Urheilu followed all the final matches in this article. There will also be playoffs after Tappara’s championship is secured.
Brother Matti Savinainen38, was once again the biggest hero of the final series, even though he suffered a lot of injuries in the regular season and had to find a sense of the game at the beginning of the playoffs.
He now has six SM golds, five of them from Tappara and the first from Ässi. Savinainen has never lost a final series and won the championship in the last six seasons in the SM league. In between, he has played in the SHL and KHL.
Championship machine Savinainen and the captain Otto Rauhala29, have been involved in Tappara’s five championships (2016, 2017, 2022, 2023 and 2024) that it has captured in nine years.
In the number of Finnish championships, the number one is eight championships Ilkka Mikkolawho won three SM golds in TPS, one in Jokers and no less than four in Kärpi.
According to Aamulehti 18 players have reached at least six championships and 40 players have reached at least five championships. Besides Savinainen and Rauhala, 12 players have reached at least five championships in Tappara.
In Tappara’s latest streak of three championships, every SM gold has been celebrated by Savinainen, Rauhala, Brother Matti Vittasmäki, Christian Heljanko, Anton Levtchi, Christian Tanus, Joni Tuulola and Petteri Puhakka.
– Of course it’s unique, Savinainen was happy again with the gold medal around her neck in an interview with .
– Especially this year, when the coaching changed and half of the team changed. We were looking for some new work here in Tappara. It was quite nicely shown that the Main Series was won by luck and the player races were also won by luck, so with luck those ships sail. Isn’t that a saying?
Tappara also received harsh criticism for his play, especially in the regular season. Swedish coach Rikard Grönborgin brought by speed hockey shaped Tapparaa in a direction where mistakes were seen in a way that the Followers of hockey were not used to.
In the end, as the playoffs progressed, the defense was also iron and Tappara showed that you can’t talk about that and luck in the same sentence.
Savinainen could not directly say what would make this championship the most special.
– A difficult question, but work has been done for every championship. A long season, 8-9 months, to be able to achieve something.
– Persistence will certainly bear fruit and now you remember how you sweated in the summer. The whole journey is something that warms the heart.
Tappara has made himself a huge winning machine. Five championships in nine years is a huge balance.
– Well, actually, with Heljango, it was said that it would be a good three years. Three regular season wins, three Finnish championships and the CHL championship.
– It’s quite a statement from Tappara to other clubs. There’s a good boogi and a dynasty here, and from what I’ve heard about the contract situation, I don’t see it ending next season.
After leaving the MTV interview, Savinainen blurted out that “next year the seventh”, when the interviewer congratulated on the sixth championship.
Yelle Savinainen described what makes Tappara dominant and what it feels like to play in such a group.
– It feels great. When I came here for the first time in 2016, there was always a lot of work done. The lads want to move forward in their careers and a hard standard is cultivated in training. Not a single day is dragged out or interfered with. It has grown us.
In the end, Savinainen made her friend happy Petri Kontiolan on behalf of. Kontiola, 39, had time to play more than 20 seasons as a professional and ended his career before the championship finally came.
– Well, it’s really amazing that Konna got an award now. You never know if you put your skates back on next season. He’s still a young boy.
Kontiola himself told ‘s Jääkiekkokierros interview that his career ends this season.
– Yes, yes this is here. Now you can happily leave. Today I had a good feeling that these may be the last snacks and lunches of the game day.