Malste, Arto

THE MAN WHO LED THE ASSAULT on Canberra with two goals to retain the 1987 Goodall Cup for South Australia was a native of Jyväskylä in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. He was 27, but at 21 years-old when he was imported to play for the Adelaide Flyers in the National Ice Hockey League, he told us that Australian hockey will only develop if the organisers and people in charge concentrate on some of the younger players. That was 1980 and it seems to us those sentiments should be respected and long remembered. He played for the Adelaide Tigers in the local league and represented South Australia for many years winning Goodall Cups in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991.

Finland is considered a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations. Born in 1958, Arto Malste had played defense for JYP Jyväskylä in Division 1 of the Finnish league, a level below Olympic selection. The nation won Olympic silver in 1988 and in those days Malste was exceptional at controlling the play in his defensive zone. He represented Australia at the 1987, 1990 and 1995 World Championships. He played for the Adelaide Reds in the 35+ Division 1 and won the 2003 John Thomas Award, the Most Valuable Player in that division of the Old-timers Ice Hockey Australia Network (OiHAN). His association with the Australian game has spanned over three decades.