 |
Niklas Bäckström
* February 13, 1978 Helsinki
185 cm, 89 kg
Catches left
Team: Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Niklas Bäckström goes to his second Olympic tournament in search of his first Olympic assignment: in Turin 2006 he was the reserve goaltender of the Finnish silver medal team. He guarded the net of the Finnish Lions at the World Championships of 2005 and 2008, shutting out Sweden in the bronze medal game in Quebec 2008. Niklas is somewhat a late bloomer: he was 28 when he first came to the NHL having previously won two Finnish championship titles with Kärpät Oulu. He has not needed to look back: in the 2006/07 season Niklas won the awards for the goaltender who allowed fewest goals and saved with best percentage in regular-season play in the NHL.
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 56 games, 0+2=2 points
 |
Miikka Kiprusoff
* October 26, 1976 Turku
185 cm, 85 kg
Catches left
Team: Calgary Flames (NHL)
Miikka Kiprusoff’s goaltending was instrumental in Finland’s surprising progress all through to the final in the 2004 World Cup. He was slated to be the number one netminder of the Lions in the Olympic tournament 2006 as well, but hip injury ultimately prevented his trip to Turin. Vancouver 2010 will thus be his first Olympic Games. “Kipper’s” first address in the NHL was San Jose Sharks, but a move to Calgary in November 2003 put him on a path to stardom. In his first season with the Flames he posted a modern-day NHL record in goals against average (1.69) and went on to lead the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup finals. In the 2005/06 season he became the first Finnish player to win the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender of the league. Miikka’s elder brother Marko Kiprusoff is a defender and Olympic bronze medallist from Lillehammer 1994.
1999 WCh silver
2001 WCh silver
2004 WCup 2nd
National team: 41 games, 0+1=1 points
 |
Antero Niittymäki
* June 18, 1980 Turku
183 cm, 88 kg
Catches left
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Antero Niittymäki was the key man in Finland’s sensational run in the 2006 Olympic tournament in Turin. He went to North America in 2002 but had to spend the first three seasons in the minor league. After winning the MVP award of the Calder Cup playoffs in 2005 he was called to the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL. Antero was originally selected as third-choice goaltender to the Finnish team for Turin, but injuries to Miikka Kiprusoff and Kari Lehtonen promoted him to number one. In Turin he allowed only eight goals in six games, shut out Canada and Russia and won the MVP award of the entire Olympic tournament. In 2009 Antero moved from Philadelphia to Tampa Bay Lightning.
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
National team: 26 games, 0+0=0 points
 |
Lasse Kukkonen
* September 18, 1981 Oulu
184 cm, 90 kg
Shoots left
Team: Avangard Omsk (KHL)
Lasse Kukkonen was called to the Finnish team as a backup defender after injury to Sami Salo in the middle of the Olympic tournament in Turin 2006. He was entered in the roster for the semi-final and final games and rewarded with a silver medal. Vancouver will be Lasse’s first chance to really prove himself on Olympic ice. At the World Championships he has already done that, winning bronze in 2006 and silver in 2007. After four seasons in the NHL at Philadelphia and Chicago Lasse joined the Siberian team Avangard Omsk in the KHL in 2009. Lasse is married and father of two girls. His favourite pastime is greyhound racing.
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 63 games, 3+8=11 points
 |
Sami Lepistö
* October 17, 1984 Espoo
183 cm, 87 kg
Shoots left
Team: Phoenix Coyotes (NHL)
Sami Lepistö was selected best defender of the World Junior Championships of 2004 played on home ice in Helsinki. He made his debut in the senior national team in the following year. Vancouver will be Sami’s second major tournament with the Lions after the World Championships of 2008, where his overtime goal in the quarter-final game against the USA put Finland through to medal play. Sami’s father Jussi was also a national team hockey player. His godfather is none other than the legendary NHL star Jari Kurri, current manager of the Finnish national team. Sami is known as an avid golfer.
