Traitors TV finale postponed after contestant Janne Puhakka, 29, was murdered

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Janne Puhakka, who was Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player, was found dead in the home where he had been living with his partner, 67-year-old  Rolf Nordmo.

Janne Puhakka is best known for playing ice hockey for Espoo Blues in Finland’s top Liiga hockey league. Janne reportedly retired from hockey three years after meeting Nordmo. 

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Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin took to Instagram to pay tribute to Janne and shared a black and white image of the former ice hockey player with a broken heart emoji. 

Jason Nikkinen also paid tribute to Janne on Instagram and said: “Janne Puhakka will be remembered as a great friend, teammate and a true role model whose courage, creativity & positive attitude made a real impact not only within ice hockey, but also in the broader world of Finnish sports & society.

“Janne is now gone, but his legacy will live forever. Sincere condolences to the family and those who were closest to him.”

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YLE News reported that a “66-year-old man has admitted to shooting the 29-year-old Puhakka. The police statement did not confirm the identity of the suspect.

“However, according to Yle's information, Puhakka's partner, the 66-year-old Norwegian veterinarian Rolf Nordmo, has admitted to the killing.

Janne Puhakka had been starring as a contestant on the Finland series of The Traitors, which is often filmed a year in advance. However, the TV channel Nelonen has now decided to not air the final after the former ice hockey player was murdered.

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Nelonen issued a statement which read: "The final episode of the season of Petolliset was scheduled to be shown on Thursday of this week.

"We have come to the conclusion that right now is not the right time to air an episode. We will return to the question of the possible presentation of the episode later. We share in the grief of Janne's loved ones."

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