He destroyed the famous brand, exchanged it for Russian money. The NHL praised the Finnish legend, who is looked down upon at home – European competitions / KHL – Hockey

Acclaimed overseas, criticized at home. According to many, the stigma of a bad decision will forever shine on his name.

Edmonton legends in a joint photo from 1985 – Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.

Jari Kurri is one of the legends of Finnish hockey. The former elite forward was at one time among the best who skated on European and overseas ice.

During 17 seasons in the NHL, he scored more than 600 goals, and enjoyed winning the Stanley Cup five times. In the Edmonton Oilers jersey, he created a legendary offensive pair with star Wayne Gretzky.

“The best teammate I ever played with,” Gretzky said of him.

The NHL management recently awarded the 64-year-old Finn with a prestigious award. This past weekend, he received the Börje Salming Award for the European player who lives up to Salming’s legacy of courage and determination on and off the ice.

The celebration took place during the NHL Global Series weekend event in Tampere, where the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers met in a double-header.

However, not all fans will allow Kurri the award, which he received as the second hockey player after the legendary Swede Nicklas Lidström.

This is due to the sequence of events that happened after Kurri ended his playing career.

Before he shone in the NHL, he entertained the hockey public in his parent club Jokerit Helsinki. He spent his entire youth career in it, as well as the first three seasons as a professional.

Photo: ČTK / Lehtikuva / Heikki Saukkomaa

Kurri Jari Kurri during the ceremony before the game of the NHL Global Series in Tampere.

After hanging up his skates for good in 1998, he became an official. From 2003 to 2014, he worked as the general manager of the Finnish national team.

In 2013, he also joined the structures of Jokerit, where he also worked as a general manager. A year later, the club management decided to enter the KHL and contribute to the fact that the Russian league will become a multinational competition.

The traditional club’s decision has outraged a large group of fans. There were also those who burned jerseys with the iconic card joker’s logo after the announcement.

Kurri decided after a few seasons in the KHL that he wanted to be more than a general manager. He bought a 100 percent stake in the club from the owners, but shortly thereafter sold 40 percent to Russian oligarchs Vladimir Potanin and Oleg Deripaska.

Jokerita’s dark fate was sealed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The club left the KHL, ran into financial problems, to which Kurri responded by selling it to Team Jokerit Oy.

However, it soon went bankrupt and Jokerit found himself at the bottom. The club disbanded the player squad and missed the entire 2022/2023 season. The fans were blaming the decline on Kurri.

“I had to retreat for two years. I still watched hockey, but no longer live, only through television,” he admitted in a recent interview with Finnish television MTV Uutiset.

Jokerit returned to action in the 2023/2024 season. However, the management of Finnish hockey did not let him into the elite Liiga and placed him in the second highest competition, Mestis, where he still works.

Foto: Codie McLachlan / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP / Profimedia

Jari Kurri Worshiped overseas, booed in Finland. Some compatriots cannot stomach Kurri’s ties to Russia.

Before the first match of the current season, the management of Jokerit organized the display of jerseys of legendary players. The bosses of Jokerit also called Kurri, but he did not accept the invitation – and he knew why.

As his jersey went up under the roof of the hall, several fans whistled and “booed” in protest. A banner with the inscription “Jari Kurri – persona non grata” also appeared in the stands.

Kurri recently admitted that he was very disappointed by the reaction of the fans.

“I always wanted only the best for the club. Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did. I’m sorry that the fans are angry with me. It hurts, but I won’t do anything about it,” he declared during the weekend at a ceremony in Tampere.

After 15 games of the new season, Jokerit is in 4th place in the Mestis table, losing four points to the leading team IPK Iisalmi.