| Jari Levonen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Jari Levonen in 2013 | |||
| Born |
August 23, 1966 Pori, Finland | ||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Jokipojat Porin Ässät | ||
| Playing career | 1985–1999 | ||
Jari "Japa" Levonen[1] (Born: 23 August 1966) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger and referee. Levonen represented the Porin Ässät and the Jokipojat during his player career. He has won the golden Whistle award 15 times in the SM-liiga, being the best referee voted by players 15 times in a row between 2002 and 2017.[2] He has also won the Unto Wiitala trophy seven times as the best referee in Finland decided by SM-liiga's referee coaching group.[3] Levonen has the second most whistled games in the SM-liiga with 979, only behind Timo Favorin.[4] Levonen retired in 2020, but has officiated in preseason games.[5]
- ^ "Suomalainen tuomarilegenda puolustaa MM-finaalissa rajua kritiikkiä saaneita ruotsalaiskollegoita – ottaa kantaa Björnisen väitettyyn filmaamiseen". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Holopainen, Pekka (2018-09-25). "Mihin Jari Levonen katosi SM-liigakaukaloista? Suosikkituomarin poissaolo kummastuttaa kiekkopiireissä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Liuhala, Juhani (2020-03-09). "Jari Levonen haluaisi päättää uransa torstaina Porissa: "Se olisi monella tavalla luonnollinen päätös"". Satakunnan Kansa (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "IS: Jari Levosen ura Liiga-tuomarina päättyy tähän kevääseen". Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta (in Finnish). 2020-03-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "Jäähyväisottelu meni pilalle – SM-liigan tuomarilegenda viheltää vielä yhden pelin". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-11-07.