Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction February 2025
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2025
Created in 1908, the IIHF serves as the governing body of world hockey, with the European Championships - the precursor to the World Championships - first held in 1910. We offer four IIHF medals that all hail from the personal collection of noted Finnish hockey executive and writer Kimmo Leinonen, including a 1998 Media All-Star Award medal, 1999 and 2005 Induction Ceremony medals and 2006 Division II A Best Goalie Award medal. With all medals at 2 3/4" in diameter, the 1998 Media All-Star Award medal and 1999 and 2005 Induction Ceremony medals all have matching designs on the obverse including a raised globe with crossed hockey sticks and "International Ice Hockey Federation" around the perimeter, with small plaques affixed to each reverse, with "IIHF World Championships Pool A Switzerland 1998" to the 1998 medal, "Fort Lauderdale 1999" to the 199 medal and "IIHF 2005" to the 2005 medal. The 2006 Division II A Best Goalie Award medal which was originally presented to Konstantin Mihaylov has "IIHF" spelled out around the perimeter along with a raised silhouette of a player on the obverse, and "2006 WS II A Best Goalie" engraved on the reverse. Each medal sports light wear including a few small and minor scratches. An LOA from Classic Auctions will accompany.
Born in Tampere, Finland, in 1949, and beginning his rise in the hockey ranks as a junior hockey coach while also involved in the hockey stick industry in Canada and Germany, Finnish hockey executive and writer Kimmo Leinonen had a connection to the NHL as he was employed as a scout for the New York Rangers from 1978-79 to 1982-83. As a founding member of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 - where he served as chairman from 2011 to 2018, Leinonen also helped to establish the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1996 and was the director of public relations and marketing for the organization from 1995 to 2007. His later career included an appointment as general secretary of the 2012 and 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships co-hosted in both Finland and Sweden. The hockey guru has written multiple books on the history of hockey in Finland, and for his great contributions to the sport, was inducted into the builder category of the Finnish Hall of Fame in 2011. He was further acknowledged as the only person from Finland to win the Paul Loicq Award in recognition for his efforts in international ice hockey in 2023. We are pleased to offer items from his personal collection that he acquired during his years as the IIHF director of public relations and marketing from 1995 to 1997, with others originating from later in his career as well as international hockey memorabilia he collected and items he was gifted.
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