<a href="https://www.archysport.com/2024/10/tragic-loss-the-untimely-murder-of-finnish-hockey-player-janne-puhakka-at-age-29/” title=”Tragic Loss: The Untimely Murder of Finnish Hockey Player Janne Puhakka at Age 29″>Janne Puhakka
Finnish ice hockey player shot dead – partner suspected of murder
Janne Puhakka was the first Finnish ice hockey player to publicly admit his homosexuality
© Imago Images
Former Finnish professional ice hockey player Janne Puhakka is dead. The 29-year-old was found shot. His partner is now suspected of murder.
According to media reports, former ice hockey professional Janne Puhakka, 29, was allegedly shot with a hunting shotgun by his partner. As the Finnish “Ilta-Sanom” reports, among others, an emergency call was received by the police on Sunday evening around 8 p.m. The officers immediately went to the single-family home in the city of Espoo with a large contingent.
At the crime scene, his partner, a 66-year-old veterinarian, allowed himself to be arrested without resistance. The responsible criminal inspector and head of the investigation told the newspaper that the crime was “particularly brutal and cruel.”
Janne Puhakka played ice hockey in his home country for years, and later also in Canada and France. He completed his last season in 2017/2018. He was the first Finnish ice hockey player to speak openly about his homosexuality and what it was like to hide his sexual identity from the majority of his friends and fans. For a long time he kept his relationship with his much older partner secret.
The unlikely couple met ten years ago. At the time, Puhakka was 19 years old and played for the Finnish national team and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey team. The two later appeared together on social networks, sharing couple photos from vacations and excursions together.
Janne Puhakka’s partner is said to have confessed to the crime
The relationship is said to have broken down several weeks ago. While the vet stayed in the house, Puhakka is said to have moved out.
A single-family home in Espoo, Finland. The ice hockey player Janne Puhakka is said to have been shot here.
© Vesa Moilanen / Lehtikuva / Action Press
According to the police, on Sunday he came back to his former home to clarify some “practical matters”.
During interrogation with the police, the partner is said to have confessed to the fatal shots at Puhakka, according to media reports.
Sources: “Ilta-Sanomat”, Yle.
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