Ilkka Sinisalo Passes Away At Age 58

[Hollywood Cannon]

https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/fly...kka-sinisalo--philadelphia-flyers/c-288463900

It is with deep sadness that the Philadelphia Flyers announce the passing of Ilkka Sinisalo, former player and long-time scout for the organization. Sinisalo passed away peacefully with his family by his side in Finland this morning. He was 58.

"Ilkka was a true friend and loyal member of the Flyers," said Flyers President Paul Holmgren. "He gave a great deal of his time, effort and talents to the organization in several capacities as a player and long-time scout to bring this franchise success on and off the ice. Most important to all that knew him, he was a great person, a loving husband, father and grandfather. His presence and friendship will be deeply missed by all that knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of over 35 years, Carina, his sons Niklas and Tomas, as well as Tomas' wife, Maija and their children Peter and Matilda."

"Ilkka was a very good player, a great teammate, but most importantly an outstanding person and a terrific friend to us all," said Flyers Executive Vice President & General Manager Ron Hextall. "We've all had the pleasure to work with him for many years and he will be missed."

Click to read more...

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

OMG

This is terrible.
Rest in Peace, Ilka.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Horrible,,, was one of my favs.

RIP Ilkka Score A Goalaaa

 

[Cmoneyflyguy]

Dang - that sucks. Very young.
I'll never forget the between the legs backhander he scored.
Goal was amazing.

 

[Hockeypete49]

This is just terrible news. Such a stand up player for us. So young so sad, this really caught me by surprise as I did not hear he was ill. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

 

[Chuck Downie]

He was one of the reasons I started following the Flyers. Terrible news. RIP.

 

[Jack Straw]

Wow. So sad.

 

[YEM]

RIP
so young
he and Kerr were so great together on the Power Play
Sinisalo one of the most underrated Flyers of all-time

 

[trostol]

so sad..loved having him and Eklund on the team

 

[Rebels57]

I am too young to remember Ilkka. What kind of player was he? Who would be a modern comparable?

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

His goal against Montreal in Game 1 of the 1987 Conference Finals is one of the most memorable in team history.

Too many Flyers' players from that era have passed at a young age.

Live life to its fullest gang.

Rest in peace.

 

[Embiid]

Terrible!

When I started following the Flyers Ilkka had become rather injury prone but will never forget his contributions when he played.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

For those who don't remember the Keenan-coached teams, they were simply a pleasure to watch, a respected bunch of athletes who never quit. They were deep and talented and played with gusto and bravado with a heavy emphasis on youthful exuberance and veteran wisdom. Sinisalo was one of the cogs. They were a unique blend. Not much like the Bullies. The complete opposite of how the players responded and reacted under coach Pat Quinn and his teams. Nothing like the star powered Lindros-era teams. Nothing remotely similar to any of the recent squads. A complete joy that was stopped only by an exorbitant amount of injuries and even death.

-----------------

From Panaccio and CSN:

Sinisalo was one of the quickest, smoothest skaters in the entire NHL during that era when goals were scored by the bushel. He played up and down the lineup on Mike Keenan's teams.
*
"Ilkka was awesome to play with," recalled teammate Brian Propp. "He always knew how to score. He picked the corners, he never missed the net and he was a two-way player. He made a difference for us on the second and third line because we needed scoring and he filled that role."
*
Sinisalo's best season was 1985-86 when he had career-highs in goals (39) and points (76). That particular team, led by Propp's 97 points, had four players with 76 or more points and five players with 27 or more goals, led by Tim Kerr's 58.
*
Pelle Eklund's 51 assists that year remains a Flyers rookie record. Just an amazing offensive team.
*
"He played with [Peter] Zezel and [Rick] Tocchet a little bit [on the off-wing]," Propp said. "And with Derek Smith and Lindsay Carson. He was pretty good at hanging in there with guys.

http://www.csnphilly.com/philadelphia-flyers/popular-former-flyer-ilkka-sinisalo-dies-58

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I am too young to remember Ilkka. What kind of player was he? Who would be a modern comparable?

