Two tough dinosaurs are now leaving the head coaching market. JYP had the opportunity to make a competitive offer also for the market’s hot name Olli Jokinen, writes Pekka Holopainen.
Pekka Holopainen sports reporter
The nobility of hockey players born in 1995 About Aleksandr Barkov have become the best players in the world, Arthur From Lehko Stanley Cup winner and Hannes from Björnisen Olympic gold medalist.
That year began in Tappara, Tampere, who turned 60 a couple of weeks ago Jukka Rautakorvin head coaching career at the highest league level. That’s perspective.
The management of JYP, which hired Rautakorven as the driving force behind its 2022 return to the top project, received a lot of grief for its lack of perspective when it announced on December 20 that it was saying goodbye to Rautakorven in the middle of the process. Just before this, the club management had bloomed Rautakorvi on the ice in honor of even years.
Rude New Years
The turn of the year seems to be a dull time for the birthday hero. In 2008–09, the under-20s he coached got stuck in the mud series at the World Championships. The management of the Jääkieksliitto reacted to the game performances at the turn of the year 2016–17 by putting Rautakorvi out of the big doors in the middle of the World Cup.
JYP’s blunt decision very likely means that this season will be the last for the two veteran coaches of the two biggest leagues, at least in Finnish major league circles. Coached JYP to the first championship in club history, 2009 Risto Dufva leaves Vaasan Sport after the season ends of his own free will, Rautakorpi less so.
It is also difficult for Rautakorve to see a continuation in Finland, when there seems to be no job even for a large group of younger, qualified colleagues. The third man of the same generation Ari-Pekka Selin he no longer looks for these jobs with a flashlight in hand.
Rautakorvi’s fellow students at the University of Jyväskylä’s Faculty of Physical Education included a peer who blew out 60 candles from his cake last Saturday Kari-Pekka Kyrö. A logical reason was found for the well-known ski coach’s departure from the big-picture coaching job 23 years ago, but not for Rautakorvi’s most recent firings, at least not suddenly.
Cryptic reasoning
In the most essential parameters of competitive sports, JYP ranked even in the best third of the series and did not at least underperform considering its resources. JYP’s longtime chairman and kingmaker Jukka Seppänen cryptic talks about the backgrounds of the kicks even caused amused confusion, not Mr JYP’s issue very deep exposed even in the horn of truth in his home corners.
If the results – of the current season – cannot be an explanation, and, knowing Rautakorven, at least not a commitment to work, where did the grounds for terminating the contract come from? Perhaps we will come to the repulsive feature of the SM league, that in addition to the 2023–2024 series season, JYP will also have to play the 2024–2025, even 2025–2026 seasons.
In terms of player agents, Urheilu has been told quite clearly that the magnet of certain head coaches is not the most attractive, when representatives of young players or players in their prime are looking for a new home for their clients, so to speak, where they can excel or develop, at best both.
Someone passed by
With a big chunk of money, these comfort values can be strangely raised, even if the head coach’s face is not the most pleasant on the market. But JYP belongs to the clubs in the economic category of the series, which are primarily applied for other reasons.
It will be interesting to see if JYP now finds such a head coaching solution that Rautakorven and Ville Nieminen the sikkerma that is assembled afterwards is reminiscent of the NHL’s all-star game.
In 2021, after his NHL career, the center legend, who completed American coaching training and trained young people in his academy, was looking for a job Olli Jokinen. JYP was also offered the opportunity for an unbiased head coach solution and a competitive contract offer, but Jokinen, who proved to be an amazing coaching talent, ended up in Jukurei.
The end is history for both clubs, very different though.
Pekka Holopainen
The author is a columnist based in Pori and the only sports reporter who has been selected as Journalist of the Year in Finland.