” with flights followed by long bus rides and too many stops on the bus rides.
---- The food was “awful” and the team ate at truck stops all the time.
---- Conversing with people was “so awkward. They don’t understand anything that you’re saying, staring at you confused.”
Other than that, it was fantastic.
In fairness, Turris may have been exaggerating his Finnish experience for comedic purposes. Upon returning home he told the Ottawa Sun that “Oulu was awesome. The organization was great. They treated us really well. I was lucky to be put into a position where I was playing 20 minutes a game. It’s a great league, really competitive. Any team can win on any given night. It was fun and a great experience.”
In 21 games for Karpat, Turris racked up 19 points in 21 games.