Janne Puhakka, first openly gay player in top Finnish hockey league, found shot to death — ex-partner arrested

A moment of silence was held before every game in Finland’s top professional hockey league Wednesday following the killing of former player Janne Puhakka over the weekend.

Puhakka, a forward who spent two years with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens and played professionally in Finland and France, was found shot to death in his home on Sunday night. He was 29.

Police arrested Puhakka’s former partner, Rolf Nordmo, a 66-year-old Norwegian veterinarian, and are conducting a murder investigation because they suspect it was a premeditated act, according to multiple Finnish media reports, citing details confirmed by a police release. Nordmo has reportedly confessed to the crime and is cooperating with police, telling them that his motive was not accepting the recent end of his relationship with Puhakka after 10 years.

Puhakka was Finland’s first openly gay male pro hockey player. He came out publicly in 2019 after the end of his playing career and released a 2022 memoir called “Ulos Kopista” — which roughly translates to “Out of the Locker (Room).”

The SM-liiga — Finland’s top pro men’s league — released a statement saying, “Janne Puhakka was an important role model, and his courage and openness left an indelible mark on Finnish hockey.”

The native of Espoo, Finland, represented his country in multiple international competitions as a teenager and won bronze at the 2013 world under-18 championship. After spending two years playing junior hockey in Chicoutimi, Puhakka appeared in 40 Liiga games with the Blues during the 2015-16 season and went on to play for TuTo Turku and Espoo United in second-tier Mestis before finishing his career with Gap HC in France.

News of his murder has made major headlines in Finland, where Nordmo appeared remotely in a closed-door court session on Wednesday.

Later that night, moments of silence were observed in Puhakka’s honor before five Liiga games and two Champions Hockey League games involving Finnish teams.

Ennen illan jokaista Liiga-ottelua, sekä Tapparan ja Pelicansin CHL-otteluissa, pidettiin hiljainen hetki Janne Puhakan muistoa kunnioittaen.

📸: @r1kuexposures | #Liiga pic.twitter.com/AKK9eEyNzN

— Liiga (@smliiga) October 16, 2024

(Photo of Janne Puhakka in 2014: Richard Wolowicz / Getty Images)