Kärpät dropped a big news: “Would have never believed it”
The Kärpät club legend Mika Pyörälä receives one of the greatest honors possible as his jersey number 17 is retired to the ceiling of Oulu’s ice hall.
The ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 6, before the SM-liiga match between Kärpät and Ässät. Pyörälä will become the seventh player in Kärpät’s history to have his number retired.
Pyörälä expresses that he is honored by the recognition.
– Of course, it is a big deal and an honor to receive such recognition. I probably would never have believed at the time when I played my first games for the senior team in my twenties that I would someday receive such an acknowledgment. Kärpät is an important club for me, and this will be a great honor, the club icon says in a statement.
In Kärpät, Pyörälä has played more games than anyone else. He also holds the top spots in the club’s history for goals and points.
During the regular season, Pyörälä appeared in 749 games wearing the Kärpät jersey, scoring 216 goals and a total of 448 points, with 232 of those being assists.
For years, Pyörälä was one of Kärpät’s most important players and was involved in establishing the Oulu club’s position at the top of Finnish ice hockey.
With Kärpät, he achieved five Finnish championships. Additionally, his trophy cabinet includes two SM silver medals and two SM bronze medals.
Pyörälä also achieved significant success with the Finnish national team. He won the World Championship in 2011. With the Lions, he also earned two World Championship silver medals and one World Championship bronze medal.
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