Helsingin Jokerit ry, which owns the Joker brand, has ended negotiations with, among others, Naurava Narri Oy represented by Keijo Säilynoja and Teemu Selänte.
18:00•Updated 18:14
A hockey legend Teemu Selänten The limited company represented is not involved in the possible return of the Helsinki Jokers to the hockey SM league. Naurava Narri oy announced the matter on Sunday.
According to the release, during the summer, Naurava Narri oy explored the possibility of starting the return project of the Helsinki Jokers to the hockey SM league. The Jokerit left the Russian-led KHL league last spring after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Helsingin Jokerit ry, which owns the Joker brand, has ended negotiations with Naurava Narri oy. In other words, the group of investors gathered around Selänte has not been qualified as Jokerie’s new owner. The release does not clarify why the negotiations have failed.
Naurava Narri oy’s board chairman is a former Jokerit player Keijo Säilynojawho has also served as CEO of Jokeri during the SM league years.
– We sincerely hope that if Helsingin Jokerit ry has found another partner, this entity represents values important to the entire Jokerit family, is completely free from all the burdens of the KHL era and guarantees the Jokers a long-term tradition-respecting and stable future, Säilynoja says in the press release.
Main owner of Jokerien’s KHL background company Jari Kurri already told last April that Jokerit aims to return to the SM league. In July, the SM League announced that the Jokers must sever all financial and ownership ties to the KHL project, so that a return to the domestic rinks is possible.
– We have been working over the summer to build a future alternative for the Jokers based on a communal, open and transparent way of working, Teemu Selänne commented.
Selänne is a Jokerit legend who won the Finnish championship in the shirt of the Helsinki club in 1992. That started the Jokerit phenomenon, which carried through the 1990s, when the Jokerit won a total of four SM golds.
The Jokerit left the domestic rinks and moved to the KHL for the 2014–15 season. At the same time, Russian ownership came into the background of the club.
The KHL sky eventually lasted for eight seasons. In April of this year, it was reported that Jokerit Hockey Club was completely owned by Jari Kurri.