Florida Panthers will open next season in Helsinki against BlackhawksThe Florida Panthers will open a season outside North America for the first time, kicking off the 2009-10 campaign in Helsinki, Finland, against the Chicago Blackhawks.RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Florida Panthers have accepted the National Hockey League's invitation to open the 2009-10 season in Europe, although the team would not confirm in which city it would play the Chicago Blackhawks.The Miami Herald has learned the two games will be held in Helsinki, Finland, and not the Czech Republic as had previously been speculated.Florida will be one of four NHL teams starting their season in Europe, with the Detroit Red Wings expected to play the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm. A press conference to announce the opening weekend pairings is expected later this month.''We have accepted the NHL's invitation to play in Europe, but I don't have any other information at this time,'' team president Michael Yormark said Thursday morning.``I think this raises our profile as an organization. It gives our players a chance to play in Europe, and I think they're looking forward to that. This will be good exposure for us.''Winger Ville Peltonen is the lone Finnish player on Florida's roster, and he broke the news to teammates on the bus ride to the arena Thursday morning. Former team captain Olli Jokinen, who was traded to Phoenix over the summer, is a native of Kuopio, Finland.Peltonen's hometown of Vantaa is a suburb of Helsinki, and the team would fly by charter to Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport. The games will be played at Hartwall Areena, capacity 13,464.Finland has plenty of hockey fans and the Panthers hope opening a season abroad will raise their stature in the hockey world.''The fans are really excited about seeing the NHL teams come in and play,'' said Peltonen, a fixture on the Finish national team for a decade. ``They know all the teams, but to see them play on their ice, it's great. I think this would help us get more fans there. A lot of kids might just grow up to be Panther fans.''Florida would play two games against the Blackhawks on the weekend of Oct. 2-4, with games likely to be played on consecutive days. Yormark said the Panthers would spend a week in Europe, leaving Oct. 27.The Panthers will play an exhibition game against a team of Finnish All-Stars or a local professional team.''I think it's going to be awesome and I'm really looking forward to it,'' center Stephen Weiss said. ``This really changes things up a bit. It's positive for the Panthers. We'll get some exposure, showcase our players over there. Hopefully we'll play some good hockey and get a couple wins early in the year. I haven't been over there since World Juniors, so I'm really looking for it.''By spending a week in Europe, Florida likely would forgo its recent trend of spending the early portion of training camp out west. In the past four seasons, Florida has opened camp either in Colorado or Alberta, Canada.Florida also would lose a home game (against the Blackhawks) during the 2009-10 season, and would also give up a trip to Chicago. ''We have to give something up to get something like this,'' Yormark said. ``This is a great opportunity for our franchise.''Next season's games will mark the third straight year the NHL has opened its season abroad. In 2007, the Los Angeles Kings played Anaheim in London. This season, Ottawa and Pittsburgh played in Stockholm, with Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers opening in Prague.Peltonen is a pending free agent but indicated he would like to return to the Panthers for a fourth season -- and have a chance to play in his homeland in an NHL game for the first time.''It would be really special to play there,'' Peltonen said. ``To play an NHL game in my country would be awesome. It would be like how a lot of the guys feel when they go to Toronto.''