Dear Guests.
First of all, I would like to thank our association's founding member Rauno Särös - Kilki - for the very inspiring discussion we had on Mikael Agricola Day. For over an hour, I was able to relive the time before our association was founded, the founding meeting itself, and the early days of the association's activities.
However, in this speech, I will not return to those times any further, but I encourage you, Dear Guests, to interview the founding members of our association who are now present here on the ship when the opportunity arises.
I'm talking about change and, on the other hand, about what the Turun Jääkiekkotuomarit ry - previously called the Turun Jääkiekkoerotuomarit ry - has brought to my own life.
To maintain your attention, I'll give you a carrot. The first person to raise his /her hand after hearing the word "maaliodottama" in my speech will be offered a drink of his/her choice at the bar.
I heard from a friend that it's not necessary to write a speech yourself. He guided me to turn to Artificial Intelligence.
I wrote to Tekoäly like this:
"I'm asking for help writing a speech. The Turku Ice Hockey Referees Association will celebrate its 55th anniversary on May 16, 2025. The association was founded on October 1, 1970. The audience is the members of the association and their spouses. Even though it is a speech, it can be lighthearted in nature and can also contain humor.”
It only took a moment for the Artificial Intelligence to respond:
"Dear members of the party and dear spouses, “Welcome to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Turku Ice Hockey Referees Association! It is great to see you all here today, and I can say that the atmosphere is as warm as a summer day at a hockey rink – hopefully without those icy winds! When I look at you, I think that 55 years ago, on October 1, 1970, someone decided that ice hockey referees have the same right as players: to be a team. And so this association was born, which has since grown and developed – just like the ability of our referees to tolerate player complaints!
This has been a journey filled with memories, laughter and maybe a few tears – but not just during the game, but also when we have tried to explain the rules to those who are not quite sure what offside means, for example. We have been on many rinks, and each of you has contributed to this community in your own way. You have been there for each other, and that is what makes us special. We don’t just have to be referees; we are also friends, family and – believe it or not – sometimes even psychologists when communicating with players and coaches! Today we celebrate the past years, but also the challenges ahead. We know that hockey is constantly changing, and so are we. Let us be ready to embrace new rules, new players and new challenges – and maybe even new ways to laugh at those who still don’t understand why the referee raises his hand for offside!”
Confusing - isn't it? -A pretty good speech.
If I had given the AI even more constraints and wishes, I think the speech would have been even better and more touching.
Despite this positive first experience of using Artificial Intelligence, I believe that the end result of this speech will be better after all, since I, as a member of this association, wrote this speech from now on.
Using Artificial Intelligence as a bridge over a bridge, I will move on to consider change, for which I use the word development as a synonym here.
So far, technology has already reduced the need for officials to work in an ice hockey match.
The time is long gone when founding member Arppa, as a goal referee in Urheilupuisto Montussa, would flag a goal - or not flag it - which some spectators disagreed with and reportedly went and knocked down Arpa's booth.
Now we have video recordings, a situation room and the wise hockey.
Where will development lead on and off the rink: in the officials' box?
As the game has evolved and accelerated over time, it has been felt necessary to increase the number of referees on the ice and to define a division of labor among them so that nothing is missed.
Is it possible that, thanks to or due to technological innovations, they too will be replaceable in the future?
My view is that there is something in a successful referee that cannot be replaced by technology.
To sum it up in one word: humanity.
By that I mean an eye for the game, the ability to read people and situations. Although you sometimes hear people say otherwise, it is a skill that can be developed in itself. Like all skills.
Humanity is the desire and ability for constructive interaction and the ability to feel different emotions. Above all, you need to know how to feel what you feel.
We talk about emotional skills.
At least I feel that being a referee developed those skills in me, although my wife certainly - and most often rightly - thinks that there is still a long way to go.
So being a referee and an official has given me the tools for my life outside the rink.
It has also increased my self-confidence.
I learned to be stubborn, which has always been somehow against my nature and way of thinking.
But I needed it.
As a teacher colleague from Ukraine said: “If a teacher wants to smile in the spring, he won’t smile in the fall.”
This can be used as a metaphor for preparing for a hockey game.
The ability to forget is an important skill when refereeing. If you get caught up in mistakes or resentment, the here and now situations will pass and the end result will be bad.
As a referee, I have had to learn to have compassion for myself. I am still quite incomplete in that respect. The lack of that ability is probably the biggest reason why I never became Aleksi Rantala.
I dare to mention him separately here, as I have had a couple of deep conversations with him on the German Autobahn.
This hobby has increased my understanding of team play and specifically its systemic nature, i.e. how the actions of each member of the team affect the whole.
Working life and life in general are most often a team game.
The membership of the Turku Ice Hockey Referees Association is quite a “mixed bunch”.
There are very few of us who have been offside for the first time at Heideken.
There are those who are just starting out on their refereeing journey and those who have already completed it, but still want to be part of this community.
The majority of us are still on our own refereeing journey as a referee and/or an official.
We are men and women.
Among us are practitioners of different professions, those who are just considering it, and those who have already completed one or more careers.
There are also more paths and reasons for getting involved in this hobby than there were in 1980, for example, when I joined.
Nowadays, people talk about the organization’s diversity of voices, which is considered its strength and therefore worth nurturing.
At the end of his proposed speech, Artificial Intelligence says: “Thank you all for being part of this wonderful community. Let’s raise a glass to 55 years, friendship, and all the unforgettable moments we’ve had together. And remember, even though the game may end, friendship and community will always continue.”
Oh, that goal-scoring moment, maaliodottama.
I couldn’t find a place for it in this speech at all.
