All-Time Team Finland Hockey Team

[big_steve]

My question is team would you put together as All-Time Finnish hockey team.

Click to read more...

 

[Sampe]

It's quite impossible to compare the early legends to modern day stars, but an impossible task also means that I can't really fail. So...

Forwards:

Jari Kurri................................RW/C
Teemu Selänne.......................RW
Jere Lehtinen..........................RW/LW
Saku Koivu.............................C
Matti Hagman.........................C
Raimo Helminen.......................C
Christian Ruuttu......................C
Esa Tikkanen..........................LW/C
Aarne Honkavaara...................C
Veli-Pekka Ketola....................C
Lasse Oksanen........................F
Matti Keinonen........................LW/RW

Defensemen:

Reijo Ruotsalainen
Pekka Rautakallio
Teppo Numminen
Timo Jutila
Risto Siltanen
Jyrki Lumme
Lalli Partinen
Matti Rintakoski

Goaltenders:

Urpo Ylönen
Miikka Kiprusoff

As you can see, the team has far too many centers. But I just didn't have the guts to drop any of them.

 

[VanIslander]

Please add two-time Canucks leading scorer Petri Skriko. The guy excelled for several years at the NHL level. Put the winger on the third line.

 

[mazmin]

Please add two-time Canucks leading scorer Petri Skriko. The guy excelled for several years at the NHL level.

Then he could also add Oli Jokinen, right?

 

[Sampe]

Please add two-time Canucks leading scorer Petri Skriko. The guy excelled for several years at the NHL level. Put the winger on the third line.

Skriko definitely deserves a mention and at this point I'd easily take him ahead of Olli Jokinen. But who could he replace? Probably none of the NHL forwards and while I know the old timers never played in the NHL, it was hardly because they lacked talent. Keinonen and Oksanen are IIHF Hall of Famers and Honkavaara is basically Finland's equivalent of Gordie Howe. And you can ask Ässät fans if Veli-Pekka Ketola was any good.

 

[big_steve]

Thanks, I appreciate. Can you give me a site with some info about them?

 

[Sampe]

Thanks, I appreciate. Can you give me a site with some info about them?

Sure.

You can find the profiles of Urpo Ylönen (inducted in 1997), Lasse Oksanen (1999), Jari Kurri (2000), Matti Keinonen (2002) and Timo Jutila (2003) here: http://www.iihf.com/iihf/profile/profiles.htm

There's also the www.eurohockey.net (Players -> Search)

And I could always offer some comments myself:

Matti Hagman was Finland's first ever NHL player and Stanley Cup finalist who helped Jari Kurri adapt in Edmonton. He was arguably the most creative Finnish playmaker ever and famous for his lack of speed. He owns the single-season points/game record (87 in 35) in the SM-liiga and is also the 2nd leading point producer in the league's history with 750 points in 513 games.

Raimo Helminen owns the world record for national team games played (330) and is the only ice hockey player and one of six athletes in history to have competed in 6 winter Olympics. He's also the national team's all time leader in both points and assists. A very similar player to Matti Hagman by the way, but had to quit his NHL career due to back problems. Apparently, the European style suited his physique better.

Aarne Honkavaara's profile is here: http://www.1972summitseries.com/otherhonkavaara.html

And the rest should be found here: http://www.azhockey.com/index.html

 

[big_steve]

Once again, thanks.

Can you provide me with lines & defense pairings though? I forgot to ask.

 

[Sampe]

Once again, thanks.

Can you provide me with lines & defense pairings though? I forgot to ask.

From best to worst? That's even harder than selecting the team. I guess it could be something like:

Esa Tikkanen - Saku Koivu - Jari Kurri
Jere Lehtinen - Matti Hagman - Teemu Selänne
Aarne Honkavaara - Raimo Helminen - Christian Ruuttu
Lasse Oksanen - Veli-Pekka Ketola - Matti Keinonen

Reijo Ruotsalainen - Pekka Rautakallio
Risto Siltanen - Teppo Numminen
Timo Jutila - Lalli Partinen
Jyrki Lumme - Matti Rintakoski

Urpo Ylönen
Miikka Kiprusoff

 

[Raipe]

Why in hell Jyrki Lumme is in the team?.He is probaply worst finnish d-man who is ever played in NHL.And Cristian Ruuttu

 

[Sampe]

Why in hell Jyrki Lumme is in the team?.He is probaply worst finnish d-man who is ever played in NHL.And Cristian Ruuttu

I know that many Finns aren't fond of Lumme, but his NHL career was really not that bad. Almost a thousand NHL games and nearly half a thousand points, good enough for 5th all time among Finnish NHLers - and that includes forwards! You could make a case for Hannu Virta, Kari Eloranta, Pekka Marjamäki, Tapio Levo or Juha Rantasila (also Kimmo Timonen and Janne Niinimaa in the near future), but Lumme rightfully belongs to their group IMO.

Christian Ruuttu had a very fine NHL career as well (6th in points among Finns) and was always ready to join the national team in case his team got kicked out of the playoffs.

 

[mikkoz]

Why in hell Jyrki Lumme is in the team?.He is probaply worst finnish d-man who is ever played in NHL.And Cristian Ruuttu

Is this a joke? Sami Helenius and Marko Kiprusoff have played in NHL.

 

[Diaboli]

Is this a joke? Sami Helenius and Marko Kiprusoff have played in NHL.

And Martti Järventie. Man he was a joke, pure and simple.

 

[arrbez]

Why in hell Jyrki Lumme is in the team?.He is probaply worst finnish d-man who is ever played in NHL.And Cristian Ruuttu

i think you're forgetting about a little someone named Aki Berg