39-year-old Petri Kontiola won his first championship. He already had time to forget how hard it is to run the everyday life of a hockey player.
Urheilu followed all the final matches in this article. There will also be playoffs after Tappara’s championship is secured.
TAMPERE. Petri Kontiola finally achieved the Finnish championship he was chasing, when Tappara beat Pelicans 3–1 in the fifth final.
Kontiola didn’t immediately rush towards the Tappara keeper Christian Heljanko, but stayed close to the side. In the end, he also ended up joining the rest of the team.
– I’m not used to these jobs, so I didn’t know what to do. I just took it easy, says Kontiola.
– I was a little nervous. I had agreed that if we won, the children would come along. I wondered where they are. That was top of mind, says Kontiola.
Kontiola assured more than a year ago that his career would end. However, he mentioned that it would still be nice to continue his career precisely because of the children.
It was a big deal for Konkar that Persecution and Axel were able to witness his mastery.
– In the summer, they asked why we no longer go to the hall and get to the games. They weren’t terribly interested in seeing me as an expert, Kontiola laughs.
Kontiola went to substance abuse treatment after last season, among other things, because of his children. He finally decided to continue his career, but now it’s all wrapped up.
That’s why he has often taken his children for a spin in the arena.
– I knew that it would end, so the boys have been able to participate a lot. They have been the group’s mascots at the same time. This is probably exciting for them too, but they like to ride here.
Now the career is in the package. Kontiola says that at some point he forgot the amount of work that it takes to run a hockey player’s everyday life.
– Running a daily life is quite a tough job. Now let’s focus on other things. Now it’s someone else’s turn. I can go away happy.
Earlier in his career, Kontiola had achieved three World Cup silvers, a World Cup bronze, an Olympic bronze, and had also bowed once with his team in the KHL finals.
Now Kontiola got on the winning train, when Tappara achieved its third consecutive championship.
– We have been chasing for a long time. Not necessarily now, since I haven’t been in Finland much. But I have been close to the championship many times. Now I’m happy and tired too. This was a rough start.
Kontiola has noticed that the years are already starting to weigh. He can no longer weigh like he did when he was younger. However, Kontiola was satisfied with every second he got to spend in Tappara.
– I’m such a demanding guy to myself that I should score a couple of goals in every game and that’s it. It won’t happen again. Now let’s stick the bag to the wall of the cabin.
According to Kontiola, the journey from substance abuse treatment back to the rink was nothing special. However, he feels that he should have always lived like an athlete.
– In the meantime, I can’t say how this went. It was hard work from start to finish. I arrived in the booth as a humble boy and tried to put everything into play.
– The championship wasn’t what I came here to get compulsively, but that everything in the body stays on the field. There wasn’t much in the tank, but what was there stayed.
20 years ago, Kontiola won the championship in Tappara’s A-youth together with a coach Juha Juujärven with. Now both celebrated the championship in the Tappara representation.
– I am very proud of Kontiola’s entire career and the battles he has fought on the civilian side and came out victorious, says Juujärvi.
– Here is a lot like back then. The rascal and gamer that was in him then is still there. He showed it today with an incredible pass for a really important 2-0 overtime goal.