I have a terrible memory for specifics, but when I think of him I see him as the prototypical "classy" player. I'm not saying that just to honor his memory or something - he just always seemed to be that type of player, the type we would classify as a "classy European player." I remember him being a very consistent player in general - when he was on the ice, it felt like things were in control and he wasn't going to do anything clumsy or thoughtless. I remember him as being less "dynamic," in a way, than guys like Propper and Tocchet and Zezel, but still very smooth. I also remember a whole bunch of times where I would be thinking "Hell yes, Ilka" because he had done something to help us, to create chances for or prevent chances against or just generally propel us forward. All of that could be my mind playing tricks on me, I don't know - I only remember the general idea I had of him. But that idea was overwhelmingly positive. He wasn't the kind of guy that would ever get on your nerves for something he had done. An overwhelmingly positive presence in our second-greatest era. He was an utterly loveable guy.

 

[Embiid]

For those who don't remember the Keenan-coached teams, they were simply a pleasure to watch, a respected bunch of athletes who never quit. They were deep and talented and played with gusto and bravado with a heavy emphasis on youthful exuberance and veteran wisdom. Sinisalo was one of the cogs. They were a unique blend. Not much like the Bullies. The complete opposite of how the players responded and reacted under coach Pat Quinn and his teams. Nothing like the star powered Lindros-era teams. Nothing remotely similar to any of the recent squads. A complete joy that was stopped only by an exorbitant amount of injuries and even death.

-----------------

From Panaccio and CSN:



http://www.csnphilly.com/philadelphia-flyers/popular-former-flyer-ilkka-sinisalo-dies-58

Yup...I started watching them during the 85-86 season but really started following them religiously at the outset of the 86-87 season. I feel blessed to have experienced a brand of Flyers hockey that to this day remains unmatched for me since I was too young for the cup teams.

 

[Embiid]

I have a terrible memory for specifics, but when I think of him I see him as the prototypical "classy" player. I'm not saying that just to honor his memory or something - he just always seemed to be that type of player, the type we would classify as a "classy European player." I remember him being a very consistent player in general - when he was on the ice, it felt like things were in control and he wasn't going to do anything clumsy or thoughtless. I remember him as being less "dynamic," in a way, than guys like Propper and Tocchet and Zezel, but still very smooth. I also remember a whole bunch of times where I would be thinking "Hell yes, Ilka" because he had done something to help us, to create chances for or prevent chances against or just generally propel us forward. All of that could be my mind playing tricks on me, I don't know - I only remember the general idea I had of him. But that idea was overwhelmingly positive. He wasn't the kind of guy that would ever get on your nerves for something he had done. An overwhelmingly positive presence in our second-greatest era. He was an utterly loveable guy.

You just brought it all back....I remember feeling these exact sentiments.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

That line with Smith and Carson and Ilka was just fantastic. The one with Zezel and Tocchet was as well, but it was more high-profile and you expected more from them. Carson and Smith (and Ilka) didn't have the same stature or reputation, but they were so key to that run in 1987, as was Ilka. Everyone was, really, and that was the beauty of it. I really could see us building toward something kind of similar in the next few years - it's nearly impossible to think of a team with that much heart again - it is impossible to imagine, actually - and we won't have a goaltender as wild as Hexy, but I could see us building a four-line team that is less top-heavy, with the responsibility (offensively and defensively) spread around. It may surprise younger posters to hear this, when you take into account all the good things we have (rightfully) heard about the young defensemen in our pipeline, but if our defense corps of the near future is only as good as the 1987 one, we will be in very, very good shape.

 

[Embiid]

That line with Smith and Carson and Ilka was just fantastic. The one with Zezel and Tocchet was as well, but it was more high-profile and you expected more from them. Carson and Smith (and Ilka) didn't have the same stature or reputation, but they were so key to that run in 1987, as was Ilka. Everyone was, really, and that was the beauty of it. I really could see us building toward something kind of similar in the next few years - it's nearly impossible to think of a team with that much heart again - it is impossible to imagine, actually - and we won't have a goaltender as wild as Hexy, but I could see us building a four-line team that is less top-heavy, with the responsibility (offensively and defensively) spread around. It may surprise younger posters to hear this, when you take into account all the good things we have (rightfully) heard about the young defensemen in our pipeline, but if our defense corps of the near future is only as good as the 1987 one, we will be in very, very good shape.

