The Players’ Association and the Mestis clubs felt that they would not have had a genuine opportunity to influence the working groups of the top hockey advisory board.
The Jääkiekon players’ association SJRY and the Jääkiekon Sarjaseurat ry say that they have withdrawn from participating in the working group of the top hockey advisory board.
The Players’ Association had previously expressed its willingness to participate in the top ice hockey advisory board instead of the working groups, where the cooperation agreement between the League and the Ice Hockey Association is being worked out.
– This week we still tried to influence the decision regarding Huippukiekko’s advisory board to be changed to the model we wanted. Since there was no change, we saw no other option than to stay completely out of the working groups as well, the release states.
According to the release, the goal of the players and Mestis representatives was to reach a common group of four, where different parties would have had a genuine opportunity to influence the outcome.
They consider that the working groups of the advisory board would not have had the opportunity to influence, for example, series systems, because only the representatives of the Ice Hockey Federation and the League still make decision presentations.
– We consider it important that the big changes in Finnish ice hockey are decided together and not in a way that different parties are only consulted and the power over decisions is still in reality still a well-defined inner circle. It is not genuine cooperation, the release reads.
The parties are completely on different lines regarding the possibilities to influence. The league previously said in a press release that it was disappointed with the decision of the players’ association and the Mestis clubs.
Chairman of the Advisory Board Heikki Hietanen described in the announcement that the working groups were established precisely so that, for example, the players’ voices could be heard.
– Their contribution would have been important now for the whole of Finnish ice hockey. Nothing prevents the proposals of the working groups from proceeding to final decision-making even as they are, Hietanen outlined in the League’s press release.
In the cooperation agreement between the league and the federation, among other things, the qualifiers for the next season of the SM league and the match schedule are negotiated. The agreement also applies to players, for example, in terms of insurance premiums and compensation for national team assignments.
Finnish Ice Hockey Association: chairman Heikki Hietanen, CEO Sami Kauhanen, chairman of the federal council Pasi Kainulainen and member of the federal board Mikko Kuparinen.
Jääkiekon SM-liiga Oy: chairman Heikki Hiltunen, Liiga CEO Mikko Pulkkinen, Lahti Pelicans board member Pasi Nurminen and Oulun Kärppie CEO Tommi Virkkunen.