In 1965, Kimmo Leinonen experienced the fulfillment of his dreams when he entered the ice rink and the World Championships for the first time. Many things have changed in 57 years, but the core of the World Hockey Tournament still seems to be the same.
Tampere. The hockey capital of Finland. That was Tampere in 1965, when the World Hockey Championships were held in Finland for the first time. And that’s it again this year, when the World Cup tournament kicks off on May 13th.
Long line hockey influencer Kimmo Leinonen was 15 years old when he was among the first Finns to experience what an ice rink looks like. At the same time, Härmä got a foretaste of what the World Hockey Championships mean to people, the city and the whole country.
“Is there ice plastic?”
– It was a dream come true for a 15-year-old! Something that was approached even quite cautiously when nothing was known about any ice rink. The eyes were like plates, Leinonen recalls.
Before the completion of the Hakametsä Ice Rink, the outdoor field of Koulukatu was Tampere’s disco shrine.
– That ice was so flat in Hakametsä. We guys and I were wondering if that was plastic. Perhaps the impression was also created by the fact that the concrete slab under the ice was unpainted and the color of the ice was a little yellowish. It was, of course, compared to Koulukatu. Just as the new arena is now compared to Hakametsä, Leinonen says.
After the teenage boys marveled at the ice of the country’s first ice rink of their time, their heads turned toward the roof. There was something completely new and wonderful there.
– Scoreboard where the handler moved. No one had seen one before. The red light came on in a small ice clock. Those were the big things that got attention. Also, I wondered how they had got such a saddle roof built into the hall?
There was no time to admire too much, as the best places had to be found quickly in the stands.
– Where can you be here, where do you see the game best? Then, of course, I guessed that game when it went, Leinonen says.
Tourists can admire the 196-square-meter media cube with a surface area of 196 square meters and a weight of 13 million LEDs in the Arena of Tampere. Numerous other visual elements can be found, among other things, on the sides of the trough. The ice is not yellowish, but white and filled with ads. There is a seat for everyone, so there is no need to rush to reserve a seat.
Mark’s game
Admission to non-Finnish matches cost FIM 1.
– My father picked me up from Tampere Lyceum and said that now we would go to Stockala’s ticket office. I got ticks for those games where I wanted to go.
The Games were played in early March. The schools had a suitable ski holiday, so Leinonen got to spend a lot of time in Hakametsä.
– We still lived near the hall. I don’t remember the exact number, but I got to watch a considerable number of games, Leinonen says.
The encounter between East Germany and Czechoslovakia was the first World Cup match that Leinonen witnessed on the spot.
The game was the most important thing for the young boy, but Leinonen still remembers the ancillary services well.
– On the school street, there was always the smell of steam sausage. In the new hall, the sensory world changed. I remember the smell of meat pie. It was sold in the few stalls where there were an awful lot of sellers, he says.
15-year-olds can get to non-Finnish games with a ticket of just over twenty euros at the cheapest. There may still be individual tickets for Finnish matches. The teenager has to shell out more than 100 euros for a last-minute ticket for the Game of the Lions.
There are 22 nutrition shops in the arena selling a variety of food items, alcoholic beverages and refreshments. At the fence level, hockey is enjoyed with more expensive food and drink. Meat pie is still available.
The winner will be announced before the race
– At that time, there was a time when the medal teams of the competition were already known before the first game. One team always won, the top four was obvious, Leinonen says.
The Soviet Union won gold. Silver was taken by Czechoslovakia, bronze by Sweden. Canada was fourth.
There were eight countries involved. Finland was bitterly seventh.
– Finland’s final balance was most annoying. It was left empty and longing when lost to East Germany at the end of the match. With Sweden being played sensationally, the medal should have been won in the home games. It was not yet possible to win real games, Leinonen says.
There are more than four potential medal countries. Finland will compete in the championships as one of the championship favorites. Lions have learned to win real games. East Germany no longer exists. The German team is coached by a Finn Toni SöderholmCzech Republic Kari Jalonen.
The bitter result can still wait for Finland if the home race continues. For the host country of the Games, the World Cup has been an almost impossible place to succeed. The Soviet Union won gold in Moscow in 1986, Sweden in Stockholm in 2013.
What is the new Canadian flag like?
Just before the start of the World Cup, the organizers of the Tampere race were in a strange situation. The Canadian flag had changed, and no one seemed to know exactly what the new maple leaf flag would look like. And how to do that quickly.
– In Canada, the national feeling had just won and the country had escaped from the British Empire, so the flag was changed. It caused quite a challenge in Tampere. What it looks like? What are the dimensions? What is the right shade of red? It could not be checked online. I don’t know exactly how the situation was resolved, but the right kind of flag was finally knitable and sewable, Leinonen says.
Kimmo Leinonen was the Marketing Director of the International Hockey Federation from 1995 to 2007. There have been conflicts with tickets since 1965. The Swiss flag, for example, has sometimes been too small and square, and the coat of arms of the Slovak flag has not always turned in the right direction. However, everything has been clear.
The juniors of the countries participating in the competition in Tampere were able to carry the juniors of Tappara, Ilves and KooVee at the opening. Unfortunately, Leinonen could not fit in. One ticket had three carriers, which meant a total of 24 lucky puck juniors.
– That is why it is quite fun that at least 250 people have assured me over the years that they have carried a ticket at the opening of the Games. But when I ask these “ghost bearers” which country’s flag you carry, no one remembers anything, Leinonen laughs.
The Canadian flag has not changed in 57 years. The flags of the other countries participating in the Games are also unchanged. There have still been changes to tickets compared to last year’s Games. Tickets for Russia and Belarus are not displayed in Tampere.
“The vision was 100% right”
– The city was quite confused when the races were brought here. Posters were displayed everywhere, stickers were in the windows of the shops. The shortage of hotels was terrible. Newspaper ads asked if anyone could accommodate guests. Breakfast and a hot shower had to be arranged, Leinonen says.
The Games were held with great pride.
– Tampere took over the competition as pollen. The way we Finns do it, that is, it is organized so well that no one can get banged.
– And it must be remembered when talking about these first home races that the idea started in the early 1950s. Paavo Honkajuuri stated at the time that the level and popularity of hockey in Finland would start to rise when the World Cup was held here. That vision was 100% right, Leinonen says.
The level and popularity of hockey is at its peak in Finland. Hotels bulge guests in Tampere.
The whole of Finland will be mixed up for at least two weeks. If the Lions win gold, people will jump into the fountains. As long as the curse of the home races doesn’t continue.
The World Hockey Championships will start on Friday, May 13th. Finland’s opponent is Norway. The competitions are played in Tampere and Helsinki.