I am not sure though we will ever have a defensive pairing so solid as we had with McCrimmon and Howe....but one can dream and never say never

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I am not sure though we will ever have a defensive pairing so solid as we had with McCrimmon and Howe....but one can dream and never say never

I know, right? They were just so, so good. I really loved Doug Crossman, too. I had this tendency to kind of choose a lower-profile player as my favorite, someone who was under the radar a bit, and he fit the bill exactly for me. Any time he made a mistake I felt completely physically and mentally ill lol.

Funny thing is, even though I can't remember **** for details 99% of the time, I remember Game 4 like it was yesterday. I was in a bar (illegally, at 18) that served food, and one of my idiot friends saw shark on the menu and ordered it. This was long before people were interested in food and we were in land-locked Missouri, about a million miles from the ocean, and when it came to the table it was all gray - it looked completely disgusting, but my idiot friend ate one or two forkfuls just to say he had done it. At some point, Hextall gloriously tomahawked **** Nilsson. I can still see it perfectly, and remember desperately trying to think of excuses to make to my friends (Habs fans) who were outraged

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Yup...I started watching them during the 85-86 season but really started following them religiously at the outset of the 86-87 season. I feel blessed to have experienced a brand of Flyers hockey that to this day remains unmatched for me since I was too young for the cup teams.

The goal I mentioned earlier is found in the wonders of YouTube at 2:57. On video, the excitement is perhaps subdued, but the reaction watching that live was immense.

https://youtu.be/uYmOEDOeN84?t=177

 

[Larry44]

I know, right? They were just so, so good. I really loved Doug Crossman, too. I had this tendency to kind of choose a lower-profile player as my favorite, someone who was under the radar a bit, and he fit the bill exactly for me. Any time he made a mistake I felt completely physically and mentally ill lol.

Funny thing is, even though I can't remember **** for details 99% of the time, I remember Game 4 like it was yesterday. I was in a bar (illegally, at 18) that served food, and one of my idiot friends saw shark on the menu and ordered it. This was long before people were interested in food and we were in land-locked Missouri, about a million miles from the ocean, and when it came to the table it was all gray - it looked completely disgusting, but my idiot friend ate one or two forkfuls just to say he had done it. At some point, Hextall gloriously tomahawked **** Nilsson. I can still see it perfectly, and remember desperately trying to think of excuses to make to my friends (Habs fans) who were outraged

RIP to him and condolences to his family, friends and teammates. Very sad to see him pass so young.

I remember going early to a game in Toronto and watching the warmup. They were just circling, shooting on the empty net. Sinisalo hit the top corner of the crossbar post. Then again. Then he started bearing down and kept doing it. He picked the corner about 10 times in a row. Ping, ping, ping. I remember saying to my buddy, 'no Illka, shoot it IN the net.' Just a very skilled, reliable player.

Someone asked for a comparison. I want to say a smaller version of Marian Hossa or a more skilled version of Raffl. Pure gentleman but very effective player. Build like a tank, fast, skilled. Those '80s teams with Poulin, Propp, Eklund, Sinisalo, Craven were very skilled too (not to mention Kerr, Tocchet, Sutters, Zezel, Smith, Carson, etc). Clarke's biggest mistake was letting McCrimmon go over peanuts. He is man enough to admit it.

I really likes Crossman and Marsh too, another great pairing. Crossman's memory is why I don't want them to give up on Hagg. He could be the same kind of stabilizing influence.

While I'm reminiscing, does anyone remember when we first got Kjell Samuelsson off the Rangers? So tall and gangly he looked like he could not move on the ice but became a great player. Think of him when looking at how well Morin moves at that height! And be thankful Kjell is there to teach Big Sammy 2.0.

 

[W75]

Saw news. Rest in peace, Ilkka.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I read this while at work.It really bummed me out.
He sure was a fun player to watch. Really, really good player but as been pointed out an even better person. He will be missed.
condolences to the Sinisalo family.
RIP.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

So young, man.

RIP.

 

[dats81]

Way too young!

And the Flyers lost a really good scout.