Boyfriend confesses to killing first overtly homosexual ice hockey participant
The boyfriend of Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player has confessed to killing him, according to local media.
Janne Puhakka, 29, died in the home he shared with his Norwegian veterinarian partner, Rolf Nordmo, 66, in Henttaa, Espoo, on Sunday evening.
Nordmo is said to have told police he killed his lover – who was 37 years his junior – while the weapon used was a hunting shotgun, according to Finnish paper YLE.
Matti Högman, who is leading the police investigation, told the paper that Puhakka had moved out of their home after the relationship ended ‘several weeks ago’.
When the hockey player returned to the property for ‘practical matters’, Nordmo allegedly grabbed the gun.
Rolf Nordmo, 66, has confessed to the murder of his former partner, Janne Puhakka, according to reports in Finland
Högman added that violence was used ‘more than necessary’ in the death. Nordmo, who held a permit to possess a gun in Norway, remains in police custody, it has been reported.
FEMAIL has reached out to police in Finland for comment.
Puhakka, who played for Espoo Blues and Espoo United before ending his career at the end of the 2017–2018 season, met Rolf in 2014 and quickly fell in love after chatting online for one week.
Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat previously reported that Puhakka’s case is being treated as a murder.
Sanna Marin, the former Finnish Prime Minister, is among those who have paid tribute to Puhakka. She took to Instagram to share an image of the former ice hockey player with a broken love heart emoji.
Detective Inspector Matti Högman, told news agency STT there was ‘reason to believe the suspect’s actions were deliberate and cruel’ and the ‘suspect and victim knew each other’.
Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player Janne Puhakka (pictured left) was found dead in his home on Sunday. Janne is pictured with his partner Rolf Nordmo (pictured right)
Janne initially kept his sexual orientation private because he feared what his teammates would think
On Sunday evening, a bystander called the police to the couple’s apartment after suspecting a violent crime.
The 29-year-old was the first Finnish ice hockey player who openly discussed his homosexuality.
At the start of his career, he hid his sexual identity from friends for fear of being stigmatised.
Janne and Rolf discussed their relationship in the Mirror in 2022, with the sports professional saying he kept his relationship private because he was ‘scared of the way I would be perceived in the ultra-masculine sporting world’.
After chatting online in June 2014, Rolf flew three times from his home in Oslo to Helsinki, Finland, to see Janne.
At the time, Rolf told himself that the relationship wouldn’t work because of their age gap, and told himself that it was ‘just a summer fling’.
But the pair grew closer, and Rolf went on to visit Janne while he was working in Canada.
The pair met on an online chatroom in June 2014, and quickly fell for one another after one week of chatting virtually
Former Finnish Prime Minster Sanna Marin is among those paying tribute to the Janne online (pictured)
Despite falling for Rolf, Janne was still ‘in the closet’ because he was ‘scared of the way I would be perceived in the ultra-masculine sporting world’
66-year-old veterinarian Rolf, who was previously married to a woman for 17 years, came out as gay at 40
Janne stayed with a host family and told that them Rolf was his uncle so he could see him in his hotel.
‘It felt so weird to be hiding our relationship; I just wanted to say he was my boyfriend,’ Rolf said.
When meeting publicly, the pair would pretend to be just friends or that Rolf was Janne’s uncle.
Rolf said onlookers often thought they were a ‘sugar daddy and baby or father and son.’
Janne previously said: ‘We both had to battle with ourselves to get to the point we are now. We love each other and that’s all that matters.’
After his time playing ice hockey, Janne went on to study international business in Haaga-Helia
He added that friends and family learned to understand that their relationship was ‘not strange’ and they ‘complement each other’.
Rolf, who came out as gay at 40, was previously married to a woman for 17 years, with whom he has three children.
He told them about his relationship with Janne in February 2015, with them initially having mixed reactions.
Janne started playing hockey at six, before claiming a place on the Finnish national youth team at 16, according to OutSports.
He hoped that by talking publicly about his sexual orientation, he would help other players in the future.
After his stint playing ice hockey, Janne went on to study international business in Haaga-Helia and worked in sportswear sales in a Amer Sport store.
He told Frenn: ‘When my sport career came to an end, I had to think what I would like to do next. Beside sports, fashion and clothing have always interested me.
‘So it was quite natural to combine these two elements. Sportswear business is a perfect place for me to use my past experience and develop my future career goals.’
He added: ‘Physical and mental well-being of my family is the corner stone in my life. I have always valued healthy lifestyle and that’s what I am working for also today.’
