Oct 15
Out Finnish Hockey Pro, 29, Shot Dead; Reports Say 65-Year-Old Partner Arrested
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Janne Puhakka, Finland's first out pro hockey player was found dead of gunshot wounds in his home. Reports say the 29-year-old was a murder victim, and a 65-year-old suspect who was "known to the victim" is in custody.
Puhakka lived with his 65-year-old partner, Rolf Nordmo, a Norwegian veterinarian. According to TMZ, Nordmo is the person police suspect in the killing.
LGBTQ+ athletics site Outsports reported that Nordmo had "been arrested on suspicion of murder, according to numerous Finnish media reports."
"Detective Inspector Matti Högman told news agency STT there was 'reason to believe the suspect's actions were deliberate and cruel' and the 'suspect and victim knew each other,'" UK newspaper the Daily Mail detailed.
Police arrived at Puhakka's home in Henttaa, a district of the Finnish city Espoo, on Oct. 13 after a neighbor reported a disturbance at the residence, the Mail relayed.
Puhakka "was the first Finnish ice hockey player who openly discussed his homosexuality," the Mail noted, recalling that the men had kept their relationship a secret at the beginning, telling people that Nordmo was Puhakka's uncle.
The Mail also recalled that Nordmo, "who came out as gay at 40, was previously married to a woman for 17 years, with whom he has three children."
"Puhakka played professionally for teams in his homeland, Canada and France before retiring in 2018. The following year, he came out publicly as gay in an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and received an outpouring of public support," Outsports recounted.
TMZ noted that "In 2022, he wrote a memoir, 'Ulos Kopista.'"
"Puhakka was a well-known media personality in Finland and had been appearing on national TV in a version of the show 'The Traitors,'" Outsports detailed. "The final episode of the series, due to air Thursday, will not now be broadcast."
Puhakka's death "shocked the world," Outsports said, noting that former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin sent out a tweet memorializing the sports hero.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
