Ice hockey | Ottoville Leppäsen, 26, from Kiekko-Espoon has two university degrees – and a father known to many Finns

Large the public does not necessarily know that SM league club Kiekko-Espoo is one of the credit players Ottoville Leppänen is a recently retired news anchor Keijo Leppänen son.

On Tuesday night, 26-year-old Leppänen scored his team’s and at the same time the last 2-0 goal of the match against SaiPa.

“There was a good fight, tight twists and a really good mood in the hall,” Leppänen summed up the match.

Leppänen moved to Kiekko-Espoo for this season on a two-year contract. Leppänen, who played in Jukurei last season, describes playing in his hometown as a “dream come true”.

“That’s what I always aimed for when I got my hockey lessons. It’s been really fun, and you can’t complain about anything.”

At nine four power points were created in the match, but Leppänen, who plays as a winger, is not really a scorer in terms of player type, but an energetic and hardworking two-way player.

The 179-centimeter Leppänen isn’t spoiled for size, but the man doesn’t shy away from a physical game either. At the end of the second set of the SaiPa match on Tuesday, Leppänen was known as a gentleman player Mikko Kousan to get nervous.

Leppänen and 36-year-old fighter Kousa had a tight verbal fight.

“There were minor disagreements about the situation. A very warm conversation was held. I myself have the understanding that the guy is quite a gentleman’s player,” said the good-natured Leppänen.

Ottoville Leppänen’s father, Keijo Leppänen, 64, retired from his job as a news anchor on Monday, September 30. Picture: Jussi Nukari / Magazine photo

The family had arrived to watch Keijo Leppänen’s last news broadcast. Picture: Roni Rekomaa

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“He was a pretty tough guy in those jobs.”

Alder returned to Finland last season after playing in the NCAA college series for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Merrimack College college teams before that. The native of Espoo studied at Rensselaer in New York state for a bachelor’s degree in management.

Leppänen completed his master’s degree at Merrimack near Boston. The thesis dealt with the management of the organization.

Leppänen’s father Keijo, 64, worked at MTV3 as a news anchor since 1994 and retired on Monday. However, the media industry has not attracted the younger Leppä.

“I don’t want to admit this, but I think I don’t have enough for it. Now that he has officially retired, I dare to pump up his tires a bit and say that he was a pretty tough guy in those jobs”, Leppänen praises father-Keijo.

“If you can’t do better than your faija, then it’s pointless to go there,” Leppänen laughed.