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 17 games, 1+3=4 points
 |
Toni Lydman
* September 25, 1977 Lahti
185 cm, 92 kg
Shoots left
Team: Buffalo Sabres (NHL)
Toni Lydman has played for Finland in the Olympic final of 2006, the World Championship finals of 1998 and 1999 and the World Cup final of 2004 as well as for the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup finals of 2004. Unfortunately his teams always ended up on the losing side, but that was not down to the ever-dependable defensive-minded defenseman. Toni is married and has two daughters. He plays the guitar in a Finnish heavy metal band whenever his hockey schedule allows.
1998 WCh silver
1999 WCh silver
2000 WCh bronze
2002 WCh 4th
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver
National team: 108 games, 7+11=18 points
 |
Janne Niskala
* September 22, 1981 Västerås (Sweden)
184 cm, 91 kg
Shoots left
Team: Frölunda HC (Sweden)
Janne Niskala is the only member of the Finnish Olympic team in Vancouver who does not ply his trade in the NHL or the KHL. The offensive-prone defender currently plays in Sweden, which also happens to be the country of his birth – his parents were working there at the time. Janne’s eventful hockey career has also taken him to North America, Switzerland and even England. Janne made his debut in the national team in 2001 but his first major tournament was the World Championships of 2008, where he scored a couple of important blueline goals to help Finland win bronze.
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 51 games, 10+9=19 points
 |
Joni Pitkänen
* September 19, 1983 Oulu
192 cm, 97 kg
Shoots left
Team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Joni Pitkänen will go to his first Olympic tournament after a last minute groin injury forced him out of the team for Turin 2006. In Vancouver 2010 he will actually make his first appearance in any major tournament with the Finnish senior national team. Joni was drafted to the NHL by the Philadelphia Flyers as number 4 overall in 2002. In the following year he won the award for best defender at the World Junior Championships in Canada. In his first season with the Flyers Joni was selected to the All-Rookie Team of the NHL. Outside of the hockey rink Joni is a great fan of soccer and Manchester United in particular.
National team: 4 games, 0+1=1 points
 |
Sami Salo
* September 2, 1974 Turku
192 cm, 95 kg
Shoots right
Team: Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Sami Salo is one Finnish Lion who will certainly feel at home at the Olympic Games. He has been a Vancouver Canuck since 2002. Sami possesses one of the most powerful slapshots in the NHL. He has often suffered from injuries during his career. Sami started his NHL career in 1998 with the Ottawa Senators and was selected to the All-Rookie Team of the league. His major debut in the Finnish national team came later, at the World Championships of 2001 where he collected a silver medal and was selected to the All-Star Team. His other silver medal is from the Olympic tournament in Turin 2006, where a shoulder injury forced him out of the semi-final and final games. Sami is married and has three children.
2001 WCh silver
2002 OG 5th-8th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver
National team: 40 games, 4+13=17 points
 |
Kimmo Timonen
* March 18, 1975 Kuopio
177 cm, 89 kg
Shoots left
Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Kimmo Timonen has been selected All-Star defender at the last two world elite tournaments in ice hockey: the World Cup of 2004 and the Turin Olympic Games in 2006. On both occasions Finland upset the odds and went through to the final, not least thanks to his defensive skills. Kimmo started his NHL career with the Nashville Predators in 1998 and captained the team in 2006/07, his last season there before moving to Philadelphia. For the Finnish Lions he has been an automatic choice whenever available for every major championship event since 1996. Kimmo is married and has three children. His brother Jussi is also a defender with NHL experience. Kimmo is a co-owner of his home town team KalPa in the Finnish hockey league.
1996 WCh 5th
1998 OG bronze, WCh silver
1999 WCh silver
2001 WCh silver
2002 OG 5th-8th, WCh 4th
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCup 2nd
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver
National team: 142 games, 15+47=62 points
 |
Valtteri Filppula
* March 20, 1984 Vantaa
182 cm, 90 kg
Shoots left
Team: Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
The Olympic tournament in Vancouver gives Finnish hockey fans finally a chance to see their latest Stanley Cup hero play in the lion jersey. Valtteri Filppula was a star player in the Finnish national junior team but has so far been unavailable for the senior side. This is because his NHL team is the Detroit Red Wings, who have competed for the Stanley Cup every season. When they succeeded in 2008, Valtteri scored a goal in the decisive game. Breakthrough season with the Stanley Cup champions earned him the Finnish Hockey Player of the Year award in 2008. Valtteri’s second sport in his junior years was Finnish baseball. Nowadays he enjoys playing tennis, golf and badminton.
