Written by: Matias | Social Media News
It all started with one fun idea. Back then, no one could have guessed that it would grow into one of Finland’s biggest social media phenomena—the YouTube Allstars hockey game. Now the event fills arenas, attracts millions of viewers, and has even sparked conspiracy theories about scripted games. But where did it all begin?
The Meemitalo hockey rink—where did it all begin?
Let’s go back in time to January 25, 2021. Popular social media influencers Niko Meuronen and Santeri Hänninen—better known as NikojaSanttu—posted a video on their YouTube channel titled:
🎥 “WE BUILT A HOCKEY RINK AT MEEMITALO”
At this point, it’s all still just a joke. The idea is simple: build their own hockey rink in the Meemitalo courtyard and find out who’s the true king of the rink. But then something unexpected happens…
Niko and Santtu come up with a brilliant plan. They tell their followers to spam Roni Bäck—one of Finland’s biggest YouTubers—so he’ll take notice of the project. And of course, the social media crowd does as they’re told. Roni responds.
A moment later, social media is buzzing: Could this actually turn into something bigger?
The First YouTube Allstars Match
In the end, the idea doesn’t stop at just a video; the first YouTube Allstars game is born. At that time, the event is still small-scale and played without an audience at the Gatorade Center in Turku. The video of the first game is released a little over a month after the invitation, and its title is:
🏒 “MEEMITALO VS RONI BACK HOCKEY GAME”
Although the game was initially more of a fun experiment than an actual tournament, it immediately became a hit. The video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and the comment section began to buzz: “We have to do this again—but BIGGER.”
A full-scale YouTube Allstars event is born
So the next step is obvious. On March 24, 2022, YouTube Allstars is held in front of a full audience. The venue is the Gatorade Arena in Turku, and the atmosphere is unlike anything ever seen before in the Finnish social media scene.
The match has the feel of a real sports event, but at the same time, it’s full of social media humor and surprises. The players are Finland’s most popular YouTubers, and the match instantly becomes a mega-phenomenon.
From this point on, YouTube Allstars is no longer just an event—it has become a tradition.
The 2023 and 2024 matches—scripted or not?
In the coming years, the event grows even bigger. YouTube Allstars is played again in March 2023 and 2024, and the audience loves it. However, at this point, an interesting theory begins to emerge…
The teams take turns winning.
- 2023: Win for SUS, loss for Kidings Me
- 2024: Same story—win for SUS, loss for Kidings Me
A rumor begins to spread: Is YouTube Allstars scripted?
Many suspect that the final results are agreed upon in advance to make the matches more entertaining. This hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the theories show no signs of abating.
YouTube Allstars 2025 – A New Era Begins
When the event reaches 2025, everything will change. Turku’s Gatorade Arena will be consigned to history, and YouTube Allstars will move to Tampere’s Nokia Arena. This is a major step for the event, as the Nokia Arena is one of Finland’s largest and most modern arenas.
And that’s not the only surprise.
This year’s surprise guest is Robin Packalen, one of Finland’s most popular pop artists. Roponen (Mikael Vuori), known as the cameraman for Toimistopojat, asks Robin something that sends the audience into fits of laughter:
🎤 “When are you playing Minecraft with Robin?”
And then—as the crowning touch to the entire evening—Niko and Santtu reveal a massive surprise:
🎬 “We’re making our own ‘Cancel’ movie!”
The arena erupts with cheers. YouTube Allstars is no longer just a social media phenomenon—it has become part of Finnish hockey culture
What’s next?
Right now, YouTube Allstars continues its winning streak, and the audience loves it more and more. But the question remains:
- Will there be a 2026 game?
- Will the event continue to be held in Tampere, or will it return to Turku?
- Are the games scripted, or is it all just a matter of chance?
One thing is certain: YouTube Allstars is here to stay.
And when you think that it all started with a single hockey rink in the courtyard of Meemitalo… This story is straight out of a movie.