Henrik Haukeland heard about the tremendous events in Kouvola.
Henrik Haukeland has warm memories of Finland. Pasi Liesimaa
Henrik Haukeland, the goalkeeper of the sensational Norwegian team and former KooKoo player, got excited when he heard that the Kouvola team had amazingly advanced to the finals in the SM league.
– It was great to see. I have followed KooKoo yes, Haukeland announced on the intermission day of the World Championships in Zurich.
The Norwegian played for KooKoo in the 2019–20 season, which was interrupted by the corona pandemic. At that time, the rise of the club was just beginning.
– They have built the club piece by piece. They had a really good sports director, Jarno Kultanen, and the silver team was still his team in a way. This has been a natural step for them, Haukeland said.
Kultanen moved to Pori Ässi for the 2025–26 season, but many of the players he acquired were part of KooKoo’s silver team.
The change in the club’s image has been big, even in the corona season, KooKoo finished fifth in the regular season.
– However, it seemed that we were kicked out of the playoffs at that time, the goalkeeper recalls.
Haukeland currently plays in the German DEL league for the Straubing Tigers.
The same faces
The Norwegian team has arrived in Zurich. Pasi Liesimaa
Norway’s top performance at the World Championships has not gone unnoticed in the fjords.
– Many people are watching and cheering us on at home. Ice hockey is not the biggest sport in Norway, but hopefully we will soon be able to compete with skiing and soccer. Maybe this tournament will help with that.
The secret of the national team is the low turnover of the players.
– Many defenders have been in the team for many years. We know each other’s strengths and know how to use them.
Norway will challenge host country Switzerland in Saturday’s semifinals. Finland’s opponent is Canada.
