24 Facts About Kimmo Leinonen

Kimmo Leinonen was born on 30 August 1949 and is a Finnish ice hockey executive and writer.

Kimmo Leinonen was the director of public relations and marketing for the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1995 to 2007, and held similar positions for SM-liiga and Ilves.

Kimmo Leinonen served as general secretary of the 2012 and 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships co-hosted in Finland and Sweden.

Kimmo Leinonen coached junior ice hockey for Ilves, managed the Ilves Naiset who won three Naisten SM-sarja championships, was a scout for the New York Rangers, and a sports commentator for hockey broadcasts in Finland.

Kimmo Leinonen served as chairman of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame from 2011 to 2018, and has written multiple books on the history of hockey in Finland.

Kimmo Leinonen was inducted into the builder category of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, and was named the 2023 recipient of the Paul Loicq Award from the IIHF.

Kimmo Leinonen was born 30 August 1949, in Tampere, Finland.

Kimmo Leinonen became interested in ice hockey as a youth after his older brother took him to watch Ilves play, and when the team's captain Pentti Isotalo was his elementary school teacher in grade three.

Kimmo Leinonen began his hockey career in the mid-1970s as the junior ice hockey coach for Ilves, and the club's marketing manager.

Kimmo Leinonen was the marketing manager for SM-liiga from 1984 to 1988, after which he was a sports commentator for hockey broadcasts in Finland.

Kimmo Leinonen served as the director of public relations and marketing for the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1995 to 2007.

Kimmo Leinonen served as secretary of the IIHF marketing committee and the IIHF Hall of Fame committee from 1998 to 2003, and was the editor-in-chief of the media guide for ice hockey at the Winter Olympic Games.

Kimmo Leinonen was a technical delegate to four Olympic Games and 14 Ice Hockey World Championships from 1998 to 2010, and served as chairman of more than 40 IIHF men's and women's events from 1995 to 2022.

Kimmo Leinonen served as general secretary of the 2012 IIHF World Championship and 2013 IIHF World Championship, which were co-hosted by Finland and Sweden.

Kimmo Leinonen joined the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in August 2007, to begin work on the events.

Finland had last hosted the World Championship in 2003, and naming Kimmo Leinonen to oversee the event "gave Finland credibility as a candidate country", according to IIHF vice-president Kalervo Kummola.

Kimmo Leinonen served as chairman of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame from 2011 to 2018.

In retirement, Kimmo Leinonen focused on writing books on the history of Finnish hockey.

Kimmo Leinonen once had partial ownership in a racehorse, and has a daughter who was involved in hockey.

Kimmo Leinonen was a lifelong friend of hockey player Aarne Honkavaara.

In 2017, Kimmo Leinonen pleaded guilty to tax fraud and was sentenced to six months and 15 days suspended imprisonment.

Kimmo Leinonen is an honorary lifetime member of Ilves, and was inducted into the builder category of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011, as Lion number 211.

Kimmo Leinonen was the first person from Finland to receive the award.

In receiving the award, Kimmo Leinonen urged more IIHF members to preserve their hockey history, noting that only 20 countries had established a hockey hall of fame.