Jokerit back to Liiga + finnish KHL players

[Albatros]

According to Jokerit (club) they still regard their pro team licensing deal with Kurri as valid.

 

[Jussi]

I can't believe I'd ever make this post but f*** Jari Kurri.

 

[Lackhalak]

I can't believe I'd ever make this post but f*** Jari Kurri.

The tweet wasnt very clear, probably just a translation thing. What does this mean for Jokerit going forward?

 

[Jussi]

The tweet wasnt very clear, probably just a translation thing. What does this mean for Jokerit going forward?

It seems (from other sources) that Kurri wants to be paid for giving the rights to the team name to another entity. Handsomely.

No idea what's going to happen next. Supposedly another group will be coming out in public.

 

[Albatros]

Kurri has evidently fulfilled his duties towards the junior organization, quite possibly including payments for the upcoming season. So any alternative project that would receive the licensing rights from him does need his blessing. Whether that would include some kind of a financial compensation is mere speculation.

 

[Jussi]

Kurri has evidently fulfilled his duties towards the junior organization, quite possibly including payments for the upcoming season. So any alternative project that would receive the licensing rights from him does need his blessing. Whether that would include some kind of a financial compensation is mere speculation.

The Jatkoaika deep throats and Vesa Rantanen are saying he wants around half a million euros. The Selänne group weren't going to pay anything.

 

[Albatros]

The Jatkoaika deep throats and Vesa Rantanen are saying he wants around half a million euros. The Selänne group weren't going to pay anything.

The junior organization needs financing for the 2022/23 season whereas the Selänne bid clearly focused on establishing a new pro team for 2023/24. Meanwhile Kurri is footing the bill and has a valid contract for the pro team. If the new investors want him out then they need an agreement with him which may or may not include financial elements. But it's clear that he won't just hand over the rights to some unrelated third party and go away with no say while still financing everything.

 

[Jussi]

The junior organization needs financing for the 2022/23 season whereas the Selänne bid clearly focused on establishing a new pro team for 2023/24. Meanwhile Kurri is footing the bill and has a valid contract for the pro team. If the new investors want him out then they need an agreement with him which may or may not include financial elements. But it's clear that he won't just hand over the rights to some unrelated third party and go away with no say while still financing everything.

He's not using his own money, he got sponsors for the A-juniors.

 

[Albatros]

I very much doubt that this is about money to Kurri, more so his own place in the organization and say about its future direction. He has fairly good cards in that game and no reason to fold easily.

 

[Jussi]

Kommentti: Kirje Jari Kurrille, lapsuuteni sankarille, joka näyttää pitävän Jokereita panttivankinaan

Jari Kurri, mistä sinulle pitäisi maksaa, kysyy toimittaja Jussi Paasi.Â

yle.fi

Sums up my feelings about Kurri well.

 

[mattihp]

Maybe they have to do a journey like Hammarby did in Sweden? They had to go by Bajen fans whilst fighting their way back to serious Swedish hockey.

Pellenaamat?
Narrit?
Pellet?
K

 

[Albatros]

One key difference to Hammarby is that they went bankrupt whereas Jokerit currently have money in excess if anything. The fans did establish a (largely unsuccessful) new soccer club after the demise of the original, but in hockey at this point the club would be very unlikely to accept any fan-driven senior team proposals. The fans are of course free to establish their own independent project, but what its path to professional hockey could be is quite unclear.

 

[Jussi]

One key difference to Hammarby is that they went bankrupt whereas Jokerit currently have money in excess if anything. The fans did establish a (largely unsuccessful) new soccer club after the demise of the original, but in hockey at this point the club would be very unlikely to accept any fan-driven senior team proposals. The fans are of course free to establish their own independent project, but what its path to professional hockey could be is quite unclear.

There's questionmarks if they can use it due to where they came from. The hockey Association is already looking at the U-20 team.

 

[Albatros]

At least Ässät has also received funds from Nornickel so I doubt that's a can of worms they want to open. Not to mention other questionable sources of wealth like Tappara's clandestine Israeli weapons deals.

 

[Jussi]

At least Ässät has also received funds from Nornickel so I doubt that's a can of worms they want to open. Not to mention other questionable sources of wealth like Tappara's clandestine Israeli weapons deals.

Ässät sponsorship deal with Nornickel Harjavalta has been around 50K euros. Hardly anything when it comes to their sponsorship deals and nothing eyebrow raising.

