The JYP of Jyväskylä has been the biggest topic of conversation in the ice hockey SM league this season, but the reasons are not so much game related.
JYP shrugged off Christmas by firing the head coach Jukka Rautakorvelle and assistant coach To Ville Niemis. At that time, JYP was the sixth best in the SM league in terms of average points, but the club management justified the firings especially with their JYP2025 strategy.
JYP’s arguments were widely perplexed. They were amazed, among others, by Urheilu’s expert Top Nättinen.
Read more: “Who wants that?” – the expert is horrified by the JYP bosses’ explanations after the shock firings of Jukka Rautakorvi
Became the new head coach Mikko Heiskanen. During Heiskanen’s tenure, JYP has lost all seven of its matches and has fallen from last to last in the league table.
Last Friday, JYP’s fan groups staged a protest at the home match against KalPa and didn’t come until the third period. The fans demand transparency and clarity from the club, why JYP’s expected 100th anniversary season turned into a crisis season.
On Monday, JYP club management – chairman Jukka Seppänensports director Mikko ViitanenCEO Risto Korpela and sales representative Jarno Kuokkanen – met representatives of fan groups.
There was a new uproar because on Tuesday the fan group Hurrikanasydän made a startling exit.
According to the fan group, the club management of JYP had admitted that the hiring of Rautakorvin and Nieminen had been a mistake. The Hurricane heart also claimed that the coaches did not treat the players the way they deserved and that the inbound player traffic had stopped.
On Tuesday, chairman Seppänen denied For MTV Sports the words of the club management that Rautakorpi and Nieminen did not treat the players the way they deserved. According to him, such words were not used, but it is the conclusion of the fans. Chairman of the Heart of the Hurricane Association Riina Friman on the other hand, replied to MTV that the club management’s speeches at the meeting did not leave any ambiguity on the subject.
In this story, Jukka Seppänen answers Urheilu’s questions about the recent turmoil.
Was it the club’s choice to bring up issues related to the dismissal of the coaching staff through the fan group?
– The fan groups wanted a meeting with the club management. We had a discussion with them about the basics. It did not contain any particularly confidential information. Maybe they have drawn their own conclusions from the conversation. It cannot be read as a club announcement.
– I can briefly review the background to the separation. Last season was a disappointment, after which the coaching and sports management made a plan for this season, which was based on the sports strategy. The summer and autumn started well, but after that there were some shortcomings. There were discussions about the issues, but the agreed issues did not progress sufficiently.
– The number of points looked moderate, but behind the points the game was based on super superiority, goalkeeper play and a few individuals. The statistics did not support the accumulation of points. The view was that we were close to where we were last season.
– The third thing was the club’s future. Last winter there were challenges in getting players, this autumn it was even more emphasized. Especially the availability of domestic players. Here are three important points.
However, haven’t you got good players in the team in two years, like Sami Niku, Jerry Turkulainen and a few others?
– Partly yes.
Do you believe that your reputation in the player and coach market will improve by publicly criticizing former employees?
– Everyone is responsible for what they say and their conclusions. Rautakorpi is a professional who brought to the club a daily requirement level for sports. Big thanks to him for that, even though there were flaws.
Is JYP getting quality players for next season with the change of coach?
– In Finland, the most promising and sought-after players are scheduled for the end of autumn, when it comes to signing a contract. That round has already been partially completed. Looking ahead to next year, the market has picked up. This is something that the club itself cannot do anything about.
– This world is run by the players and their agents. They are pretty particular about where they put the players. It is influenced by the economic situation, success, coaches, players’ own images. Not just who coaches.
You said that Rautakorpi and Nieminen didn’t coach the kind of hockey the club wanted. When you hired a coach, didn’t you know what kind of hockey the coaches would fear?
– During recruitment, we go over what is expected in this club with the candidates. If people commit to the club’s ideology and goals, it’s just a matter of whether we believe they’re serious. Now we believed, and surely they did, but at this point the goals were not fulfilled in all respects.
So was it the case that the club told the coaching what kind of hockey should be played and not the other way around?
– We think that the club has an ideology that we follow. The coach brings his own spices and daily trend to it.
The fans claimed that the club management confirmed that the players were not treated well. What did this mean?
– I can’t say because I haven’t been preparing the bulletin.
So you didn’t say that at the meeting with the fans?
– Conclusions have certainly been drawn from the two-hour conversation. I take responsibility for the decisions, but I can’t take responsibility for what everyone says because I wasn’t there when the announcement was made.
JYP had the sixth highest point percentage in the series when Rautakorvve was fired. Why was it not enough and where is the goal set by the club?
– The absolute scores were ok. What it was based on behind the points, and the accumulation of recent times, was not on a sustainable basis. The previous twelve games were proof of that. We saw that last year’s trend was realized. Seven losses in a row now is of course really heavy, but the goal is strongly a place in the playoffs.
Under new coach Mikko Heiskanen, the losing streak is seven games long. Under the leadership of the new coaching, has the game gone in the direction the club wanted?
– The timing of changing the coach was challenging, when it was known that there would be many games in a row. We knew we wouldn’t be able to practice. This is where all the risks materialized. In such a losing streak, there’s no point in terribly game-related things… When a team goes into such a slump, it’s back to the basics.
How worried are you about the negative publicity that recent events have caused?
– Of course, the state of the club worries a lot. Snow is now coming into the house from all sides. It has facts, matter and topic, but some of it is also a bit purposeful. There is enough tolerance and endurance even in facts. It’s self-inflicted.
How much do the club management, you, CEO Risto Korpela and sports director Mikko Viitanen, take responsibility for everything?
– I have failed and am responsible for how the club looks. This mess is my responsibility.
Five matches will be played in the SM league on Wednesday. The matches are followed live on the Ice Hockey Tour on Radio Finland and Areena. You can find the broadcast here. JYP’s season continues on Friday against Helsinki IFK. Friday’s matches will also be followed on the Ice Hockey Tour, which will be broadcast on Areena.