Janne Puhakka never played in the NHL, despite having two great seasons in the QMJHL, and playing at the world juniors for Team Finland. He, however, made a major impact on the sport, being the first openly gay player to ever skate in the top Finnish league, LIIGA, where many former NHL stars have played.
There is, up to now, no openly gay player who has ever played in the NHL, although 6 foot 6 Nashville Predators top prospect Luke Prokop is well on his way after being selected in the third round in 2020.
Tragically, Janne Puhakka has had his life taken away from him at the young age of 29, reportedly at the hands of his partner, Rolf Nordmo, a 66 year old veterinarian.
Matti Högman, the detective leading the investigation, made these comments (translated to English):
We hope that Janne Puhakka's friends and family will see justice. Rest in peace to a true hockey trailblazer.
POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 14 | 205 ANSWERS Former QMJHL star and hockey trailblazer tragically passes away from a brutal crime at 29 Do you ever watch LIIGA games? | ||
Yes | 15 | 7.3 % |
No | 190 | 92.7 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Ivan Barbashev | - | 2 | 2 | |
Noah Hanifin | - | 2 | 2 | |
Kirill Marchenko | - | 2 | 2 | |
Cole Sillinger | - | 2 | 2 | |
Cam Atkinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Drake Batherson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jonatan Berggren | 1 | - | 1 | |
Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
Conference | Cumulative |