First off, Tappara has not done any deals with Israel. Poju Zabludowich owns less than a quarter from Tappara and throughout his onweship, has put less than 500K of his own money into the club. Also, when he inherited his father's businesses with his sister, he has sold the majority of the arms manufacturing side.

Poju Zabludowicz – Wikipedia

fi.wikipedia.org

Seems Joel Harkimo has acquired the business side of Jokerit from Kurri and will be announcing something with Jokerit Ry tomorrow. The plot thickens and the Selänne group wanted nothing to do with him. He and his father as very much persona non gratas when it comes to a possible league return. And he also proved he's asshat on twitter when Russia invaded Ukraine.

 

[Albatros]

So we can therefore establish that some Russian money is okay and any cap will inevitably be a soft one, negotiable. Now the rumor out there is that Joel Harkimo has already acquired the pro team licenses from Kurri and clearly he too is his own man independent of the family businesses of the past.

 

[Jussi]

So we can therefore establish that some Russian money is okay and any cap will inevitably be a soft one, negotiable. Now the rumor out there is that Joel Harkimo has already acquired the pro team licenses from Kurri and clearly he too is his own man independent of the family businesses of the past.

The amount that Nornickel Harjavalta sponsored Ässät was so small that calling it Russian money is simply disingenuous.

Also, it's not even rumor anymore as I posted before you, there's a presser or official announcement tomorrow.

 

[Albatros]

At what concrete amount does money from Nornickel start/stop being Russian?

Several Liiga teams have been sponsored by Russian oligarch-owned entities, and some still now have active sponsorship deals with companies whose whole business model is based on serving Russia and its elites.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Jokerit won't be returning to Liiga for 23-24 season and if they want to get back to Liiga, they have to do it through Mestis. Liiga

Probably the right decision. Gives Jokerit more time to figure things out and get their shit together.

 

[Albatros]

Probably ensures that they'll never be back.

 

[Whiskey In the Jar]

Probably ensures that they'll never be back.

I'll have to agree I would estimate chances that Jokerit won't be ever returning to play the Finnish SM-Liiga somewhere between 20-40% right now. Even returning to lower league level for 23-24 somewhat unlikely. During Khl-stint, a decently well performing team Espoo Blues went bankrupt in Sm-liiga. It's not an easy task to run a club the financials must be well planned and calculated.

It's a big loss for Sm-liiga too considering the market area loss, And the league have been kinda missing team like Jokerit imo. Many of the smaller clubs are struggling and Sm-liiga kinda becoming Semi-amateur Junior league.
But I think the decision is correct by Sm-liiga. Rules apply to all you have to start from lower league levels.

 

[karhukissa]

This is sad, i grew up as a Jokerit fan and also played for Jokerit during my whole junior career. After they went to KHL, it was a completely different team. That black jersey foreign legion didn't have anything to do with the team i once supported (except for the name)

I had my hopes up for a fresh start, good old Jokerit spirit back, home grown players and stuff. This is just stupid and ridiculous, i almost want to give up after reading these news regarding Kurri + all these ownership shenanigans.

Healthy Jokerit is something what would do miracles to Liiga, the biggest derby in Finland (sorry Tampere) and also undoubtedly the most hated team in Finland which every team wants to crush. Also i'd say that on average every team would get at least a bit more audience when they play against Jokerit.

 

[gritdash60]

Clown organization that went for the russian money got slapped and has to go through Mestis, love it. Will be funny as f*** to see which players are willing to go for the Mestis season and if they are promised spot in the Liiga roster after. I'm 100% sure at least 3 players will get f***ed over with the "yeah you will be on the roster next year, we just do 1 year contracts for now".

 

[Exarz]

A positive thing about starting in the lower league would be the possibility to organically grow the fanbase into what it was pre-KHL times. I really don't see it as a negative thing, it's better to just rip the band-aid off and start rebuilding once the arena question can be settled.

I think it's important to make a comparison to the bigger teams in Sweden that have been relegated from SHL to HockeyAllsvenskan, or even teams like Södertälje and Västerås that got relegated to the third division and were forced to become semi-pro. Relegations have "forced" the clubs to take a step closer to the fanbase and work together, as well as focusing on local players and junior talent – and I think it is exactly what Jokerit needs for their return to the Finnish league system.

 

[Albatros]

The question is who would pay the bills of a professional organization over one or more seasons of amateur hockey. The Allsvenskan is by and large a professional league whereas characterizing Mestis even as semi-pro would be somewhat generous. Fan romanticism won't cover even the Liiga expansion fee.