Janne Puhakka, who played professional hockey in Finland and France and previously played major junior hockey in Canada, is dead and is suspected to be the victim of a homicide, according to several Finnish media sources. Puhakka was 29.

Puhakka is suspected to have been allegedly shot by his husband, 66-year-old Norwegian Rolf Nordmo, in the couple’s shared home in the Helsinki suburb of Espoo. As of the publication of this article, police have not confirmed a murder charge. 

Puhakka came out as openly gay in an interview in October 2019, after he retired. In the interview, he spoke about Nordmo watching him play.

“The games were stressful for me, when Rolf came to see me,” he said. “He had to be hidden, which of course he didn’t like.”

“Janne Puhakka was an important role model, and his courage and openness left an indelible mark on Finnish hockey,” the Finnish Liiga said in a social media post on Monday.

Born and raised in Espoo, Puhakka went to North America and played junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens from 2013 to 2015. In two seasons, he recorded 76 points in 140 regular-season and playoff games.

Puhakka played 40 Liiga games for his hometown Espoo Blues in 2015-16, recording a goal and an assist. He spent the better part of two seasons in the Mestis, Finland’s second-tier league, before spending the 2017-18 season with the Gap Rapaces in France’s Ligue Magnus. 

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