Jorma Valtonen
Encyclopedia
Pertti Leo Jorma Valtonen (born 22 December 1946) is a retired professional ice hockey
player who played in the SM-liiga
.
Valtonen, who was born in Turku
, Finland
, played for Jokerit
, TPS
, Rosenlewin Urheilijat -38 and Ässät
. In Italy Valtonen played for Gardena ja HC Alleghe. In West Germany he played for EHC 70 München
on season 1980–81. He was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1989 and IIHF Hall of Fame
in 1999. Valtonen was the goalie for the Finnish Olympic team in 1980 that placed 4th and lost to the U.S. 4-2 in the final game that earned the U.S. their improbable gold medal. Valtonen is Italian champion and three time Finnish champion.
At present Valtonen is the goalie coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
which plays in Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL). He was not aboard the airplane that crashed in Tunoshna Airport
near Yaroslavl
on 7 September 2011. All players from the main roster, four players from the youth team and eleven staff members perished in that crash. Valtonen was asked to stay behind to work with the junior team.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player who played in the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
.
Valtonen, who was born in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, played for Jokerit
Jokerit
Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...
, TPS
TPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
, Rosenlewin Urheilijat -38 and Ässät
Ässät
Ässät is an ice hockey team in the Finnish elite league, SM-liiga. They play in Pori, Finland at the Porin jäähalli.-Team history:...
. In Italy Valtonen played for Gardena ja HC Alleghe. In West Germany he played for EHC 70 München
Maddogs München
The Maddogs Munchen were an ice hockey team in Munich, Germany. They played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for the 1994-95 season.The club was founded as EHC 70 Munchen in 1970. For the 1994-95 season, the newly-christened Maddogs started playing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...
on season 1980–81. He was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame
Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame
The Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame is part of the Vapriikki Museum Centre in Tampere, Finland and was created in 1979 to honor those individuals who have contributed to Finnish ice hockey...
in 1989 and IIHF Hall of Fame
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
in 1999. Valtonen was the goalie for the Finnish Olympic team in 1980 that placed 4th and lost to the U.S. 4-2 in the final game that earned the U.S. their improbable gold medal. Valtonen is Italian champion and three time Finnish champion.
At present Valtonen is the goalie coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
which plays in Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL). He was not aboard the airplane that crashed in Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna is an airport in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia located 18 km southeast of Yaroslavl. It services medium-sized airliners. It does not serve any scheduled airlines....
near Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
on 7 September 2011. All players from the main roster, four players from the youth team and eleven staff members perished in that crash. Valtonen was asked to stay behind to work with the junior team.