Tappara to Celebrate 21st Finnish Championship with Rally at Tampere Arena

Yle says fans can attend a free public celebration at Tampere Arena on Thursday as Tappara marks its championship victory. Doors open at 14:00 and the live programme starts at 15:00, running for about two hours. Admission is free; no separate ticket is required.

The championship team will appear on stage, with Tampere deputy mayor Ilkka Porttikivi and Tamhockey CEO Ari Penttilä among the guests. Performances by Ahti, Hugo and Aste are also scheduled, with Pasi Vainionperä hosting.

Yle will stream the celebration live on Yle Areena and broadcast it on TV2. “We want to be strongly involved in the most memorable moments of local communities,” Aki Karjalainen, Yle's head of local news, said.

The title was decided on Wednesday in a seventh game in Tampere, when Tappara beat Kouvola's KooKoo 2–1. Tamperelainen reported that Ondřej Pavel gave Tappara an early lead with a sharp backhand, and Joachim Blichfeld made it 2–0 during the first period. Miska Siikonen pulled one back for KooKoo late in the second, and the third period was scoreless. With three earlier championships credited to predecessor TBK, the club now has 21 Finnish championships.

After the final whistle, the celebration comes with an immediate international rush. According to Tamperelainen, Tappara forward Joachim Blichfeld and KooKoo forward Vilmos Gallo will go straight from the SM-liiga final Game 7 into the Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, with only days to prepare. The tournament runs in Switzerland from 15 to 31 May.

Tamperelainen adds that Blichfeld told Jatkoaika he wants to celebrate “fully” despite the short turnaround. He also said Denmark’s opening match against the Czech Republic on Friday is not yet certain for him. Gallo, meanwhile, has two days to recover before Hungary’s opener against Finland on Saturday, Tamperelainen reports.

Tamperelainen further lists players named on the Denmark and Hungary rosters, including Denmark’s Alexander True, Malte Setkov and Mathias From, and Hungary’s Bence Horváth, Balazs Sebok and Doman Kristof Szongoth.