Jari Kaarela
Jari Pekka Kaarela ( born August 8, 1958 in Tampere ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender and coach, who played in his playing days from 1978 to 1986 among others for the Colorado Rockies in the National Hockey League. Since 2010 he is a goalkeeper coach at Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Career
Jari Kaarela began his career as a hockey player in his hometown in the junior department of Ilves Tampere, with its A-Juniors he was in 1977 and 1978 champion of the corresponding age group. From 1978 to 1980 he played for the first team of SaPKo Savonlinna in the second Finnish league, the I divisioona. In the summer of 1980, the goalkeeper went to North America, where he first played in the 1980/81 season for the Indianapolis Checkers and Fort Worth Texans in the Central Hockey League. On February 9, 1981, he was awarded a contract as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies, where he stood until end of the season in five games in the National Hockey League between the posts. In the following season, he ran in 49 games on the Muskegon Mohawks of the International Hockey League. He also appeared in the CHL in another two games for Fort Worth. In the summer of 1982 Kaarela returned to Finland, where he then ever for a year playing for the SM- liiga participants Kiekko - Reipas and Kärpät Oulu. His career ended at the age of 28 years at the capital club HIFK Helsinki for which he was active from 1984 to 1986.
Following his playing career Kaarela from 1994 until 2002 as an assistant coach for his former club HIFK Helsinki. The team was Finnish Champion in the 1997/98 season. From 1998 to 2003 he was the same time acting as goalkeeping coach for the Finnish national team. From 2002 to 2010 he was a goalkeeper coach at SM- liiga participants HPK Hämeenlinna. The 2010/11 season began, the Finn as a goalkeeper coach for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League. He spent the rest of the season with the league rivals Metallurg Magnitogorsk.