Janne Puhakka, Finland’s first openly gay hockey player, dead at 29; police make arrest on suspicion of murder
Former professional hockey player Janne Puhakka, Finland’s first openly gay hockey player, was found dead in his home in Espoo, Finland on Sunday. He was 29.
Finland’s top professional league, SM-liiga, released a statement Monday on Puhakka, who played 40 games with the league’s Espoo Blues in 2015-16.
Suomalainen jääkiekkoyhteisö sai tänään surullisia uutisia, kun tieto Janne Puhakan poismenosta tuli julki.
Janne Puhakka oli tärkeä esikuva, ja hänen rohkeutensa ja avoimuutensa jätti lähtemättömän jäljen suomalaiseen jääkiekkoon.
Puhakka pelasi Liigaa 40 ottelua Espoon… pic.twitter.com/I5fm9zOSlb
— Liiga (@smliiga) October 14, 2024
“The Finnish hockey community received sad news today when the news of Janne Puhaka’s passing became public,” the statement said. “Puhakka was an important role model, and his courage and openness left an indelible mark on Finnish hockey.”
Ilta-Sanomat, one of Finland’s prominent newspapers, reports that Puhakka was found dead in his apartment on Sunday. According to Finnish police, he died of a gunshot wound and they are investigating his death as a homicide, saying they have arrested a man as a potential suspect: Rolf Nordmo, 66, Puhakka’s partner, who lived with him in a semi-detached home.
Puhakka came out as gay in 2019 through an interview with Helsingin Sanomat.
“It would be ideal if I didn’t have to talk about this,” Puhakka told the magazine. “But as long as people are silent on the subject, we must speak up.”
Puhakka said LGBTQ2S+ issues are still taboo in hockey, and he wished he came out while he was playing in SM-liiga.
“But I wasn’t good enough to have complete security in my job,” Puhakka said. “That brought uncertainty. I’m sure other players fear the issue because of their jobs as well.”
In 40 games with the Blues in 2015-16, Puhakka scored a goal and an assist. He also spent a season in Finland’s second-tier league with Espoo United, scoring five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 49 regular-season games.
Puhakka’s final season of professional hockey came in 2017-18, scoring three goals and three assists for six points in 25 games with France’s Gap HC.
Before turning professional, Puhakka represented Finland in the Under-18 World Championships in 2013, earning bronze. He would go on to play two seasons with the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens, scoring 34 goals and 34 assists for 68 points in 131 regular-season games.
Since retiring, Puhakka became a well-known TV personality in Finland, appearing in two seasons of the Finnish edition of the reality show The Traitors.