Teemu Selänte’s promise to release information about the Joker’s return project has dragged on. Doubts will increase if the stretching continues even further, writes Riku Isokoski.
Answers about Jokers are expected from Teemu Seläntee. Antti Nikkanen
Less than four weeks ago, puck great Teemu Selänne said that he is going to join Joker’s return to the SM league both in terms of operational activities and ownership.
At that time, Selänne revealed that the Jokerit project is almost ready without official announcement.
– Information will be coming from us in the next few weeks, it’s only five in a package, Selänne said on the second day of July.
Now, almost four weeks have passed since that comment, so the question inevitably arises, why hasn’t this official and presumably big information been shared yet?
It could be that the “no five” mentioned by Selänte has been a more laborious check to fill than expected, or the project has had setbacks during July.
It wouldn’t be surprising, of course The Jokers are still burdened by Russian connections and currently the nominal owner of the club, Jari Kurri, who sooner or later will have to get rid of – at least the one recently published by the SM league bulletin by.
Selänne himself said at the time of his revelation that he wants the former Jokerit legends to join the talkies and promised that a boom is coming.
So far, other club legends have remained silent or denied their involvement in the Jokers comeback project. It seems a bit strange that, apart from Selänte, other icons have hardly taken a stand on the club’s return intentions.
For example, Selänte’s peer Antti Törmänen told Iltalehte at the beginning of July that he is not involved in the project.
MTV Sports on the other hand, said that former club legends such as Mika Strömberg and Juha Lind are not participating this time. Ossi Väänänen, on the other hand, remained completely silent and Waltteri Immonen did not comment.
As for the Jokers, it must be remembered that the future of the home arena known as the Hartwall arena is a completely essential issue to be resolved, along with the connections to Russia.
Solving the ownership arrangements of the hall, which is still in the possession of the Russians, is certainly a very difficult problem and a real stumbling block in the whole picture.
Of course, there is still time, as the league license application for the 2023–24 season must be at the SM league office no later than the last day of October.
But if answers don’t start coming soon, the shadow of suspicion will only continue to grow.