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It’s either the first step into a bold, new world of revenue-generating, or it’s an ill-conceived attempt at a cash-grab that’ll undo much of the goodwill the NHL is trying to muster in Finland.

By now you’ve heard the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers will play a pair of regular-season games in Helsinki, Nov. 1 and 2, as part of its “Global Series.”

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Sparked by the star power of two Finns, Winnipeg scoring sensation Patrik Laine and Florida’s lead-footed, yet talented, Aleksander Barkov, the two games were virtual sellouts – some tickets remained on secondary web sites — as of Friday afternoon.

That’s some 27,000 tickets, scooped up at prices ranging from 89 to 235 Euros, or up to $350 Canadian.

Seeing an opportunity the way only professional sports entities can, the NHL has decided to see if it can dig just a little deeper into the pockets of Finnish fans.

The league on Friday announced a “special opportunity” for fans to attend the Oct. 31 practices of the two teams.