Fans pleased with news of ownership change at Espoo Blues ice hockey team

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The fans of the SM-Liiga ice hockey team Espoo Blues have not had it easy.
      In recent years, the team’s performances on the ice have been decent enough (they were runners-up in the Finnish Championship last season), but the low attendance figures at home games have gradually become a cause of astonishment on a national level, and have prompted the owner to try to offload his loss-making investment.
      The initial announcement was made last autumn, and since then there have been plenty of rumours, but nothing very concrete about the club's future.
      Hence the young members of the Blues Fan Club were more than pleased to receive the news that the team is finally getting new owners.
      During one of the intermissions at yesterday’s SM-Liiga game against Helsinki IFK - which IFK won 3-2 through Ville Peltonen’s extra time goal - there was time to discuss the issue.
      “It is great to get Espoo-based owners, whose hearts beat for the cause”, said Teemu Ottela.
     
It seems that the new owners of the Blues will include former players Mika Rautio, Juha Ikonen and Peter Ahola, as well as Eufex Bank managing director Daniel Pasternack, who is from Espoo.
      Furthermore, it looks like another Espoo native, former shipyard director and MP Martin Saarikangas, also wants in.
      The recent activities by the previous owner Jussi Salonoja have been well received by the fans.
      ”The ticket prices have come down and advertising has been increased”, said Tomi Reinikka, who yesterday acted as the conductor of the hardcore fans' cheering group.
      Still, Salonoja did not receive a complete absolution from the fans. “Why did he pump so much of his own money into the team? He should have widened the ownership base a long time ago”, Ottela reasoned.
     
The team is very competent with its junior "academy" work and many of the players in the senior league side are from Espoo. But the contracts of most of the members of the SM-Liiga outfit will come to an end this year.
      "Toni Kähkönen, Camilo Miettinen, Tomi Sallinen", the fans list some home-grown talent that they hope will remain with the Blues in years to come.
      And then there is one person, who is not originally from Espoo, but whom the fans definitely want to see with the team in the future as well.
      “A ten-year contract for Lauri Marjamäki!” demands Lauri Mattila.
      This is Tampere native Marjamäki’s first season as the Espoo Blues head coach, but he has performed various other coaching duties in Espoo for ten years.
     
The Espoo outfit entered the SM-Liiga, Finland's premier ice hockey division, back in 1992 under the name Kiekko-Espoo. The name changed to Espoo Blues in 1998. Should the name be changed back?
      The fans shake their heads.
      “The younger generation has grown accustomed to Blues, so let’s just stick to that”, Ottela says.
      And how long will it take before the attendance figures are at the level where they should be with a successful SM-Liiga team?
      “It will take a couple of years if things are done correctly”, Ottela concludes.
     
Just over 5,400 turned out on a cold Thursday night to see the defeat to HIFK, but then it was a local derby of sorts. Average home attendances this season have been only around 3,700, a long way short of the crowds drawn by Helsinki's Jokerit (9,237) or HIFK (7,291).
      One persistent problem is that a good many Espoo residents do not support their local club, but go to matches in the capital instead.
      Espoo Blues are currently lying 8th in the SM-Liiga table.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Sale of Espoo Blues ice hockey team is edging forward (13.1.2012)

See also:
  News Analysis: A club needs a soul to survive (8.11.2011)

Links:
  Espoo Blues (Wikipedia)

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