Rauno Korpi encourages retirees to stay active and embrace new opportunities
Rauno Korpi is sitting in the foyer café of Nokia Arena for an interview, enjoying a cup of coffee. With him are his notes for the City of Tampere’s Retirement! event, where Korpi will be speaking alongside Anne Flinkkilä. Korpi has carefully structured the themes of his talk, just as one would expect from a former professional coach.
Korpi’s ice hockey coaching career, which spanned some thirty years, was a distinguished one. Among his achievements were four Finnish championship titles with Tappara, a bronze medal at the Women’s World Championships and an Olympic bronze medal, as well as a fourth-place finish at the Men’s World Championships with the national team. He was named Coach of the Year three times.
However, his passion for coaching came to an end in 2000. After that, he became a business coach and eventually retired five years ago at the age of seventy. He had to rethink things.
– I had absolutely no plan for my retirement days. I had to find something meaningful to do. Fortunately, my wife found an old summer cottage in Pälkäne, and renovating it has been a pleasant way to spend my time. I also do voluntary work with the Salmentaka Volunteer Fire Brigade there, which owns the oldest dance pavilion in Finland that is still in operation, Korpi says with a chuckle.
Retirement! event offers information and inspiration
The Retirement! event offers information, inspiration and peer support for people approaching a new phase of life. The speakers at the event are Rauno Korpi, Anne Flinkkilä and Juha Junttu. Welcome along!
Time: Monday 21 September 2026, 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm
Venue: Tampere City Hall, Aleksis Kiven katu 14–16 C, Tampere
Who is it for? Anyone who has recently retired or is about to retire
No registration required and no admission charge. A mocktail and light savoury refreshments will be available for the first 200 attendees.
Read more: Retirement! event offers inspiration and information for a new phase of life
Retirement is a time to embrace new opportunities
Korpi emphasises the importance of having meaningful things to do in retirement and says that opportunities should be seized.
– Life always has a sense of purpose. It is worth thinking about what you still have to offer to those around you. Life asks what I can do and give to the world, but it is up to me to answer that question. And it is worth answering life with a yes. You may find that we men are still needed too, Korpi reflects.
Without sensible and meaningful activities, less constructive pursuits can easily take their place. In Korpi’s view, retirement combines both freedom and responsibility. As a concrete example of worthwhile activity, he mentions involvement in the third sector.
– For me personally, being a grandfather to my grandchildren is important and brings a new perspective to life. I was a poor father, and you cannot make up for everything as a grandfather, but I still try to make time for it. Men find it easy to spend time with children because they are childlike themselves, Korpi says with a smile.
He also encourages people to throw themselves boldly into new challenges and opportunities and to remain open to everything.
– I was once invited to appear at a Popeda concert. Just before it started, Costello Hautamäki informed me that I would be singing the Finnish national anthem on my own, without accompaniment, at the beginning. After that, I sang "Mää ja Tapparan mies" with Pate [Pate Mustajärvi] and the band, Korpi laughs.
Nor have the coaching legend’s skills been forgotten. This summer, he has once again been leading Tappara’s famous stair-training sessions on the Pispala Steps.
Friends are worth their weight in gold in retirement
Korpi greets two men walking on the other side of the foyer, who wave back with cheerful smiles. I look to see whom he is greeting: Antti Pennanen and Kari Jalonen, the head coaches of the Finnish national ice hockey team and Tappara. He still has plenty of acquaintances in ice hockey circles.
– People often have a great many acquaintances when they retire, but few close friends, Korpi reflects.
He emphasises the importance of companionship for those entering retirement. Work colleagues often remain part of a previous chapter of life, making other relationships, and especially old friends, more valuable than gold. A close circle of friends must be found outside the workplace. Old friends may also be encountered in various social settings.
– Tackling loneliness is essential for maintaining quality of life. For men, finding friends is particularly difficult. If you do not have them, you should boldly step out into the world and spend time among other people, Korpi encourages.
When working life comes to an end, so does a regular salary, and personal finances can be a challenge for many retirees. Korpi mentions that he too had to tighten his belt when he retired. One has to be more careful with spending and think carefully about expenses.
It is important to take care of your health
With age come various ailments and illnesses. Korpi is grateful that his own health is relatively good. He reminds us that maintaining good health requires effort.
– Jorma Uotinen, Finland’s finest ballet dancer, said in an interview that you have to put your body through its paces every day. I think that was very well said.
For Korpi, all kinds of activity are clearly the key to a good retirement, and he believes that retirement can be a very rewarding stage of life.
– Retirement is a competition-free zone without comparisons. There are no work pressures, and you can be yourself. A work identity is replaced by a valuable senior identity. I would like people to be able to say that retirement is the best time of their life, here and now.