National team: 6 games, 0+0=0 points
 |
Niklas Hagman
* December 5, 1979 Espoo
183 cm, 95 kg
Shoots left
Team: Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Niklas Hagman scored the overtime goal that gave Finland the gold medal at the World Junior Championships of 1998. In 2002 he was selected best forward at the World Championship tournament in Sweden. In the NHL Niklas has played for Florida, Dallas and since 2008 the Toronto Maple Leafs. Niklas has an impressive pedigree in Finnish sports history. His father Matti Hagman was the ever first Finnish NHL player, and his aunt Riitta Salin won the European championship in women’s 400 metres in 1974. Niklas is married and has two children.
2002 OG 5th-8th, WCh 4th
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd,
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 87 games, 23+14=37 points
 |
Jarkko Immonen
* April 19, 1982 Rantasalmi
183 cm, 96 kg
Shoots right
Team: Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)
Jarkko Immonen was the star player in the Finnish league in the 2008/09 season, leading his team JYP to championship title. He also made an impressive major debut in the Finnish national team at the World Championships in Switzerland last spring. Instead of returning to the NHL, where he had had a previous stint with the New York Rangers, Jarkko decided to join Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL. Excellent performances in the national team on the Euro Hockey Tour earned him a call to his first Olympic tournament in Vancouver. He is one of the best faceoff specialists in the Finnish team.
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 53 games, 15+20=35 points
 |
Olli Jokinen
* December 5, 1978 Kuopio
188 cm, 92 kg
Shoots left
Team: Calgary Flames (NHL)
Olli Jokinen almost scored the most important goal in Finnish hockey history, but his last-minute shot was miraculously saved by the Swedish goaltender in the Olympic final in Turin 2006. Olli was a child prodigy in Finnish hockey: he led Finland to gold at the World Junior Championships in 1998 and was drafted as number 3 overall to the NHL. Olli holds a rather dubious NHL record: he played more regular season games than anyone else without ever making the playoffs – until he finally succeeded with his new team Calgary in 2009. This was not down to Olli himself, who captained the Florida Panthers for five years and holds club records in scoring goals and points. Absence of postseason play has made Olli readily available for national team duty and he has answered the call unwaveringly. He has played for Finland at ten World Championships, two Olympic Games and one World Cup and collected two silver and three bronze medals at the World Championships in addition to the Olympic silver in Turin. Olli is married and has two daughters.
1997 WCh 5th
1998 WCh silver
1999 WCh silver
2000 WCh bronze
2002 OG 5th-8th, WCh 4th
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 135 games, 45+35=80 points
 |
Niko Kapanen
* April 29, 1978 Hattula
176 cm, 80 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)
Niko Kapanen has been a permanent fixture in the roster of the Finnish national team ever since his impressive debut at the World Championships of 2000 in St. Petersburg. Not least remarkable was his latest service to the Finnish Lions at the 2009 World Championships in Switzerland, where he scored tournament-leading seven goals. Last spring Niko also celebrated the KHL championship title with Ak Bars Kazan, team he joined in 2008 after six seasons in the NHL at Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix. Vancouver will be his second Olympic tournament.
2000 WCh bronze
2001 WCh silver
2002 WCh 4th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd,
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver
2007 WCh silver
2008 WCh bronze
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 151 games, 33+54=87 points
 |
Mikko Koivu
* March 12, 1983 Turku
189 cm, 92 kg
Shoots left
Team: Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Mikko Koivu looks set to follow his elder brother Saku as leader of the Finnish Lions in years to come. He starred for Finland at World Junior and World Under 18 Championships around the turn of the millennium before joining the Minnesota Wild, who in 2009 made him the first permanent team captain in franchise history. Mikko was the leading Finnish scorer in the NHL in the 2008/09 season and holds the same position in this year’s statistics as well. Even more impressive are his credentials in the national team. Ever since the World Cup of 2004 Finland has won a medal in each championship tournament Mikko has played in and failed to win one without him. In the semi-final game of the 2007 World Championships in Moscow he scored the overtime goal that knocked Russia out of their own tournament.
