Joonas Donskoi saw his jersey raised to the rafters on Friday, smack dab in the middle of his playing days.
Although it wasn’t raised in Climate Pledge Arena or even in North America, the gesture for the Seattle Kraken forward was certainly meaningful. Donskoi was recognized in his hometown of Raahe, Finland, for saving a beloved community skate park with a generous donation back in 2019.
For Donskoi, an avid skater in his younger days, the donation was a no-brainer. The community of Raahe, a town of about 25,000 people, wanted to show their appreciation.
Valtteri Karjula, a co-founder of the park [along with Henri Ylikulju] and childhood friend of Donskoi’s, organized Friday’s event, which was three years in the making. Donskoi initially planned to visit his home and the skate park in 2020, but concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic limited travel and changed the NHL schedule.
The Raahe community came out in full force to show their appreciation for Donskoi keeping his hometown close to his heart. The veteran forward signed autographs and posed for pictures with those in attendance. Karjula shared some pictures on social media.
Donskoi was also presented with a specially painted skateboard representing Raahe’s old town wall, which natives know as an inside joke about their big tourist attraction. The board was painted by local artist Pertti Vuori.
Karjula, Ylikulju and Donskoi addressed the crowd before raising an autographed No. 72 Kraken jersey to the rafters, where the co-founders say it will stay for the building’s lifespan.
“This skate park has existed for ten years and after Joonas’s donation we haven’t had financial problems,” Karjula said. “The donation by Joonas was really significant.”
Photos: Jasmin Paloniemi
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