Kalevi Numminen

Veijo Kalevi Numminen (b. January 31 1940 in Tampere, Finland) is a retired professional defenceman who played and coached in the SM-Liiga for Tappara Tampere. He also played for the Finnish National Team for about a decade.

In 1973, Numminen replaced Len Lunde behind the bench of the Finnish National Team. He would stay in charge of the team for a single season before being replaced by Seppo Liitsola. When Liitsola left the team in 1977, Numminen came back and coached the team until 1982.

Numminen was inducted in the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986. His two sons, Teemu and Teppo are also professional hockey players. The former had a brief stint in the WCHL and ECHL in the late 1990s; Teppo enjoyed a long and succesful career in the National Hockey League, playing over 1,000 matches. His cousin Esko Valkama played football (soccer) at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Today, a trophy in the SM-Liiga sports Kalevi's name. It is awarded to the best head coach of the season.

External links and references

 * Numminen's profile on eurohockey.net