JYVASKYLA, FINLAND – One of the SM-Liiga’s championship contenders has parted ways with its head coach. JYP, from Jyvaskyla, have negotiated a contract buy-out with head coach Risto Dufva in mutual agreement. Under Dufva’s reign, JYP has become one of the strongest teams in the SM-Liiga and saw the team win the championship in 2009. Last season JYP won the regular season and finished fourth over-all after the play-offs. Dufva had a contract with JYP that would’ve covered his coaching tenure until 2014. After discussions, that lasted long into the night, both parties decided it would be in their best interest to negotiate a buy-out. The move comes as a shock as the season has only seen two games played, both of which JYP has lost. According to an official club statement, the losses from the two opening games had nothing to do with Dufva’s decision to leave the team. “It would be disrespecting towards Risto to think that his departure from the team was due to the two losses. If we were only looking at the results, I think we would’ve made decisions last autumn when we lost eight games at the start of the season,” JYP general manager, Jukka Seppanen said. Under Dufva’s four year leadership JYP won the Finnish Championship once, won one bronze and won the SM-Liiga regular season three times. Seppanen, said “Dufva’s efforts at the helm of the team have born great results. He built the team into a winning hockey club.” No new head coach has been appointed as yet and coaching duties will be assumed by assistant coach Jyrki Aho on an interim basis. Aho said in a press conference that “I was having my breakfast when Risto phoned. The news came as a total shock to me and I can’t really describe how I feel. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that I didn’t finish my breakfast and haven’t really been able to eat since.” Aho and Dufva have a long history together and this league season would’ve been their fifth season working together. Prior to this, they worked together at Mikkelin Jukurit. Dufva has been linked to many KHL teams since he transformed JYP into a winning hockey team. In some of the wildest rumours Dufva’s name has been linked with Yaroslav Lokomotiv as a coach for the next season. Dufva is known as a strict coach and has been said to have a tight leadership and vision for the team. At a pre-season press conference Dufva admitted that he has relieved some of the responsibilities and hold on the team and given more of a say to the players. The names now linked with the head coaching job at Jyvaskyla are Jyrki Aho, Jukka Rautakorpi and Raimo Summanen and the coach of JYP’s mestis affiliate, JYP academy, Jukka Ahvenjarvi. Contact the author: janne.virtanen@prohockeynews.com
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