Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player was shot twice by his former lover, police have said.

Janne Puhakka, 29, who starred in the Finnish version of the Traitors,  died in the home he shared with his Norwegian veterinarian partner, Rolf Nordmo, 66, in Henttaa, Espoo, on 13 October.

Nordmo is said to have shot his ex-lover twice – who was 37 years his junior – with a hunting shotgun, according to Finnish paper YLE.

When the hockey player returned to the property for ‘practical matters’, Nordmo allegedly grabbed the gun.

A friend of the former sportsman found him dead in the apartment – a visit made after Janne failed to respond to calls and messages.

Matti Högman, who is leading the police investigation, previously told the paper that Puhakka had moved out of their home after the relationship ended ‘several weeks ago’. The break-up is believed to be the motive by police.

Högman added that violence was used ‘more than necessary’ in the death. Nordmo, who held a permit to possess a gun in Norway, is said to have to confessed to police about the murder.

‘The suspect denies any planning. I will not comment on any other details,’ Detective Inspector, who is leading the investigation, told YLE.

It comes after a former teammate of Finland’s first openly gay ice hockey player, Janne Puhakka, broke his silence following Janne’s murder. 

Starbulls goalkeeper Oskar Autio, 25, who previously played for the same Espoo team as Janne, said of the news: ‘I was totally shocked. I think many people were.’

Talking to Footboom about Janne’s death, Oskar said: ‘I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about him. He was just one of those guys you want on your hockey team.’

Oskar added: ‘It’s very rare for something like this to happen in Finland. But it’s even worse when it happens in your hometown and especially when it’s someone you know.’

He also talked about Janne’s decision to openly discuss his sexuality after his playing career, noting that the conversation can be a difficult one to navigate within the sporting world.

Oskar affirmed his beliefs that anyone should be able to play sports regardless of their background and beliefs.

Elsewhere, tributes have flooded in for Janne, with the Finnish League for Human Rights, LGBTIQ-rights group Seta, and Helsinki Pride, organising a gathering on Monday to pay respects to the former ice hockey player.

Crowds gathered at Helsinki’s Senate Square to light candles in remembrance of the athlete.

According to YLE, Tommy Lindgren, who works with the Human Rights League’s sports branch, Team Human Rights, addressed the crowd, saying: ‘He drew attention to the structure of sports organisations, and reminded sports clubs and federations about their responsibilities about human rights.’

It comes after The Traitors Finland has postponed airing the final episode of the second series following the murder of Janne, who was previously a contestant.

Janne was a contestant on the pre-recorded second series of Finland’s version of the show, and had reached the final alongside Green MP Fatim Diarra, YLE reported.

‘We have come to the decision that right now is not the right time to show the episode. We will return to the question of the possible presentation of the episode later,’ a spokesperson from The Traitors said, according to the Finnish publication. 

The 29-year-old functioned as a traitor in the final episode, working to trick the other players into winning the pot of cash.

Matti Högman, who is leading the police investigation into Janne’s death, told the paper that the player had moved out of the home he had shared with his former partner after the relationship ended ‘several weeks ago’. 

When the hockey player returned to the property for ‘practical matters’, Nordmo allegedly grabbed a gun, which he used to kill Janne.

Högman added that violence was used ‘more than necessary’ in the death. Nordmo, who held a permit to possess a gun in Norway, remains in police custody, it has been reported. 

Janne, who played for Espoo Blues and Espoo United before ending his career at the end of the 2017–2018 season, met Nordmo in 2014 and quickly fell in love after chatting online for one week.

Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat previously reported that Janne’s case is being treated as a murder. 

Sanna Marin, the former Finnish Prime Minister, is among those who have paid tribute to the athlete. She took to Instagram to share an image of the former ice hockey player with a broken love heart emoji.

Detective Inspector Matti Högman, told news agency STT there was ‘reason to believe the suspect’s actions were deliberate and cruel’ and the ‘suspect and victim knew each other’.

On the evening Janne died, a bystander called the police to the couple’s apartment after suspecting a violent crime.

The 29-year-old was the first Finnish ice hockey player who openly discussed his homosexuality.

At the start of his career, he hid his sexual identity from friends for fear of being stigmatised.

Janne and Nordmo discussed their relationship in the Mirror in 2022, with the sports professional saying he kept his relationship private because he was ‘scared of the way I would be perceived in the ultra-masculine sporting world’.

After chatting online in June 2014, Nordmo flew three times from his home in Oslo to Helsinki, Finland, to see Janne.

At the time, Nordmo told himself that the relationship wouldn’t work because of their age gap, and told himself that it was ‘just a Summer fling’. 

But the pair grew closer, and Nordmo went on to visit Janne while he was working in Canada. 

Janne stayed with a host family and told them Nordmo was his uncle so he could see him in his hotel. 

‘It felt so weird to be hiding our relationship; I just wanted to say he was my boyfriend,’ Nordmo said.

When meeting publicly, the pair would pretend to be just friends or that Nordmo was Janne’s uncle.

Nordmo said onlookers often thought they were a ‘sugar daddy and baby or father and son’.

Janne previously said: ‘We both had to battle with ourselves to get to the point we are now. We love each other and that’s all that matters.’ 

He added that friends and family learned to understand that their relationship was ‘not strange’ and they ‘complement each other’.

Nordmo, who came out as gay at 40, was previously married to a woman for 17 years, with whom he has three children.

He told them about his relationship with Janne in February 2015, with them initially having mixed reactions.

Janne started playing hockey at six, before claiming a place on the Finnish national youth team at 16, according to OutSports.

He hoped that by talking publicly about his sexual orientation, he would help other players in the future.

After his stint playing ice hockey, Janne went on to study international business in Haaga-Helia and worked in sportswear sales in a Amer Sport store.

He told Frenn: ‘When my sport career came to an end, I had to think what I would like to do next. Beside sports, fashion and clothing have always interested me. 

‘So it was quite natural to combine these two elements. Sportswear business is a perfect place for me to use my past experience and develop my future career goals.’ 

He added: ‘Physical and mental well-being of my family is the corner stone in my life. I have always valued healthy lifestyle and that’s what I am working for also today.’