Hannu Jortikka
Encyclopedia
Hannu Jortikka is a former Finnish ice hockey player and current coach.
Jortikka spent most of his playing career in TPS
. He was a part of the championship-winning TPS team in 1976. He had to retire in 1983 due to injury.
Jortikka was the coach of the World Champion U20 national team of Finland in 1987, the tournament which is famous for the Punch-up in Piestany
. He was then appointed as the assistant coach of the national team, which took Finland's first medal in men's level by finishing second in the 1988 Winter Olympics
.
Jortikka is best known for his success in club teams. In 1988 he took over as the head coach of TPS, leading them to three successive championships. After being eliminated in quarter-finals in 1992, Jortikka was sacked and he signed with HPK
. HPK went to the finals, but Jortikka was sacked before semi-finals after it was revealed that he had already signed for Swiss team SC Bern
for the following season. He has also coached Malmö IF for two non-successive seasons.
In December 1995 he joined JYP as a mid-season replacement. JYP was placed last at that point and on its way to relegation games. Under Jortikka's short stint, the team escaped the relegation battle and ended the season as 11th out of 12 teams. He then regained his position as the coach of the U20 national team again but this time Finland failed to get a medal. In 1998 he returned to TPS, and led them to another triple, winning titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001. After that he took a two-season sabbatical from coaching.
Jortikka became the head coach of Jokerit
in 2003 and coached them for two seasons. The first season was a disappointment with Jokerit being eliminated in quarter-finals but in 2004-05 Jokerit advanced to the finals. In the regular season their goaltender Tim Thomas
made a record of 15 shutouts.
Jortikka once again returned to TPS for the next season but TPS was eliminated in the first playoff round in the following two seasons, therefore failing to reach the quarter-finals that were set as the goal for the season. For the 2009-10 season he started as head coach of Finnish U20 team but in late November he took over as head coach of Jokerit
.
Jortikka was replaced by Erkka Westerlund as Jokerit head coach in November 2010.
At the start of the 2011-12 season, Jortikka was appointed as the head coach of Amur Khabarovsk
.
Jortikka was elected to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame
in 2006 as a coach.
Jortikka spent most of his playing career in 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:...
. He was a part of the championship-winning TPS team in 1976. He had to retire in 1983 due to injury.
Jortikka was the coach of the World Champion U20 national team of Finland in 1987, the tournament which is famous for the Punch-up in Piestany
Punch-up in Piestany
The Punch-up in Piestany was an infamous bench-clearing brawl between Canada and the Soviet Union during the final game of the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia on January 4, 1987...
. He was then appointed as the assistant coach of the national team, which took Finland's first medal in men's level by finishing second in the 1988 Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
.
Jortikka is best known for his success in club teams. In 1988 he took over as the head coach of TPS, leading them to three successive championships. After being eliminated in quarter-finals in 1992, Jortikka was sacked and he signed with HPK
HPK
HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight...
. HPK went to the finals, but Jortikka was sacked before semi-finals after it was revealed that he had already signed for Swiss team SC Bern
SC Bern
Schlittschuh Club Bern is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. The club was the most attended team in Europe for the 2010-11 season, averaging 15,856 spectators....
for the following season. He has also coached Malmö IF for two non-successive seasons.
In December 1995 he joined JYP as a mid-season replacement. JYP was placed last at that point and on its way to relegation games. Under Jortikka's short stint, the team escaped the relegation battle and ended the season as 11th out of 12 teams. He then regained his position as the coach of the U20 national team again but this time Finland failed to get a medal. In 1998 he returned to TPS, and led them to another triple, winning titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001. After that he took a two-season sabbatical from coaching.
Jortikka became the head coach of 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...
in 2003 and coached them for two seasons. The first season was a disappointment with Jokerit being eliminated in quarter-finals but in 2004-05 Jokerit advanced to the finals. In the regular season their goaltender Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas (ice hockey)
Timothy James Thomas, Jr. is an American professional ice hockey goaltender with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League . Raised in Davison, MI, Thomas played college hockey for the University of Vermont for four years, from 1993–1997, during which he was drafted 217th overall by the...
made a record of 15 shutouts.
Jortikka once again returned to TPS for the next season but TPS was eliminated in the first playoff round in the following two seasons, therefore failing to reach the quarter-finals that were set as the goal for the season. For the 2009-10 season he started as head coach of Finnish U20 team but in late November he took over as head coach of 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...
.
Jortikka was replaced by Erkka Westerlund as Jokerit head coach in November 2010.
At the start of the 2011-12 season, Jortikka was appointed as the head coach of Amur Khabarovsk
Amur Khabarovsk
Amur Khabarovsk is a professional hockey team based in Khabarovsk, Russia playing in the Kontinental Hockey League...
.
Jortikka was elected to 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 2006 as a coach.