Ice hockey | Jokerit fills the stands all over Finland – “Of course I wanted to see”

Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä As usual, a lot of puck fans pour into the Lähitapiola arena on Friday night, but this time in different colors than usual.

Instead of JYP, the Mestis club KeuPa HT will host the match in the hall. The Jokerit of Helsinki will be a guest.

KeuPa will celebrate ten years of Mestis heaven in the match. The celebratory match was moved to a bigger setting, especially when the guests are a bunch of jesters who have returned to the Finnish leagues.

Jokerit is of interest to fans both in Helsinki and elsewhere in Finland. In Mesti’s series opener in Espoo, a new series attendance record was set, when the Helsinki team beat Kiekko-Espoo in a sold-out Metro-arena.

Now in Jyväskylä the audience is again in the thousands, well above the average for Mestis.

“Of course I wanted to see the Jokers for a long time”, following the team’s warm-up next to the rink Veikko Rantanen says.

Rantanen says that he saw the Jokers several years ago in the League, but states that this version is a completely new team.

“After all, this team is made up of our own juniors. It’s interesting to see how the game starts to spin.”

Rantanen has more to worry about in the game than three series points. He turns out to be a young KeuPa attacker Jasper Rantanen to be a father. Jasper’s goal would be great for dad to see, but dad-Rantanen doesn’t dare to announce the hit in church.

“Let’s hope!” he gasps.

Right like Rantanen and the one who was in his company Tiina Seppäläalso Vesa Hannus has arrived all the way from Keuruu to follow the highlights of his favorite team. However, Hannus assures that the return of the Jokers had nothing to do with the decision.

“Yes, it was only our own team that we came after.”

However, according to Hannus, the Jokerit is an “interesting in a certain way” team.

“If nothing else, it will at least draw the audience to the place. The market value is tough”, he reflects.

Although Hannus is firmly on his side, he does not dare to go to the match with his jacket open. Of course, a win would be a great thing.

“That would be it [Jokereiden voittaminen] big thing. The jokers come into the game as early favorites, and everyone trusts that they will show where the cabinet stands,” Hannus analyzed. He laughs and adds that it would be nice for the people of Helsinki to get to see the show.

The favorite players of Pietari Katajamäki from Mänttä, who plays for KeuPa’s U14 boys, is KeuPa’s defender Kimi Kuusela. Katajamäki gave a blunt assessment of Jokers. Picture: Petteri Kivimäki

Others the cautious optimism of the fans preparing for the match is a stark departure Pietari Katajamäki prediction. The hockey junior who plays in KeuPa’s under-14 team speaks directly about the opponent of the evening.

“What a miserable team,” says Katajamäki about the Jokers.

“The logo is great, but nothing else amazing.”