Pekka Tirkkonen (ice hockey player)

Finland Pekka Tirkkonen

Date of birth	17th July 1968
place of birth	Savonlinna , Finland
size	188 cm
Weight	97 kg

position	center
Shot hand	Left

Draft

NHL Entry Draft	1986 , 2nd round, 34th position Boston Bruins

Career stations

until 1987	SaPKo Savonlinna
1987-1991	TPS Turku
1991-1996	KalPa Kuopio
1996-1997	Starbulls Rosenheim
1997-1998	Augsburg panther
1998-1999	KalPa Kuopio
1999-2003	SaiPa Lappeenranta
2003-2004	Linköpings HC
2004-2008	Herning Blue Fox

Finland Pekka Tirkkonen


Coaching stations

2008–2012	SaPKo Savonlinna
2012-2016	SaiPa Lappeenranta
2016-2017	EHC Kloten
2018	Grizzlies Wolfsburg
since 2019	JYP Jyväskylä

Pekka Tirkkonen (born July 17, 1968 in Savonlinna ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player and coach . He has been the head coach of JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish Liiga since the 2019/20 season . During his active career between 1984 and 2008 he played in several European leagues and was represented internationally with the Finnish national team .

career

Tirkkonen took part as a player with the Finnish national team in the World Championships in 1989 and 1990 and the Canada Cup in 1991 . He played in the SM-liiga for the clubs TPS Turku , KalPa Kuopio and SaiPa Lappeenranta . His playing career abroad included the Czech Republic (briefly in the 1993/94 season: HC Kometa Brno ), Germany (1996/97: Rosenheim , 1997/98: Augsburg ; both DEL ), Sweden (2003/04: Linköpings HC ) and Denmark (2004 -2008: Herning Blue Fox ). He was three times Finnish (1989, 1990, 1991) and three times Danish champion (2005, 2007, 2008).

In November 2008 Tirkkonen became the head coach of the Finnish second division team SaPKo Savonlinna and held the position until 2012. In his last season with SaPKo (2011/12) he was named “Coach of the Year” in the Finnish second division . From 2012 to 2016 he then coached the SaiPa first division club. In the 2013/14 season he was named after Kalevi Numminen as “Trainer of the Year” in the SM-liiga.

In June 2016 he was appointed as head coach of EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League A contracted. He led the team to the cup win in spring 2017, after a weak start to the 2017/18 season (eleven defeats in 13 games), he was dismissed in Kloten in mid-October 2017.

In February 2018, the Grizzlys Wolfsburg from the German Ice Hockey League announced Tirkkonen's commitment as head coach for the 2018/19 season. On October 22, 2018, the club announced the separation after 13 games, from which the team under Tirkkonen's leadership took nine points. He returned to Finland for the 2019/20 season and took over the position of head coach at JYP Jyväskylä .

Achievements and Awards

1989 Finnish champion with TPS Turku
1990 Finnish champion with TPS Turku
1991 Finnish champion with TPS Turku
2005 Danish champion with the Herning Blue Fox
2007 Danish Champion with the Herning Blue Fox
2008 Danish Champion with the Herning Blue Fox
2012 Mestis Coach of the Year (as head coach)
2014 Kalevi Numminen Trophy (as head coach)
2017 Swiss Ice Hockey Cup win with EHC Kloten (as head coach)

International

1986 gold medal at the U18 European Junior Championship
1987 gold medal at the U20 World Junior Championship
1988 bronze medal at the U20 World Junior Championship

family

Tirkkonen, who has three daughters, comes from an ice hockey family. His father Paavo Tirkkonen , who died in 2012, was also a national player and took part in the 1968 Olympic Games in Grenoble .

Web links

Pekka Tirkkonen at eliteprospects.com (English)

Individual evidence

↑ Pekka Tirkkonen SaPKon päävalmentajaksi . In: Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta . ( jatkoaika.com [accessed March 14, 2017]).
↑ Nämä pelaajat Liiga palkitsi - katso kuvat gaalasta . ( iltalehti.fi [accessed March 14, 2017]).
↑ Philipp Muschg: A Finn for a small budget. In: Tages-Anzeiger . June 25, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2017 .
↑ The 2017 cup winner is Kloten . In: derbund.ch/ . ( derbund.ch [accessed on October 22, 2018]).
↑ A sporty earthquake in Kloten . In: landbote.ch/ . ( landbote.ch [accessed on October 22, 2018]).
↑ sos-media.de: GRIZZLYS WOLFSBURG - News. Retrieved October 22, 2018 .
↑ Daniel Hotop and Christian Buchler: Grizzlys part ways with Tirkkonen . ( braunschweiger-zeitung.de [accessed on October 22, 2018]).
↑ Yves Tardent: EHC Kloten trainer Pekka Tirkkonen: cross-country ski run instead of sauna . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . ( nzz.ch [accessed on March 14, 2017]).

Squad of JYP Jyvaskyla in the season 2019/20

personal data
SURNAME	Tirkkonen, Pekka
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Finnish ice hockey player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH	17th July 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH	Savonlinna

[1] Pekka Tirkkonen SaPKon päävalmentajaksi . In: Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta . ( jatkoaika.com [accessed March 14, 2017]).

[2] Nämä pelaajat Liiga palkitsi - katso kuvat gaalasta . ( iltalehti.fi [accessed March 14, 2017]).

[3] Philipp Muschg: A Finn for a small budget. In: Tages-Anzeiger . June 25, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2017 .

[4] The 2017 cup winner is Kloten . In: derbund.ch/ . ( derbund.ch [accessed on October 22, 2018]).

[5] A sporty earthquake in Kloten . In: landbote.ch/ . ( landbote.ch [accessed on October 22, 2018]).

[6] sos-media.de: GRIZZLYS WOLFSBURG - News. Retrieved October 22, 2018 .

[7] Daniel Hotop and Christian Buchler: Grizzlys part ways with Tirkkonen . ( braunschweiger-zeitung.de [accessed on October 22, 2018]).

[8] Yves Tardent: EHC Kloten trainer Pekka Tirkkonen: cross-country ski run instead of sauna . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . ( nzz.ch [accessed on March 14, 2017]).