Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction February 2025
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2025
Joining the IIHF on February 10, 1928 and formally established on January 20, 1929, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and its men's National Team is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the United States, Czechia, Russia, and Sweden. Having claimed World Championship gold medals in 1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022 to go along with Olympic gold in 2022, offered here, we present this group of vintage and modern Finland hockey based items. Including Finland mint coin/medallion sets commemorating the 2012 IIHF World Championships, Teemu Selanne, the 2002-03 SM-Liiga season and its teams and the 50th anniversary of Jokerit, which is missing one (1) of the coins, the group also includes a medal commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, a player award medal for a game played between Finland and Canada in Turku on February 17th, 1965, a player award medal for a game played between Finland and Czechoslovakia in Turku on February 28th, 1963 and a player award for a game played between Finland and the Soviet Union in Tampere on February 8th, 1957. Continuing, the rest of the lot features a commemorative five (5) Euro coin from the 2003 IIHF World Championships, a commemorative five (5) Euro coin from the 2021 IIHF World Championships, a 1994 French twenty (20) franc coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the IOC and finally, a 1982 Finland fifty (50) mark coin commemorating the 1982 IIHF World Championships. All the items present in overall good to excellent condition with expected wear unless noted otherwise. All hailing from the personal collection of Kimmo Leinonen, a Classic Auctions LOA will accompany the lot.
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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