Kai Hietarinta entered Finnish hockey circles the same way he does everything. With style. In 1984, he was the Executive Vice President of Neste, a state-owned oil company, who, at 51, was elected as the chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
That his election was a surprise to the general public is not surprising. The public gets more engaged with the coach’s picks for the Ice Hockey World Championship. That Hietarinta managed to pull a convincing 21-4 landslide win in a vote is more surprising, considering that he didn’t have a famous background in the game.
But he had charisma, and he was a man of his word and that earned him the trust to get elected, and as chairman, he turned his opponents to friends.
Back in 1984, Finland was just outside the Top 4, sometimes finishing just outside the medals, other times fending off relegation games. Off the ice, things looked about the same. Hockey was a popular sport, but one that hadn’t quite hit its stride yet.
“I think the key in Finland has been that we’ve managed to build rinks so much that we now have more than 200 indoor rinks in the country,” Mr. Hietarinta says.
“That made hockey a game that could be played, not just in a few major towns, but all over the country,” he added.
It should be noted that when Kai Hietarinta took the gavel, there were about less than two dozen indoor rinks in the country, and when he stepped down in 1997, the number of rinks had ballooned to more than 120, including several arenas.
That’s the one thing Mr. Hietarinta is most proud of – if he absolutely must mention something.
“It warms my heart,” he says.
Such a phenomenon doesn’t happen by accident, and according to Mr. Hietarinta, the Finnish federation had a long-term plan for building the rinks and for example, a foundation was set up for supporting rink projects.
“The foundation couldn’t build the rinks by itself, but it could give some seed money, and we got the public sector involved. And with the success, we also found investors,” Mr. Hietarinta says.
And yes, there was success. Team Finland won an Olympic bronze in Calgary in 1988 and followed it up with the first-ever Ice Hockey World Championship medal, a silver, in 1992. Also, the Finns won their first World Junior Championship gold medal in 1987), and the women’s national team came home with a medal from each of the first four Women’s World Championships in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1997.
“We were so hungry for a medal,” he said. “And after the Calgary silver, we absolutely had to get a gold, which happened in 1995.”
“Back then, the Finnish league was excellent, and arguably the best one in Europe, which laid the foundation for our success. We could recruit great players and coaches from the East and the West, and that was important for Finnish hockey.”
Mr. Hietarinta also had an impressive career in international hockey. He was on the IIHF Council between 1990 and 1998, and whenever IIHF tournaments were hosted by Finland, he was the chairman of the organizing committee. In a way, thanks to Hietarinta and his classy style, Finland had a voice in the rooms that mattered.
Now that Finland has won three Ice Hockey World Championship gold medals, and an Olympic gold, staying at the top may just turn out to be harder than to get there.
“It’s a big challenge to stay at that level,” Mr. Hietarinta says. “But I’m optimistic.”
Builders always are.
That his election was a surprise to the general public is not surprising. The public gets more engaged with the coach’s picks for the Ice Hockey World Championship. That Hietarinta managed to pull a convincing 21-4 landslide win in a vote is more surprising, considering that he didn’t have a famous background in the game.
But he had charisma, and he was a man of his word and that earned him the trust to get elected, and as chairman, he turned his opponents to friends.
Back in 1984, Finland was just outside the Top 4, sometimes finishing just outside the medals, other times fending off relegation games. Off the ice, things looked about the same. Hockey was a popular sport, but one that hadn’t quite hit its stride yet.
“I think the key in Finland has been that we’ve managed to build rinks so much that we now have more than 200 indoor rinks in the country,” Mr. Hietarinta says.
“That made hockey a game that could be played, not just in a few major towns, but all over the country,” he added.
It should be noted that when Kai Hietarinta took the gavel, there were about less than two dozen indoor rinks in the country, and when he stepped down in 1997, the number of rinks had ballooned to more than 120, including several arenas.
That’s the one thing Mr. Hietarinta is most proud of – if he absolutely must mention something.
“It warms my heart,” he says.
Such a phenomenon doesn’t happen by accident, and according to Mr. Hietarinta, the Finnish federation had a long-term plan for building the rinks and for example, a foundation was set up for supporting rink projects.
“The foundation couldn’t build the rinks by itself, but it could give some seed money, and we got the public sector involved. And with the success, we also found investors,” Mr. Hietarinta says.
And yes, there was success. Team Finland won an Olympic bronze in Calgary in 1988 and followed it up with the first-ever Ice Hockey World Championship medal, a silver, in 1992. Also, the Finns won their first World Junior Championship gold medal in 1987), and the women’s national team came home with a medal from each of the first four Women’s World Championships in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1997.
“We were so hungry for a medal,” he said. “And after the Calgary silver, we absolutely had to get a gold, which happened in 1995.”
“Back then, the Finnish league was excellent, and arguably the best one in Europe, which laid the foundation for our success. We could recruit great players and coaches from the East and the West, and that was important for Finnish hockey.”
Mr. Hietarinta also had an impressive career in international hockey. He was on the IIHF Council between 1990 and 1998, and whenever IIHF tournaments were hosted by Finland, he was the chairman of the organizing committee. In a way, thanks to Hietarinta and his classy style, Finland had a voice in the rooms that mattered.
Now that Finland has won three Ice Hockey World Championship gold medals, and an Olympic gold, staying at the top may just turn out to be harder than to get there.
“It’s a big challenge to stay at that level,” Mr. Hietarinta says. “But I’m optimistic.”
Builders always are.