Teemu Ramstedt responds to Heikki Hiltunen’s speeches.
The dispute between the Finnish Ice Hockey Association (SJRY) and the decision-makers of Finnish ice hockey has spawned harsh statements in the public about the different parties’ ways of doing things.
On Monday, SJRY filed a request for action with the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority, in which it accuses the League, the Jääkiekkoliitto and the league clubs of “abuse of a dominant market position and/or cartel over the past 24 years”.
With the decision of SJRY, the chairman of the SM league Heikki Hiltunen gave an interview to Iltalehte on Sunday, in which he criticized SJRY and its chairman Teemu Ramstedia.
Now Ramstedt responds to Hiltusen’s speeches.
Heikki Hiltunen shared suspicious comments about SJRY. Jussi Saarinen
“As I said”
In an interview with Iltalehti, Hiltunen asked if “there really isn’t a desire to cooperate?”
– As I said in my opening speech, I myself have been proactive and I have not received a reply or even an acknowledgment to Hyvinkää’s many messages. We have specifically been willing to cooperate, but we haven’t even received answers so that we could have moved forward, Ramstedt answers.
Hiltunen also asked, “who really leads the players’ association at the moment?”
– The players’ association is managed by the board in cooperation with the office. As in the association in general, the annual meeting, i.e. the players, decide the board itself, and the board leads and makes the decisions. This is also a unanimous decision, says Ramstedt.
After this, Hiltunen wondered if the players are also aware of what the players association is doing.
– That’s an interesting question. We have 11 players on the board, either recently retired or active. Then there is a contact player in each team who is contacted. We hold meetings, do surveys and so on. Of course, such difficult, big things cannot happen with several hundred players. Such a process could be quite difficult. Then you just have to trust that in association democracy, the government elected by the players will be able to make the right decisions.
Do you feel that you have a mandate to represent the players?
– I feel.
Teemu Ramstedt is the chairman of SJRY. Pete Anikari
“Ace up the sleeve”
Hiltunen accused SJRY of shirking responsibility, “when there are no answers or presentations from them”.
– I think we have done quite a lot of different shows. On their own initiative, they wanted to continue the discussions, and we made a detailed, long presentation on Saturday, which was sent around 3 pm, with a response time of 12 pm on Sunday. We think we’ve done everything we can in that regard.
Hiltunen announced that Ramstedt is welcome to look at the cooperation agreement between the League and the Ice Hockey Federation at the League’s office. SJRY has demanded to see the contract for itself.
– I have never seen the contract, and it also talks about things concerning the players. It is an essential part of the overall system and if you don’t see it, you are missing information when you should give your own arguments to the series system.
– Regarding this, that there is an opportunity to visit the office to look at it, the contract has been requested several times or even the opportunity to look at it. On Saturday around 12:30 in the Teams meeting, I was informed that there is an opportunity to come and see it at the League office. It has been requested many times and on Saturday they pulled an ace up their sleeve. Until now, nothing has ever been announced before, but mostly left unanswered.
President of the Ice Hockey Association Heikki Hietanen said to Iltalehte about the dispute that “these should be resolved among the hockey family”.
– This is a very good question, whether things should be dealt with only in the family circle or whether they should be dealt with more broadly. I feel that there could be a wider conclave that is heard and strongly included in the decision-making process.
Ramstedt was also asked about his relationship with Heikki Hiltus.
– For a year and a half I waited for a phone call and it came on Friday evening at 5 pm. In that sense, I would describe the gaps as such that there are hardly any, because there is no communication. Of course, we have talked a few times in different contexts and even then in good spirits.
Answers late
SJRY held a press conference on Monday, during which Ramstedt explained how, from his point of view, communication with the puck bosses has gone.
Ramstedt gestured Helsingin Sanomat to the article published on September 7, 2022, according to which the future of Finnish ice hockey was being considered in a working group.
– On the same day, I was in contact with the then league management Heikki Hiltuse and Kati Kivimäki and to the leadership of the union Harri Nummela and Heikki Hietasen. Our intention was to join that group right away. I didn’t get any response, Ramstedt said.
– A good two months later, I tried again. I got a reply from Hiltus that the issue is on the list of the league board and that a separate working group has not been established. Nummela also acknowledged the matter at that point, mostly stating that the matter is in the hands of the League. That separate group was apparently never established during that season as intended.
According to Ramstedt, SJRY met with the League’s board about a year ago in the spring, but the discussion about the series system was “pretty close to zero”. After this, the League announced that it would not accept league license applications from outside the series, but reversed its decision later. Then came the news that the qualifiers between Liiga Jumbo and Mestis winner will be brought back.
– Even in that decision, we were not consulted in any way, the decision was just made.
SJRY organized a press conference on Monday, where board member Erno Hopponen, board member Karri Rämö, chairman Teemu Ramstedt, board member Juhani Jasu and vice chairman Ilari Melart were present. Pete Anikari
SJRY would like to participate in making decisions about the series system, but despite the attempts, this has not been successful, according to the association.
In the end, SJRY sent a letter of demand to the League and the union a couple of weeks ago, which had until Friday at 4 p.m. to respond.
– We received an answer at 16:02. Actually, none of our demands were agreed to. We thanked for the answers, after which I was leaving for the weekend, until the chairman of the League called around 5 pm. However, he still wanted to discuss the matter, which seemed strange when he had first had a year and a half to call and at the latest almost two weeks.
SJRY still did not receive satisfactory answers.
– We held a Teams meeting with Hiltusen and Hietanen on Saturday, after which we submitted our written, new settlement proposal, which we had time to respond to by Sunday at 12 o’clock. I received an answer by text from Hiltus more than three hours after the answer time. We still haven’t received a response from Hietas, so according to our requirement, we filed a request for action.