The native of Tampere plans to continue as a coach.
Jouko Myrrä was allowed to leave Ilves. Mika Kylmäniemi/AOP
Ilves head coach Jouko Myrrä’s joy over Tuesday night’s CHL victory against Stavanger Oilers was short-lived, as an ominous Whatsapp message clicked on his phone at half past eleven, telling him to come to the club’s office by nine in the morning.
When Myrrä arrived, the CEO was there Risto Jalo and athletic director Timo Koskela. The man was informed that his almost 14-year streak in Ilves will end at that place. He will be replaced in the position by the one who last coached the under-20 national team Antti Pennanen.
– Feeling empty and sad, of course, when cooperation with a great team ended in this way, Myrrä, who sounds cheerful considering the circumstances, tells Iltalehte.
The moments that followed the announcement were not flattering to the Ilves management.
– I would have liked to go meet, say goodbye, shake hands and hug the players. To thank them for the hours, months and years together, even for ten years with one player and wish them well in the future, but the sports management forbade going to the locker room.
Myrrä says that the ban on saying goodbye to the players is not justified in any way to him. However, he does not want to open the conversation with Jalo and Koskela any further.
After this, Myrrä has approached the players with a thank you message and talked on the phone Emeli Finland and Petri Kontiolan with.
To the padel court
Myrrä jumped from assistant coach position to main responsibility in Ilves in the fall of 2019, when Karri Kivi was dismissed. Last season, he piloted his team to bronze medals.
At the moment, Ilves is at the top of the league, so the timing of the kicks is somewhat strange.
– When you do this coaching with your heart and for the players, the end of the journey is always a surprise, Myrrä, 53, puts it.
Because of work, he stays on top of nothing, but the day doesn’t just go by sad signs.
– 14:30 I go with good friends to play padel. It has plans for the future, the pilot smiles and assures that he will continue with coaching in the future.