The head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team will almost certainly change after the 2023–24 season.
Master coach Jukka Jalonen60, has almost certainly made his last deal with the Lions.
– Yes, it feels that way. We have been here for quite a long time, Jalonen commented.
Last August, he signed an extension until the end of the 2023–24 season.
– After that, I haven’t thought about coaching Leijon anymore. Then it starts to be someone else’s time, Jalonen says, but leaves the back gate very gently open.
– Miracles can happen.
In his first period in Finland, Jalonen coached the A national team to World Cup gold in 2011 and Olympic bronze in 2010. The second period, which began in the 2018–19 season, has been unparalleled in Finnish ice hockey: two World Cup golds, World Cup silver and Olympic gold.
– Really good feeling. All the players and the management team are probably full of energy, Jalonen said on Tuesday in Tampere at the Lions’ press conference.
– When I woke up in the morning, I realized where we were going: towards the opening meeting of the World Cup group. The brain works differently than previous nights, he added.
The talisman of the Lions describes that he enjoys the job of the head coach.
– Competing has motivated me since I was a little boy. The team changes a bit every tournament, but the management team has been able to stay the same. This is a great environment to work in.
The World Cup tournament starts on Friday at the Nokia Arena, when Finland meets the USA.
– You get to measure your abilities against other top countries. Of course, it also measures your own competence. Competition and the will to win – they certainly motivate.
Jukka Jalonen is by far the most successful head coach of the A national team in Finnish history. Jussi Saarinen