Lundell brings Stanley Cup to amusement park in Finland

Anton Lundell has been on quite the ride during his NHL career, so why not take the Stanley Cup to an amusement park?

The 23-year-old Florida Panthers forward has played four NHL seasons, made the Stanley Cup Final three times and won it twice. It's hard to top that for a start to a career.

On Sunday, Lundell brought the trophy to Linnanmaki Amusement Park in Helskini, just a short ride from his birthplace of Espoo, Finland.

"Linnanmaki was the place that came to mind. It's a legendary place, and I've spent a lot of time here, especially as a kid," Lundell said. "Great memories. I also remembered they do a lot of good here together, a lot of charity work, and those things are very important for me."

Opened in 1950, Linnanmaki is Finland's oldest and most popular amusement park. It is operated by the Children’s Day Foundation, which raises funds for child welfare causes, with admission fees at the park contributing to the cause.

Lundell said the wooden roller coaster was a favorite of his as a kid, back when winning a Stanley Cup -- or back-to-back Cup championships -- was his dream and not very much the reality of the moment. He had advice for any younger Finns looking up to him.

"Believe in yourselves," Lundell said. "Dare to dream big and reach for your dreams and hopes by working hard. Anything is possible if you dream and work hard."

As for Lundell, does his current dream include a third straight Stanley Cup title?

"We know it will take a lot, but we have started preparing for it," he said.

NHL.com/fi senior independent correspondent Varpu Sihvonen contributed to this report