Jokerit applies for a ticket into the Finnish hockey heat again. After the KHL years, there are many questions, among other things the arena is a question mark. Etelä-Pääty buys games in other locations if Jokerit returns.
The road back to Finnish ice hockey is long, but now Jokerit has at least taken a step towards a much talked about return.
– We have submitted the application for a league place to the ice hockey association today, says Jarmo Koskinen to STT.
Koskinen is driving Jokerit’s attempt to return to the Finnish league system after the KHL years, and the Helsinki club’s goal is to play at the second-highest league level in Mestis by the fall.
According to STT, Jokerit’s application will be on the agenda during the ice hockey association’s board meeting on January 24.
– It will be a unique case in that we have not had any other Finnish team that played in a foreign series, says the association’s head of competition Pirkka Antila to HS.
The application must include, among other things, a business plan, how the economy looks like and where Jokerit intends to play its matches.
Image: All Over Press
Jokerit
The arena issue is one of several question marks surrounding Jokerit. The club’s longtime home – the Helsinki Arena in Böle – is still owned by Russian businessmen and is therefore not an option at the moment.
HIFK’s home hall is excluded and Kiekko-Espoo’s arena in Hagalund is also fully booked. One option that has been mentioned is that Jokerit would play in different halls.
– The process is ongoing. We have an operational plan, but we are not saying more about it right now. Hopefully we can inform about this in the future, says Koskinen to STT.
“More uncomfortable that the men’s team does not play at all”
Among the supporters, the Etelä-Pääty grouping is open to various proposals. The main thing is that the club gets its men’s team into Finnish ice hockey again after a break of over nine years.
– Of course, the Helsinki Arena feels like our home, but right now it is not available. I’d rather see Jokerit play a few games in Espoo, Vantaa or Kyrkslätt than not play at all. It is still Jokerit who would be on the ice, says Etelä-Pääty’s vice president Roope Räty Yle Sports.
The war in Ukraine led Jokerit to leave the Russian-controlled KHL and this season the club has not had senior level activity. The supporters have attended the junior team’s matches.
– Sure, it’s a bit uncomfortable. But it is more inconvenient that the men’s team does not play at all. Playing in several different halls is not ideal, but much better than no matches at all, says Räty.
