In Conversation with Veli-Pekka Ketola

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This article was published 04/06/2016 (3423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Veli-Pekka Ketola doesn’t think Winnipeg Jets fans should get too excited about Patrik Laine — because he should end up with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The highly-skilled Ketola, a centreman, along with defenceman Hexi Riihiranta, were the first Finns to make it as hockey players on this side of the Atlantic Ocean when they joined the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association in the fall of 1974.

They went on to play nearly three seasons with the team, playing a critical role in both dispelling the myth that European players could be physically intimidated and implementing a possession-first style of play in an era of crash-and-bang, punch-’em-out hockey.

They were a big part of the Jets’ first AVCO Cup championship — which was cemented 40 years ago last week with a 9-1 thrashing in Game 4 and a 4-0 sweep of the defending champion Houston Aeros — and both have played a big role with the ongoing development of Finnish hockey in the years since.

Ketola was the general manager of the Finnish squad that won the world juniors title in January with a dominant performance. It gave him, at 68, his first medal in international competition. He spoke to the Winnipeg Free Press recently.

 

Winnipeg Free Press: How did it feel finally winning a medal?

Veli-Pekka Ketola: It was great: you’re never too old to win the junior championship. It was my first medal. I never got a medal when I played, I was always fourth. I played 10 tournaments with the Finnish national team and I was always in fourth place. We had a hell of a team (at the 2016 world juniors). There are lot of (future) NHL players on that team.

 

FP: There’s a lot of excitement about the Jets potentially drafting Laine second overall.

Ketola: Laine is going to Toronto (with the No. 1 pick).

 

FP: What? All the talk is the Maple Leafs are in desperate need of a centre and will take Auston Matthews.

Ketola: Toronto has to take Laine. If they know something about hockey, they’ll take Laine. If they don’t know anything about hockey, they’ll take Matthews. Laine was the most valuable player in the recent world championships and he didn’t even play his best hockey. He has everything. He’s going to be a big man in the NHL.

 

FP: So, the Leafs will take Matthews then.

Ketola: You’ll have a good goal-scorer for sure. He can shoot the puck and do everything. Laine is happy. It doesn’t matter where he goes, he’s going to play hockey. He’s a professional and he loves to play hockey. I’m glad if Winnipeg gets Laine. I’m happy about that because he’s going to be a big help for you.

 

FP: What are your memories of Winnipeg?

Ketola: It’s a great hockey town, it’s a great place to play. If you are playing good, they love you. Take your fur hat and some long underwear. I have only good things to say about Winnipeg. It’s like Finland, it’s not too big, people love hockey, and they appreciate you if your hockey team wins. Of course, they give a s–t if you don’t play well, that’s the way it should be.

When you go to Winnipeg and play well, you know you deserve (the applause). If you don’t play well, they tell you that you can do better. They know hockey.

I had some great times there. That’s why Hexi and myself are planning to come to Winnipeg (for the 2016 Heritage Classic). Hexi is getting old — I’m not getting old — but we have to go to Winnipeg.

 

FP: You and Hexi were the first Finns to get your names engraved on a North American pro hockey trophy. Did you appreciate how big a deal that was at the time?

Ketola: I remember everything. We had nine Europeans on that team, we had seven Swedes and two f—ing Finns (laughs). We did all right. Our goalie, Joe Daley, was great, we had good defencemen, and, of course, we had Bobby Hull. He was a pretty good hockey player. We had some good workhorses, too, like Bill Lesuk, Lyle Moffat and Bobby Guindon. It was a good team, no question about it.

We even played exhibition games against NHL teams (beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 and the St. Louis Blues 6-2). We didn’t have any trouble. The (AVCO Cup) final was a piece of cake. Four games to none. What can you say? We had a great line that could carry any team. Anders (Hedberg), Ulf (Nilsson) and Bobby plus (defenceman) Lars-Erik Sjoberg. When you have great players, it’s easy to win. Our second line was OK, too, with me, Willy Lindstrom and Peter Sullivan.

 

FP: Gordie Howe was the leader of that Aeros team. Did he elbow you in the face during the final?

Ketola: I think so, he did it every game. He was the guy who everybody respected. It was his style of play, he played that way all the time. You knew when he was on ice something could happen.

It was good hockey. We had a good team and we had lots of fun together, off and on the ice. We practiced well and we were together as a team.

 

FP: Was it more surprising that the Jets didn’t make the playoffs the year before?

Ketola: We should have won the championship every year. Everything was new (in 1974-75), maybe our system wasn’t so good. We had so many Europeans and Ulf took so much punishment. It wasn’t fair. He always played with a black eye. If we had a couple of tough guys, it would have been a different story. At that time, you had to have a few tough guys to win those games.

People didn’t appreciate the WHA so much, they didn’t understand what kind of hockey it was at that time. They think it was pond hockey. People who know hockey, they know what kind of teams there were and what kind of players there were.

If that team would be in the NHL, at that time, I think we would be in the top six.

 

FP: Are you hoping to play in the Heritage Classic in October?

Ketola: I would like to play in that game. I’m skating three times a week. I can play, no problem. But not for the NHL Jets, I don’t want to be the centre for Laine.