Finland’s first out gay pro hockey player murdered by 66-year-old ex-boyfriend

Janne Puhakka, a 29-year-old who made history as Finland’s first out gay professional ice hockey player, was shot to death in the home he had shared with his Norwegian veterinarian partner, 66-year-old Rolf Nordmo. Nordmo reportedly confessed to the murder — the two broke up a few weeks ago, ending their decade-long relationship.

Puhakka, who publicly came out upon retiring from hockey in 2018, reportedly moved out of their shared apartment several weeks ago. Last Sunday night, Puhakka returned to the residence — located in the city of Espoo, outside of Helsinki — to discuss “practical matters” with Nordmo. Nordmo then used a hunting shotgun to kill Puhakka.

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A friend of Puhakka arrived at the scene after being unable to contact him. Upon discovering the murder, he called the police, the Finnish news outlet YLE reported. Police arrived and arrested Nordmo, who later confessed to the killing.

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Police initially charged Puhakka with manslaughter but upgraded the charge to murder because “the act is suspected to have been committed with premeditation and in a particularly brutal and cruel manner,” a police statement said.

“Based on an interview with the suspect, the motive for the crime was the end of the relationship between the victim and the suspect,” Detective Inspector Matti Högman added.

Puhakka began playing hockey at age six and played on the Finnish national youth team at 16, around the same time that he became aware of his homosexuality. He began playing in the Finnish pro league at age 20 and played for Canada’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens, Finland’s Espoo Blues, TUTO Hockey, Espoo United, and France’s Rapaces de Gap teams.

Though Puhakka came out to his team captain and a few teammates while playing professionally, he later admitted that he laughed off anti-gay “jokes” from his teammates and felt bothered by the fact that his peers could openly mention their wives and girlfriends in public. He worried he wasn’t a good enough player to be kept on the team if he came out, Outsports reported.

Nevertheless, Puhakka publicly came out in 2018, saying that he hoped that his openness might help other players come out. Despite this, he said he knew no other gay pro hockey players in Finland and was previously “scared of the way I would be perceived in the ultra-masculine sporting world.”

Puhakka met Nordmo online in June 2014 and quickly fell in love, The Daily Mail reported. Nordmo had previously been married to a woman for 17 years with whom he had three kids. In public, Puhakka often passed Nordmo off as his older uncle to avoid outing himself. The couple marched together in Helsinki Pride, and Puhakka posted many images of the two on Instagram.

In 2022, Puhakka helped promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in ice hockey and athletics. He retired around the age of 23, studied international business, and worked in an Amer Sports store. He published a memoir, Ulos Kopista (Out of the Booth), in 2022. More recently, he appeared in Petolliset, a Finnish version of the reality TV mystery game show The Traitors. The show continues to air but will not air its most recent episode (which features Puhakka) out of respect for his passing.

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A post shared by Janne Puhakka (@jannepuhakka)

In a statement mourning Puhakka’s death, the ice hockey team Rapaces de Gap wrote, “Janne showed the staff and his teammates his kindness and team spirit. We send our sincere condolences to his family, his relatives, and all his former teammates.”

Writer Risto Pakarinen, who helped Puhakka with his autobiography, told the Finnish news outlet Iltalehti, “With his book, Janne wanted to give hope to other representatives of minorities in hockey and other sports, and to offer them an example and someone to talk to…. I’m sad and I share in the bottomless grief of the family members and Janne’s other loved ones.”

Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin mentioned Puhakka’s death on Instagram, simply sharing a black-and-white image of him alongside a broken heart emoji. Mourners have been leaving candles outside of Puhakka’s home.

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