Jari Kurri ensures Russian ownership gone from Jokerit hockey team

NHL legend Jari Kurri has taken a major step in getting Russian interests out of the Jokerit hockey team. The Finnish based club is now 100 percent owned by the five-time Stanley Cup champion after he purchased the 40 percent of the club that belonged to NN Harjavalta, a subsidiary of a Russian mining company based in Finland. Neither party would reveal the terms of the deal.

"I want to thank NN Harjavalta for their cooperation during the past years," said Kurri in a statement. "We have a lot of work to do in reorganizing club ownership base and obtaining funding for our operations. To our delight, we have noticed that Finnish companies and individuals have the desire to support Jokerit."

Jokerit had been playing in Russia's KHL since the 2014-15 season, but left earlier this year after the invasion of Ukraine. Jokerit also decided to abandon an arena in Helsinki that is owned by Russian interests. There is still no word on where the team will play next season., In his statement, Kurri said he will announce the club's plans "as soon as possible."

Before joining the KHL, Jokerit played in the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga) for 11 years. There is some speculation that is where the team will land in 2022-23, but there's been no official announcement yet.

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