Iceman attends Ice Hockey World Championships.

Current Formula 1 World Championship leader, Kimi Raikkonen, attended the Ice Hockey World Championships in Finland on Sunday 11th May.

The West McLaren Mercedes driver was in Helsinki on Sunday to watch the finals of a sport which is a national obsession in his home country. Like most Finnish schoolboys, Kimi could skate almost before he could walk.

"When I was very little, I used to play for a local team in Espoo," he recalled. "I was the youngest player and also the smallest, but that didn't matter too much, because at that age, it is not really a contact sport. You don't start tackling until you are older."

Known for his aggressive driving style, it comes as a surprise to learn that Raikkonen was a defender on the ice. "I was left-handed and played on the right side and I remember going up against a player who was as tall as Alex Wurz!. But I never got any injuries, because, at that age, we were just skating around and having fun."

Given his diminutive stature, it is unlikely that Raikkonen would have made a career out of his hobby and motor racing soon became his main interest. "Anyway, I got fed up with the ice hockey and packed it in, because you had to get up very early in the morning for practice," he said. These days, he still supports the Espoo team, even if his busy schedule means he does not get to see many games. "But I do watch on television, especially if Finland is playing and I also like the North American series, where they have some great players."

Kimi, fiancee Jenni and a couple of friends arrived at the impressive Hartwall Areena to watch the final match between Canada and Sweden. The venue is famous in the ice hockey world, so much so that its esign has been copied in Hamburg and currently a similar stadium is under construction in Prague, which hosts next year's World Championships.

"It's a shame Finland were not in the final, as this is their home venue," said Raikkonen, as the Finnish squad was knocked out by Sweden in the quarter finals. It was a thrilling match with Sweden taking an early 1-0 lead, only for the home side to score five in a row to lead 5-1. But the Swedes fought back to win 6-5 in a nail-biting finish.

Before the final, Kimi met with Finnish hockey legends Jari Kurri and the managing director of the national team, Hexi Riihiranta, a former NHL player. "He told me what to look for in the game and who the key players were," said the West McLaren Mercedes man. Raikkonen got a great reception from the capacity crowd, with a big "Welcome Kimi" message on the electronic scoreboard, during the final.

"It was a thrilling contest with both teams evenly matched," said Raikkonen. "It was 2-2 at the end of normal time, but Canada took the championship gold medal with a "golden goal" in overtime." After the match, Kimi met some of the players, including Swedish silver medallist Peter Forsberg, and Finnish Ice hockey legend Esa Tikkanen.

Raikkonen still takes to the ice now and again. "I last played just before the start of the season, when I helped a friend coaching." And are there any similarities between playing ice hockey and driving a Formula 1 car? "Both sports require you to be fit and have quick reflexes," reckoned Raikkonen. "But in ice hockey, you only play in short bursts before being substituted for another player."