photo: © IIHF
During the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, short profiles of each of this year's Hall of Fame inductees will appear on IIHF.com in the build-up to the IIHF Hall of Fame weekend (May 24-25). There will be two ceremonies. The Contributors' Awards ceremony takes place on May 24, followed by the IIHF Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on May 25. Both ceremonies will be shown live on the IIHF's YouTube channel and IIHF.TV.
The path to success for Kai Hietarinta in the world of hockey was not the usual one. He did not play elite-level hockey as a kid. He was never drafted, never played at the Olympics or World Championships. Instead, Hietarinta came from the business world. He graduated from the Hanken School of Economics in 1950 and then earned a master’s degree in business and economics from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1958. A year later, he completed another master’s degree, in information technology.
Hietarinta worked in the oil industry, specifically for Neste Oy, an oil refining and marketing company. He started in management in 1960 and made his way to the top, becoming the company’s deputy CEO by the early 1970s.
In the early 1980s his international acumen served him well when the Finnish Ice Hockey Association was looking for a new president, someone who had global experience. In 1984, Hietarinta assumed the top role at FIHA, ushering in the greatest successes in the nation’s hockey history. Working with vice-chairman Kalervo Kummola, Hietarinta stabilized the association from within, creating an environment that allowed the hockey experts to focus on player development and on-ice success. During Hietarinta’s 13 years as president, the Finns won their first World Junior Championship gold medal (in 1987), their first Olympic medal (silver in 1988), and their first World Championship gold medal (in 1995). As well, the senior women’s teams won bronze medals at each of the first four Women’s World Championships (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997).
In 1994, IIHF president Dr. Gunther Sabetzki retired, and Hietarinta decided to run for the position. In a close vote, he lost to René Fasel by a mere three votes but continued his work as FIHA president for another three years.
After stepping down as president in 1997, Hietarinta served as a board member for the Finnish Ice Hockey Foundation until 2015. He also served on the board of the Finnish Olympic Committee from 1984 to 1993 and was a board member for the Sport Institute of Finland for four years (1997-2001) as well as for the Finnish Hall of Fame (2000-08).
He also served as the chairperson at many IIHF tournaments at all levels and, in recognition of his decades of service to Finland and the IIHF, he has been an IIHF Life Member since 1998. When he assumed the presidency some 40 years ago, the country had 12 indoor arenas. By the time he stepped down, that number exceeded 100. Hietarinta was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.
Hietarinta worked in the oil industry, specifically for Neste Oy, an oil refining and marketing company. He started in management in 1960 and made his way to the top, becoming the company’s deputy CEO by the early 1970s.
In the early 1980s his international acumen served him well when the Finnish Ice Hockey Association was looking for a new president, someone who had global experience. In 1984, Hietarinta assumed the top role at FIHA, ushering in the greatest successes in the nation’s hockey history. Working with vice-chairman Kalervo Kummola, Hietarinta stabilized the association from within, creating an environment that allowed the hockey experts to focus on player development and on-ice success. During Hietarinta’s 13 years as president, the Finns won their first World Junior Championship gold medal (in 1987), their first Olympic medal (silver in 1988), and their first World Championship gold medal (in 1995). As well, the senior women’s teams won bronze medals at each of the first four Women’s World Championships (1990, 1992, 1994, 1997).
In 1994, IIHF president Dr. Gunther Sabetzki retired, and Hietarinta decided to run for the position. In a close vote, he lost to René Fasel by a mere three votes but continued his work as FIHA president for another three years.
After stepping down as president in 1997, Hietarinta served as a board member for the Finnish Ice Hockey Foundation until 2015. He also served on the board of the Finnish Olympic Committee from 1984 to 1993 and was a board member for the Sport Institute of Finland for four years (1997-2001) as well as for the Finnish Hall of Fame (2000-08).
He also served as the chairperson at many IIHF tournaments at all levels and, in recognition of his decades of service to Finland and the IIHF, he has been an IIHF Life Member since 1998. When he assumed the presidency some 40 years ago, the country had 12 indoor arenas. By the time he stepped down, that number exceeded 100. Hietarinta was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.