Pool World Loses the Iceman Mika Immonen
The Pool World lost another Champion on September 28th, with the passing of “The Iceman” Mika Immonen.
Immonen had been fighting with a cancer diagnosis for the last couple of years and had fought off the disease well enough to get back on a pool table for competition as recently as January of this year, but he finally lost his battle on Sunday night.
Immonen has been a major part of the Pro Pool scene for well over twenty five years now. He was earning EuroTour and Finnish titles as far back as the early 90’s and started making his mark on the American scene at the turn of the century.
Immonen won the first ever Turning Stone Classic event, all the way back in 2000 and was still competing at the event early this year at the 40th Turning Stone Classic.
Immonen won the first of two World Championships in 2001, with his victory over Ralf Souquet in Cardiff, Wales. 2001 was also the year that Immonen got within striking distance of a coveted US Open 9-Ball title, but fell one match short, dropping the finals to Corey Deuel.
Immonen added a Derby City Classic 9-Ball title to his resume in 2002, as well as a win for Team Europe at the Mosconi Cup. Immonen competed for the Mosconi Cup fifteen different times and hoisted the trophy on four different occasions.
Immonen had his most dominant run starting in late 2008, with notable wins at the US Open (over Ronnie Alcano), the All Japan Championship and Mosconi Cup. That dominance would continue into 2009 with an amazing run through the one loss side at the US Open 9-Ball Championship. Immonen lost a second round match to Chris Bartram, but bounced back with thirteen straight matches on the one loss side, capped off with a 13-10 come from behind win over Ralf Souquet for back to back US Open trophies. Immonen would also win his second World Championship in 2009 at the World 10-Ball event in Manila, beating home favorite Lee Vann Corteza in the finals.
Immonen was recognized for his domination with back to back Player of the Year titles in 2008 and 2009 and was named the Player of the Decade for the 2000’s. In 2014 he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.
