Vaasan Sport
| Vaasan Sport | |
|---|---|
| City | Vaasa, Finland |
| League | Mestis |
| Founded | 1939 1962 (the ice hockey team) |
| Home arena | Vaasa Arena |
| Colors | |
| Owner(s) | HT Vaasan Sport Oy |
| General manager | Jyrki Niemi |
| Head coach | Kenneth Westerback |
| Captain | Markus Jämsä |
 |
Sport, known by its full name as Hockey Team Vaasan Sport OY, is a Finnish ice hockey team based at Vaasa Arena (capacity 4448) in Vaasa. The team was established in 1939.
In January 2010, Juhani Tamminen stepped down as head coach of the team and was replaced by Kenneth Westerback.
History
Vaasan Sport was founded in 1939. The team was involved in the founding of SM-liiga in 1975, but was relegated in the 1975-1976 season (roster for their first and only SM-Liiga season).
After the relegation Sport played in the Finnish 1st Division (since then renamed as Mestis), until they were relegated in 1991-1992 to the Finnish Second Division. Climbing back up to the 1st division proved to be a tough task and wasn't accomplished until spring 1997, with the game winning goal of the deciding game against Kiekko-67 being scored by Kari Teräväinen in overtime.
Season 2008-09 was a success, as Sport won the championship. However the team lost to Ässät in the league qualification series and remained in Mestis.
Roster
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 | 
|
Lou Dickenson | C | L | 42 | 2009 | Orleans, Canada |
| 5 | 
|
Eetu Heikkinen | D | L | 36 | 2008 | Suomussalmi, Finland |
| 9 |
|
Markus Jämsä (C) | W | L | 46 | 1995 | Vaasa, Finland |
| 6 |
|
Lauri Kinos | D | L | 44 | 2008 | Jyväskylä, Finland |
| 12 |
|
Juha Koivisto | W | R | 40 | 2007 | Vantaa, Finland |
| -- |
|
Mika Kujanpää | W | L | 34 | 2009 | Vaasa, Finland |
| 94 |
|
Teemu Kuusisto | W | L | 44 | 2009 | Espoo, Finland |
| 13 |
|
Miro Laitinen | C | L | 43 | 2005 | Pietarsaari, Finland |
| 11 |
|
Timo Pahkala | W | L | 38 | 2006 | Himanka, Finland |
| 31 |
|
Aaro Peltonen | G | L | 35 | 2009 | Vantaa, Finland |
| 35 |
|
Mikko Rossi | G | L | 39 | 2007 | Vaasa, Finland |
| 33 |
|
Juha Salmu | D | L | 46 | 2008 | Oulu, Finland |
| 24 |
|
Toni Sihvonen (A) | C | L | 53 | 2008 | Seinäjoki, Finland |
| 17 |
|
Christian Sundman | W | L | 36 | 2009 | Vaasa, Finland |
| 1 |
|
Jaakko Suomalainen | G | L | 46 | 2008 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 23 |
|
Tuomas Takala | C | L | 44 | 2008 | Seinäjoki, Finland |
| 10 |
|
Antti Uitto | D | L | 41 | 2008 | Seinäjoki, Finland |
Arena
- Homeground is the Vaasa Arena.
- Capacity (seated/standing/luxury box): 4448 (seats: 1971 / standing: 2377 / luxury suites: 100)
Retired numbers
- # 29 Håkan Hjerpe
- # 27 Tomi Väkelä
- # 14 Sami Laaksoharju (not officially retired, but number has been off rotation after the death of Laaksoharju)
Former players
Chris Allen- Matthieu Descoteaux
Dale Dunbar- Glen Gulutzan
Tero Leinonen- Ian MacNeil
- Oskar Osala
- David Saunders
Janis Sprukts- Juho-Tuomas Appel
Website
- www.vaasansport.fi
- www.vaasansport.fi In English Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.