For years, cross-border ice hockey leagues served as a vital social bridge across the Arctic.
Janne Tervahauta, a 51-year-old player from Ivalo, played in the amateur Barents Hockey League that connected teams from Finland, Norway, and Russia. This hockey league was amateur, and a kind of old guys league. But it was very important for us,
Tervahauta told The Guardian. Through his team, Tunturi-Kiekko, based in Ivalo, a rural Arctic town close to Finland’s most northerly border crossing with Russia, he would travel around the Arctic with his teammates.
He added: Of course it is very sad,
and noted that It was a very important league of Arctic people. To meet each other – and of course it is a way to see and travel in the north.
The Barents Hockey League went on hold during the pandemic, and since the war he has not had any contact with Russian teams, noting that it went on for at least 10 years.
Before February 2022, routine sports exchanges helped thaw post-Cold War relations in the north. Russia utilized its global prowess in the sport as a key soft power lever, aligning closely with Vladimir Putin’s favorite pastime. In North America, Russian stars like Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin established prominent careers while maintaining ties to pro-Putin political movements.
Cooperation collapsed abruptly in February 2022, just four days after Finland defeated Russia for the men’s ice hockey gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Finland joined Nato, closed its long border with Russia, and suspended all cross-border sporting contact.
Mika Toivola, chief executive of RoKi Hockey in Rovaniemi, noted that Finnish clubs previously hosted Kontinental Hockey League training camps and pre-season friendlies before hostilities brought everything to a halt. Toivola stated that There was considerable cooperation between Finnish and Russian ice hockey,
adding that Finnish players played in Russia, Russian players played in Finland, and clubs also met in pre-season friendlies.
In response to the recent court order forcing Russia’s reintegration, the head of the Finnish ice hockey association announced a complete boycott of games against Russian national teams. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Latvia, and Canada quickly joined the boycott.
Toivola stated that RoKi unequivocally condemns the war in Ukraine and considers any return of Russian teams to major international tournaments premature while the conflict continues. Toivola stated: At RoKi, we unequivocally condemn Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,
and added: We believe that allowing Russian national teams to return to major international tournaments is wrong while Russia continues its war of aggression.
Local communities along the border continue to feel the social cost of the separation. William Sjøstrand of the Norwegian team Kirkenes Puckers expressed sadness over the pause in games against nearby Russian opponents. Margrethe Alnes, an adviser at the Barents Secretariat, which managed the Barents Hockey League for a decade, said that rebuilding trust after the war ends will take a long time.
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