Six new ice hockey lions were named to the 2025 annual class.
Tuukka Rask in the Lions shirt in 2016. Matti Raivio / AOP
The Nobility Committee, appointed by the Board of Finland of the Finnish Ice Hockey Museum, selected six new ice hockey lions.
Players were selected for defenders Topi Jaakola and Anssi Salmelaan attacker Mika bike as well as the goalkeeper Tuukka Rask. The judges’ glory gets Johanna Suban and from influencers Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen.
Jaakola, Pyörälä and Salmela belonged to the Lions team, which won the historic world championship for Finland in 2011.
Rask, on the other hand, is one of the most successful Finnish goalkeepers in NHL history. He won the Boston Bruins as the Stanley Cup’s deputy goalkeeper in 2011 and was awarded the NHL’s best goalkeeper at Vezina Trophy in 2014.
Jaakola celebrated four Finnish championships, the World Championships in 2011 and the World Championship silver medal. He ended his career in 2020. Jaakola has switched to coaching in Mestis and has been an assistant coach at KeuPa HT and Kiekko boys.
In addition to the World Championship, Pyörälä won five Finnish championships. The attacker hung the skates on the nail in the spring of 2022 and moved on to coach the Kärppi under 18 teams.
In his career, Salmela represented several clubs and played 112 matches in the NHL. The defender ended his gaming career in Ilves after the 2020-2021 season.
Jesse Puljujärvi, Juuso Hietanen, Topi Jaakola, Mika Pyörälä at the 2017 World Cup. Emil Hansson / AOP
Hockey lions have been nobility since 1985, and annually, a maximum of six people who are particularly distinguished in a species are granted.
The Administrative Committee is chaired by Teppo Numminen.