Ice hockey | A complete blow to the Jokers – a fierce text is being uploaded from the SM league insiders: “Harkimo is a red garment”

Do you need it SM league Jokers?

After an eight-year adventure in the KHL, the Jokeri’s intentions to return to Finnish league hockey have gone in a confused and dramatic way.

The SM League shot the Jokers’ dreams of a league return down once last fall by announcing that it will not accept license applications for the 2023–24 season.

There is no shortcut to the league – not even for the Jokers. The road must go through Mestis.

On Monday, Jokerit said that it plans to apply for a place in Mestis for next season.

Return There are many twists and turns to the SM league. At the moment, SM league clubs have a cautious, downright dismissive attitude towards a possible return of the Jokers.

According to the clubs, there was little enthusiasm for Jokeri’s possible return to the SM League even in the early stages of the return project.

“Contrary to what is commonly imagined, Jokerit is no longer the kind of brand that the SM league needs. The SM league can do very well even without Jokers. If we look at the situation now, Kiekko-Espoo is a significantly more relevant option than Jokerit”, says the experienced club boss, who remains anonymous.

“To put it meanly, we’ve done well for eight years without the Jokers,” says another club boss.

Jokers since last summer, there has been dirty and insidious behind-the-scenes scheming in the background, which raises big doubts in the management of the league clubs.

Last November, llta-Sanomat found out that Team Jokerit Oy is owned Harry Harkimon son Joel Harkimo. Appearing as the lead character of the Joker’s return project Jarmo Koskinen according to Harry Harkimo is in no way involved in the return project.

In SM league clubs, Harkimo’s name is the red garment.

“It should be clear that SM-liiga Oy does not want to become a shareholder in Jokeri if its ownership base is connected to Harkimo’s family. The reason is, of course, that Jokerit recently broke the league’s shareholder agreement when moving to the KHL,” one club boss commented.

“It’s about how the Jokers are received with open arms, if the ownership is as seen. It is unlikely that Joel Harkimo has earned that money himself. The owner base should be something other than now. Harkimo’s name is a red garment for the league. Harry Harkimo acted against us and against the shareholders’ agreement. After the Jokers left, the league lost money every year,” said another club boss.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s for Jo, “Kelle” or “Kulle”, when daddy pulls the strings, it’s red clothes for everyone,” the third club boss says.

The SM league already outlined last July that the new Jokers must not have any connections with the KHL Jokers.

In the jokers’ return project, the league clubs are most bothered by the collusion regarding the financial patterns and the club’s backgrounds.

“Then they would even say that the Harkimots are in the background. The most stupid of all has been this secrecy. I understand that you can’t tell everything, but you should have been more open. I think the SM league office has also been kept in the dark. I won’t knock it out for good yet, but I’m not waiting with squeals of joy,” says one club boss.

“None of the names that have been in the public eye really inspire confidence and believe that the project could work in the long term. It is one’s own business to think about the impact of the possible first two seasons, but also what the impact will be ten years from now. Increasing the number of teams is a really big deal just as it is.”

IS Sami according to the information, based on an objective impact study conducted before the summer, Jokeri’s contribution and financial added value to the SM League would be a zero-sum game.

“There will be no more money distributed in the league in the future. Now the total pot is shared by 15 clubs, and if there is one more club, there is less to share”, notes one club boss.

“One more club should share media compensation. A six-figure sum would be lost. Would it come back through something else? There are no guarantees,” adds another club boss.

However, one club boss reminds us that effectiveness can be measured in many different ways.

“If you were to ask this matter, for example, from our media partner, they would probably see it as a really positive thing that there would be another team from the capital region. I, too, would see it as really positive if we had another team from the capital region”, without taking a more specific position on which team it would be.

In this light, the return of the Jokers to Finland’s biggest professional league would not be as significant from the perspective of the SM League and its clubs as has been imagined in the public.

“The return of the Jokers might be a plus from the perspective of the capital region, but probably not otherwise. In fact, we have data that the Jokers would not financially benefit clubs in smaller cities, rather the opposite,” says the experienced club boss.

“It’s quite clear that it’s not a financial jackpot for other clubs, except for HIFK at most, and it’s hardly a big one for them either. The smaller the town you go to, the less important the Jokers would be,” says another club boss.

One according to the club boss, the Jokeri’s comeback project has not even aroused any kind of emotions.

“I’m not interested in comparing the whole shit, dude. Hasn’t raised any emotions when there is no credibility at all.”

“For us, Jokerit does not bring any added value. If we miss a couple of local games against local clubs, then we will lose in the big picture.”

Right now Jokerit is not a current topic for the SM league. There has been no discussion within the league about the Jokers’ situation “actually at all”.

“A lot needs to happen in order for the issue to be current”, another club boss sees.

From the point of view of the league clubs, the Jokers must first get their ownership pattern suitable for salons.

“As a brand, Jokerit with new, clear patterns would be welcome. In the right way, the Jokerit would be a positive addition, but where will the club find a place to play and how can they afford to buy the Helsinki arena. There are still so many big questions here. You also have to remember that promotion would require Mestis to win,” says one club boss.

“In itself, Jokerit could bring added value to the league. Not necessarily financially, but image-wise. Jokerit arouses a lot of emotions in the puck audience, which is positive in the big picture,” says another club boss.

Read more: Jokerit confirmed that they submitted an application for the Mestis position

Read more: There is a spirit of rebellion in the SM league – the clubs are planning a big reform on their own

Read more: Jokeri’s place in the series is on the line in Mestis – the club boss hints at the cancellation of the qualifiers

Read more: The return of the Jokers is a unique project – the Ice Hockey Federation has a long list of requirements

Read more: The jokers’ hall crisis deepens – Espoo and Vantaa are also starting to be full