Veli-Pekka Ketola
 Veli-Pekka Ketola 
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| Date of birth | March 28, 1948 |
| place of birth | Pori , Finland |
| size | 187 cm |
| Weight | 108 kg |
| position | center |
| Shot hand | Left |
| Career stations | |
| 1963-1967 | Porin Karhut |
| 1967-1969 | Ässät Pori |
| 1969-1970 | Jokerit Helsinki |
| 1970-1974 | Ässät Pori |
| 1974-1977 | Winnipeg Jets |
| 1977 | Calgary cowboys |
| 1977-1981 | Ässät Pori |
| 1981-1982 | Colorado Rockies |
| 1982-1983 | KalPa Kuopio |
Veli-Pekka Ketola (born March 28, 1948 in Pori ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player , coach and official who worked for the Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League and the Winnipeg Jets from 1963 to 1983 and Calgary Cowboys has played in the World Hockey Association .
Career
Veli-Pekka Ketola began his career as a hockey player in his hometown near Porin Karhut , for which he was active in the SM-sarja from 1963 to 1967 . The association was then merged with Rosenlewin Urheilijat-38 to form Ässät Pori . For this he played in the following seven years almost exclusively in the SM-sarja and from 1975 in its successor SM-liiga . Only the 1969/70 season he spent at the capital club Jokerit Helsinki . With Ässät Pori he became Finnish champion in 1971 . At the time of SM-sarja, the center was one of the best players in the league and was appointed to the league's all-star team several times. From 1974 to 1977 he was in the World Hockey Association for the Winnipeg Jets on the ice, with which he won the Avco World Trophy in the 1975/76 season . In March 1977 he was then given together with Ron Ward and his compatriot Heikki Riihiranta in exchange for Mike Ford and Danny Lawson to the WHA league rivals Calgary Cowboys . For this he ran four goals in 17 games by the end of the 1976/77 season and gave another six templates.
From 1977 to 1981 Ketola played after his return to his Finnish homeland for his ex-club Ässät Pori, with whom he was champion for the second time in 1978 and again runner-up in 1979 and 1980. At the European level, the two-time Olympian and his team took third place in the European Cup in 1979 . Because of his good performance at Ässät Pori, he received a contract as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies on July 8, 1981 . In his only season in the National Hockey League he scored nine goals in 44 games in the 1981/82 season and gave five assists. Most recently he played again in the following season for KalPa Kuopio in the SM-liiga, where he ended his active career in 1983 at the age of 35.
From 1993 to September 1996 Ketola was head coach at his ex-club Ässät Pori in the SM-liiga. He was then replaced by his compatriot Kari Makkonen in his position. From 1994 to 2000 Ketola was partly active as general manager for Ässät Pori parallel to his coaching position. During the 1999/2000 season , Ketola stepped in again as Ässät's head coach. The Veli-Pekka-Ketola trophy , which the top scorer of the SM-liiga receives, was named after him.
International
For Finland , Ketola took part in the World Championships in 1969 , 1970 , 1971 , 1972 , 1973 , 1974 and 1977 . Furthermore, he was in his country's squad at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble in 1968 and in Sapporo in 1972 , and at the Canada Cup in 1976 and 1981 . In official international matches in tournaments, Ketola scored 26 goals in 82 games and provided 20 assists.
Achievements and Awards
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statistics
| Seasons | Games | Gates | Assists | Points | Penalty minutes | |
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| NHL Regular Season | 1 | 44 | 9 | 5 | 14th | 4th |
| NHL playoffs | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| WHA regular season | 3 | 235 | 84 | 99 | 183 | 118 |
| WHA playoffs | 1 | 13 | 7th | 5 | 12 | 2 |
Web links
- Veli-Pekka Ketola at hockeydb.com (English)
- Veli-Pekka Ketola at legendsofhockey.net (English)
- Veli-Pekka Ketola at eliteprospects.com (English)
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Ketola, Veli-Pekka |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish ice hockey player, coach and official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1948 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pori , Finland |