The sold-out Helsinki ice rink had a great atmosphere when the Jokerit defeated Mesti’s reigning champion Kiekko-Espo by 4-1.
In the loudest corner, there was a large sheet with which joker fans announced their opinion on the recent decisions of the SM league.
The message was blunt, but there might be a grain of truth in it: “SM-League you need us more than we need you”.
The boom created by the Jokers in Helsinki, even in the second level, gives the league bosses something to think about.
The Joker fans’ message went in the direction of the SM league. Matti Matikainen
Surprise applicant TuTo and Kiekko-Espoo, who have been preparing for promotion for a long time, have submitted their applications to play in the SM league from next season.
Instead, Jokerit, which is aiming for the League in 2025, announced on Monday that under the current conditions, the promotion cannot take place in accordance with Jokerit’s values, i.e. economically reasonable.
The price of the league share is estimated at 3.8 million euros, and the Jokers would have to build a team with which it could compete for promotion. In addition to Mesti’s championship, the last one in the league should be knocked down in the qualifiers.
– When the details were confirmed, it became clear that it doesn’t make any sense in terms of our organization and its future, chairman of the Jokers Mikko Saarni crystallized.
A hefty price tag
Jami (left), Esa and Mea Kyyrö support the Jokers. Matti Matikainen
His children I was jamming and Mean with a Joker supporter who came to watch the match Esa Kyyrö gave his full support to the Jokers’ solution.
– Just the players’ solution. The league came with a pretty heavy price tag. Maybe they smelled the fact that it was a place of reckoning, Kyyrö commented.
– Won’t Liiga drop the price tag at some point? At least I believe so. Let’s hope that the Jokerit can get into the League at the right price, so we can have a proper local competition with another Helsinki club again.
Marjut Hopponen hopes that Kiekko-Espoo will play in the SM league next season. Matti Matikainen
Kiekko-Espo, which has been preparing for promotion for a long time, has also had its own challenges with the tempo of the League.
– Gives a bit of a vague picture of the organization, a supporter of the Espoo club Marjut Hopponen stated – and specified that he meant an organization other than Kiekko-Espoota.
– Of course, I hope that the team will be in the League next year. In my opinion, Espoo would need a league team.
The SC League’s October decision on returning the qualifiers to spring 2025 and limiting the number of teams to a maximum of 16 is not necessarily final.
Among other things Mikko Leinonen (Tappara) and Timo Everi (HIFK) and, together with Jokerien Saarni, have spoken in Iltalehti in favor of a smaller number of teams in the main series.
Joker fans enjoy Friday night’s drugs in the sold-out (8200) ice rink in Helsinki. Matti Matikainen