Lauri Mononen

Lauri Mononen played ice hockey for Finland at the 1972 Sapporo Olympic Winter Games. He would eventually compete for Finland at six World Championships, making his national team début as an 18-year-old. In 1975 he became one of the first Finns to get a North American hockey contract, when he was signed by the Phoenix Roadrunners of the World Hockey Association (WHA). He played two seasons in the WHA, also playing briefly with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League, before returning to Finland. Mononen had attended a Toronto Maple Leafs training camp in 1973.

Mononen played for various clubs in Finland, mostly with Jokerit Helsinki, with whom he started his career, and later for HIFK Helsinki. During his career, he was also briefly with Lahden Reipas, TPS Turku, Keikkoreipas, Peliitat Heinola, Jokipojat Joensuu, and Karhu-Kissat Helsinki. Mononen spent four years playing in Switzerland, three with SC Bern, and one final year with Grindelwald. He was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.