He led the national team at four Ice Hockey World Championships and two Winter Olympic Games, established a training camp at Vierumäki, and wrote three instructional books for coaches and players.

[2] In 1951, he began a six-month contract giving lectures and teaching clinics for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, and helped the Finland men's national team prepare for the 1952 Winter Olympics.

[2] At the 1963 World Championships, Finland earned its first victory versus the United States national team,[3] and placed fifth overall with one win and one draw in seven games.

[8] At the 1964 Winter Olympics, Wirkkunen led Finland to victories versus the Switzerland national team and the United States, and sixth-place finish.

[11] His final international tournament as head coach was the 1966 World Championships,[3] where he led Finland to another seventh-place finish with two wins in seven games.

[10] Wirkkunen also wrote three instructional books for coaches and players, and was invited to travel with the Finland men's national team to competitions during the 1970s.

[2] He was remembered for teaching technical and tactical skills, building the foundation for future success of the Finland men's national team, and instilling "a relentless Canadian attitude" into Finnish players.