Jarmo Kekalainen was a skilled left-winger who could score and play sound defensive hockey. He was a solid player in the Finnish League, U.S. College, and international level and suited up briefly with the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators in the early 1990s.
The native of Tampere, Finland played the 1985-86 season with the well-known Ilves club in his hometown. That year he also represented Finland at the World Junior Championships. After one more season with Ilves Tampere, Kekalainen came to North America to attend Clarkson University. He adjusted well in his freshman year but as a sophomore in 1988-89 he broke through with 44 points in 31 games and was named to the ECAC first all-star team. Following his strong season, Kekalainen signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins.
Kekalainen played 27 games for Boston over two seasons then represented Finland at the 1991 Canada Cup. He returned home to play for KalPa Kuopio and Tappara Tampere before giving the NHL one more try with the Ottawa Senators in 1993-94. He played 28 games for the Sens and spent time with the club's AHL farm team in PEI. Kekalainen played two more years with KalPa Kuopio before retiring in 1996.
