Joe Wirkkunen

Viljo "Joe" Wirkkunen (June 27, 1928 – July 13, 1986) was a Finnish-Canadian ice hockey coach. Growing up in family of immigrants from Finland to Port Arthur, Ontario, he overcame polio as a child to become an instructor for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the Finland men's national ice hockey team. He led the national team at four Ice Hockey World Championships and two Winter Olympic Games, established a training camp at Vierumäki, and wrote three instructional books for coaches and players. Returning to Canada, he served as the first coach of the Thunder Bay Twins, and contributed to local minor ice hockey. He was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985, and was posthumously inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Early life in Canada Viljo Wirkkunen was born on June 27, 1928, in Port Arthur, Ontario, into a Finnish-Canadian family. When infected by polio at age 12, he faced the possibility of losing the ability to walk. He exercised regularly to rebuild his strength, later participating in baseball, curling and golf, and winning walkathons.

During the 1940s, Wirkkunen was an ice hockey referee and coach for minor ice hockey games in Port Arthur.

Returning to Finland in 1959, Wirkkunen was the first person born outside of the country to be head coach of the Finland men's national team. before Wirkkunen returned for the 1962 World Championships. It was Finland's best result at any World Championships at the time, and earned them the silver medal for the European Championships. At the 1964 Winter Olympics, Wirkkunen led Finland to victories versus the Switzerland national team and the United States, and sixth-place finish.

Finland hosted the World Championships for the first time, with the 1965 event in Tampere. Wirkkunen led Finland to a seventh-place, with a win versus the Norway national team and a draw versus the Sweden national team. His final international tournament as head coach was the 1966 World Championships, Augustin Bubník succeeded Wirkkunen as head coach of the Finland national team in 1966.

Wirkkunen coached the Finland men's national team with assistant Aarne Honkavaara. Together, they established camps in Vierumäki which became an integral part of Finnish training. He remained involved in local youth leagues, and coached in the Port Arthur Minor Hockey league during the 1980s.

The Finnish Government awarded Wirkkunen the Silver Medal for Merit in Sport in 1978. He was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

Wirkkunen died on July 13, 1986, in a home fire accident in Thunder Bay, Ontario. He was posthumously inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.