Jukka Jalonen reflects on his turning point in the Lions – “The work would probably have ended there”
Finland’s most successful national team coach Jukka Jalonen believes that his long and successful career as the head coach of the Lions could have ended as early as spring 2011.
Jalonen reminisced about the early stages of his national team career in the Big Boys podcast. He became the head coach of the Lions in the 2008–09 season, but the first few years were a constant proving ground for future continuation.
– We won bronze in Vancouver in 2010, but if we think about how 2011 could have gone wrong, I probably would have been done with the national team then. I’m pretty sure about that, Jalonen admits.
In spring 2011, the Lions celebrated their second world championship in history, and according to Jalonen, it had a decisive impact on his own career as well.
– Then when we succeeded, I got to continue again. That’s just how it goes there. They always look at a couple of years at a time, and if success doesn’t come, then they change. That’s how it should be, that’s a clear thing, Jalonen describes the realities of being a national team coach.
In Jalonen’s opinion, the effects of the 2011 world championship extended beyond just securing his own job.
– That (2011 championship) was a stroke of luck for me, but perhaps an even bigger thing for Finnish ice hockey. We gained confidence in our own skills and actions. Perhaps that has partly helped us to continue to succeed and win more often, Jalonen assesses.
Since the 2011 world championship, the Lions have celebrated world championship gold three times. Jalonen has been the head coach in three world championships and in Finland’s only Olympic gold to date.
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