Jukka Jalonen has piloted Leijon for almost 11 years, but NHL players only once.
Finland head coach of the men's national ice hockey team Jukka Jalonen admits that the Olympics starred by NHL players would have tasted more than once.
“I would have liked to have coached the best players more than once. It's quite clear, you can't deny it,” says Jalonen.
Jalonen has led Leijon in the years 2009–13, and the season that started in 2018 will end in May with the World Championships in the Czech Republic.
The NHL and the NHL players' association announced on Friday that the world's best players will participate in the Olympic ice in 2026 and 2030. Jalonen sees the situation as great for hockey.
“It was about time. It's a big deal that the best in the world are starting to play with each other again after a long time. It has been really sad in general that this has not happened for years. It's good that now it's finally fixed.”
However, Jalos is not seen behind the lions' bench in the five-ring races, but his successor Antti from Penna a delicious situation awaits. Pennanen's contract covers the 2024–26 seasons and includes an option for the 2026–27 season.
Finland currently has several NHL star level players, and the future Olympic team can rightly be called the “Lion team of all time”.
Noble led Finland to Olympic bronze in Vancouver in 2010. Also in 2014, NHL players were at the Olympics, but then the Lions were at the helm Erkka Westerlund. Since then, no NHL players have been seen at the Olympics.
“You can't do anything about it, you can't influence it yourself. It will be 11 years this spring as the head coach of the national team, and there were some serious bumps in the road. In that sense, I was in a bad time.”
“You don't think about that when you're working. All events and tournaments are held at full capacity, no matter what the own team is.”
Jalonen and the coaching team held a meeting with NHL players in July–August 2021. In the fall, the coaching went to see the players. The focus was on putting together an Olympic team of NHL players.
The NHL players were coming to Beijing, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the plans. In the end, Jalonen and the Lions celebrated the historic Olympic gold with players playing in Europe.
“That's the only time (an NHL team) was kind of close.”
Jalonen is Finland's most successful national team coach, who has three World Championship golds and a youth world championship in his trophy cabinet in addition to the Olympic gold. He says that he has been so lucky in many things that it is not worth bothering about the Olympics.
“It doesn't bother me, but you can't deny that it hurts in a certain way. After 2010, a new generation rose to the top of the NHL and the world. If I had a choice, of course it would have been great to coach them.”
Jalonen pesti in Leijon ends on May 26 at the latest, when the World Cup final will be played at the O2 arena in Prague. Not even Jalonen knows what will happen after that.
“It's a simple matter: I would like to coach. The primary option is somewhere in Europe. And you can't rule out your home country either, if you can't find anything sensible or interesting abroad.”
Last June, Jalonen said that the NHL had been the number one option for a long time. Even then, he admitted that the road to the star league was difficult, and that thought hasn't changed much.
“Of course, the NHL is also in the back of my mind, but I'm not terribly hopeful about it. Europe is more realism. It's hard to get into the NHL. If I coach somewhere, it's more likely here.”
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