Pasi Nurminen has been sober for years - this phone call changed his whole life: "I need help"

The Riihimäki Avominne clinic, which offers substance abuse and addiction treatment, has published the story of Pelicans’ chairman Pasi Nurminen, 50, on its Facebook page. The update states that Nurminen has now been living a sober life for six years.

The story of hockey legend Nurminen is also told by former hockey player Marko Jantunen. The text has been published by the mutual decision of Jantunen and Nurminen.

Jantunen recounts that on Monday, September 7, 2020, six years ago, Nurminen contacted him via message and said he needed help with one thing. Jantunen assumed that a Pelicans player or another member of the organization needed help.

Then Jantunen’s phone rang.

– No, I need help myself, Nurminen said.

Jantunen took Nurminen the very next day from Lahti to the Avominne clinic in Riihimäki. Jantunen describes taking Nurminen and another man on the same journey that he himself once embarked on due to his substance abuse problems.

– When we started treatment and the process of change, we noticed something familiar. There is a program here, processes, a “team,” a clear goal, and monitoring. In this field, we just practice different things and skills. And just like in sports, knowledge alone is not enough; action and repetition are what matter, Jantunen compared the treatment process to hockey.

Jantunen reminds in the update that addiction does not consider profession, education, wealth, or social status.

– For us, change does not just mean that a person no longer drinks or uses substances. It means a holistic change and learning to live a new lifestyle. And the best part is that a sober life does not have to be a colorless life. On the contrary, Jantunen states.

At the end of the update, it is mentioned that Nurminen and a person who started treatment at the same time visited the Avominne clinic in Lahti this week to share their experiences and lessons from six years of sobriety.

In his own career, Nurminen played as a goalkeeper. After his playing career, he has also worked as a coach, among other roles.