Hannu Virta
Hannu Markus Virta ( born March 22, 1963 in Turku ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player and coach who played in the SM- liiga, among others, for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and TPS Turku in his playing days from 1980 to 1998 has. Since January 2009 he has been head coach at HC Lugano in the Swiss National League A.
- 2.1 International
Career
Hannu Virta began his career as a hockey player in 1980 in his hometown at TPS Turku, for which he had already played in youth. In his rookie year, the defender scored in the 1981/82 season in 36 games 17 scorer points, including five goals, and was runner-up with Turku. For his achievements, he received the award for best of the SM - liiga Neuprofi. Previously, he had been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1981 in the second round than a total of 38 players from the Buffalo Sabres, who still beorderten him during the season to North America, where he three games of the regular season and four playoff games for the Sabres was active in the National Hockey League. In Buffalo, the Finn played regularly in the next four years, before he returned to Turku 1986.
With TPS, he was in four - 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 - the following eight years, Finnish Champion. He also reached the second place in the European Cup, which he won three years later with TPS in the final against the Russian representatives HK Dynamo Moscow with his team in 1990. During his first stop in Europe Virta stood from 1994 to 1996 at the GCK Lions in the Swiss National League B under contract before he again Turku aground in the season 1996/97, with which he was runner-up. After only one year Virta moved again to Switzerland, where he finished in 1998 with the ZSC Lions of the National League A 's active career.
Following his playing career Virta took over in season 2003/ 04 the Office as the head coach at the Espoo Blues. He also spent five years as an assistant coach for the Finnish National Hockey Team. In the 2007 /08 season he was the coach at his former club TPS Turku behind the gang. He subsequently received on 12 January 2009 a contract as head coach of HC Lugano in the Swiss National League A, in which he had also been active as a player.
Internationally
For Finland Virta participated in the U20 Junior World Cup 1982, as well as the A- World Championships 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 in part. He also played for Finland at the World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.