“The salary level is better than in Finland”

Esa Maunula

supporter

Maunula works as the guardian of the Kölner Haie, which belongs to the wastes of the German DEL league. He has a decades-long service history of Jokers and youth national teams.

Maunula ended up in Cologne Ilari Näckelinon the recommendation of Haie’s guard coach at the time.

– GM of the club Matthias Baldys had proposed a change to the club’s maintenance activities, Maunula explains.

– Baldys was in contact with me. A common note was found quite quickly.

Maunula’s task has been to professionalize and develop Haie’s strong maintenance department of two full-time and one part-time employee.

– In Germany, there is not as much culture on the maintenance side as in the top ice hockey countries, Maunula says.

– Of course, there are exceptions between different clubs due to foreign labor. We are going in a better direction.

Maunula remembers that the jump from the KHL Jokers to Cologne was a big one.

– Even though the action here is kind of big and the spectators are huge, things were a bit out of place and a bit old. All the stuff was missing, for example [terien] shaping machines.

Maunula, 61, initially signed a one-year contract with Haie. It’s already the fourth season.

– This is a lonely man’s job, he feels.

– My girlfriend lives and works in Finland. Now that there are Finns in the team, you can at least paint a little.

Haie has five Finns playing this season: Janne Juvonen, Oliver Kaski, Valtteri Kemiläinen, Juhani Tyrväinen and Brother Matti Vittasmäki.

Is the salary of guardians OK in Germany?

– There are good compensations here. The salary level is better than in Finland.

Are guardianships very competitive?

– Of course they are.

Maunula’s eyes are already around the corner on the looming retirement days.

– Sometimes when I was young, it occurred to me that it would be great to be able to do dune abroad. Now it has been experienced, he mumbles.

– Germany has been a good experience, but at least now it feels like this is the last dance.

Ilari Näckel

goalkeeper coach

Näckel has been coaching for the last seven years in Germany. His clubs have been Grizzlys Wolfsburg, Kölner Haie and EV Landshut.

– It’s very rare in this industry that you get to choose your workplace, but when you’re on the move as a bachelor, you can just leave without thinking too much, says Näckel.

– Ending up in Germany was a coincidence. The job search was on and I drove over to help [Grizzlysin päävalmentajaa] Tirkkonen Pekka.

Näckel remembers that the attitude towards the foreign coach has been natural from the beginning.

– Not many passports are viewed here. Of course, when you join a new club, you always have to get to know the new people, but it’s no different in Finland.

Although the game and puck day are not very different between countries, adaptation is required.

– Respecting the local culture is the thing. As the old saying goes: in the country in the country’s way, Näckel emphasizes.

– Your senses must be awake. In every matter, it cannot be said that we do this or that in Finland. Suddenly they say go there to Finland.

Is local goalkeeper coaching expertise comparable to Finnish?

– It’s everywhere. Quite quickly here, goalkeepers have been promoted directly from careers [huippuseurojen] for coaching. There are also a lot of foreign goalkeeper coaches here.

According to Näckel, the salaries of mv coaches are at the level of Finland.

– It’s a bit of a savings, when contracts in Germany usually include an apartment and a car paid for by the club, but maybe it’s not worth going abroad because of the money.

Näckel’s most recent wash ended last spring. He currently lives in Düsseldorf and is looking for work both in the short and long term.

– My own jobs are most likely in Central Europe, Näckel says.

– I want to be part of the scene now, because I believe that this is so much about getting to know people and networking. You have to be active and visible.

Näckel emphasizes continuous, self-directed development work.

– I am grateful to many colleagues with whom I have had the opportunity to spar on matters related to goalkeeper coaching, especially To Marko Toreniuswho has taken his time and helped me stay on top of developments. Over several summers, I’ve had the opportunity to follow his work with NHL goaltenders and see how the world’s top players prepare for their season.

Näckel, 53, has a master’s degree in exercise science from the University of Jyväskylä.

– I haven’t felt that I should go to real work in quotation marks, he laughs.

– When you have invested in your own professional skills and know-how, changing fields is not the first thing that comes to mind.

Näckel says that he has been enrolled in Germany for several years.

– This working abroad is a certain kind of adventure, he describes.

– When the club changes, you always have to start from the beginning to get to know the new team, club and city. At least it’s not boring.

Based on seven seasons of experience: is being a foreigner inevitably a bit like a mercenary?

– I am very far from a mercenary. Coaching and helping players move forward are a way of life and a passion.

Jukka Varmanen

assistant coach

Varmanen is working for the fourth season in the coaching team of SC Langnau Tigers, who play in the Swiss premier league. At the turn of the decade, he already had time to taste one season of Swiss hockey Kari Jalonen head coach at SC Bern.

– It has been great years, Varmanen says.

– Last year we reached the playoffs, which is a great achievement for a small club.

Player and coach jobs in the Swiss Premier League are really sought after. The level is tough, and so is the compensation.

– It is not a given that you can work here, Varmanen emphasizes.

– There are people coming from many places. The competition for jobs is really tough.

According to Varmanen, it is a “multi-threaded matter” how the coaching position is split from the NLA.

– Timing and contacts are of great importance. Skill and chance have to go hand in hand.

Varmanen, 46, does not disclose his salary. However, he mentions roundly that the salary level of assistant coaches is better than in Finland.

– I am satisfied with what the club offered. When the one-year extensions have been made, the contract has been reviewed.

Although Varmanen does not bear the main responsibility, he feels the pressure on his neck.

– I have been treated very openly, but when you come from outside, the expectations are high. We are hired to help, so we must be able to help.

Varmanen believes that the Tigers wanted by Thierry Paterlin specifically Finnish expertise to lead the coaching group.

– The players appreciate the coaching that we Finns have, Varmanen says.

– We Finns always care about the team. We commit, and we’re not just mercenaries.

Five Finns are playing in the Tigers jersey this season: Hannes Björninen, Santtu Kinnunen, Saku Mäenalanen, Harri Pesonen and Juuso Riikola. The majority of the team’s players are Swiss.

– You can’t coach Finnish players in the same way in Switzerland as you can in Finland, Varmanen estimates.

– Player orientation has only increased here in recent years.