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2007 WCh silver
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 52 games, 10+10=20 points
 |
Saku Koivu
* November 23, 1974 Turku
179 cm, 81 kg
Shoots left
Team: Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Saku Koivu has led the Finnish Lions to Olympic medals in Lillehammer, Nagano and Turin, as well as to their only gold medal so far at the World Championships of 1995. He missed the 2002 Olympic Games due to serious illness, from which he has made full recovery. In the NHL Saku captained the legendary Montreal Canadiens for ten years before moving to Anaheim in 2009, where he has joined the other Lions legend Teemu Selänne. When they teamed up in Turin 2006, they finished first and second in the scoring statistics of the Olympic tournament. At the Turin Games of 2006 Saku was elected by his fellow Olympic athletes to the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee, where he is currently serving an eight-year term. Saku is married and father of two children.
1993 WCh 7th
1994 OG bronze, WCh silver
1995 WCh gold
1996 WCup 5th,
1997 WCh 5th
1998 OG bronze
1999 WCh silver
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 113 games, 36+77=113 points
 |
Jere Lehtinen
* June 24, 1973 Espoo
181 cm, 89 kg
Shoots right
Team: Dallas Stars (NHL)
Jere Lehtinen is the only Finnish ice hockey player who has won the highest prizes in both national team and the NHL. In 1995 he starred with his line mates Saku Koivu and Ville Peltonen in the gold-medal winning Finnish team at the World Championships, and in 1999 he won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars, his only ever NHL team. Jere is also a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy awarded to the best defensive forward of the NHL season. Vancouver will already be his fifth Olympic Games. Jere is married and has three children. He is a fan of heavy metal music and has sponsored a big annual festival in Helsinki.
1992 WCh silver
1994 OG bronze, WCh silver
1995 WCh gold
1996 WCup 5th
1998 OG bronze
2002 OG 5th-8th
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver
2007 WCh silver
National team: 99 games, 33+33=66 points
 |
Antti Miettinen
* July 3, 1980 Hattula
182 cm, 88 kg
Shoots right
Team: Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Antti Miettinen goes to his first Olympic Games after a last-minute injury sidelined him from the Finnish team in Turin 2006. Antti made his debut at the World Championships in 2002 and was selected best player of the Finnish League in the following year before moving to the NHL. In Moscow in 2007 he scored a goal against Canada in the World Championship final. Antti’s favourite hobbies are golf, fishing and playing the guitar.
2002 WCh 4th
2003 WCh 5th
2006 WCh bronze
2007 WCh silver
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 70 games, 15+25=40 points
 |
Ville Peltonen
* May 24, 1973 Vantaa
179 cm, 85 kg
Shoots left
Team: Dynamo Minsk (KHL)
Ville Peltonen is a national hero in Finland. In 1995 he scored three goals in the World Championship final against Sweden to give Finland its first – and so far only – gold medal in a senior championship tournament. In 1998 his winning goal against Canada earned Finland bronze in at the Olympic Games in Nagano. In fact, Ville has been involved in 12 of the 13 Olympic, World Championship or World Cup medals that Finland has won since 1994. At club level Ville’s long hockey career has taken him to Sweden, Switzerland, for three separate stints to the NHL and currently to the capital of Belarus. Vancouver will be his fourth Olympic tournaments, which will put him on par with his father Esa Peltonen, who played hockey for Finland at four Olympic Games in 1968–80. Ville himself has four children who will perhaps someday carry on the family tradition.
1994 OG bronze, WCh silver
1995 WCh gold
1996 WCh 5th
1996 WCup 5th,
1997 WCh 5th
1998 OG bronze, WCh silver
1999 WCh silver
2000 WCh bronze
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd,
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2007 WCh silver
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 243 games, 78+100=178 points
 |
Jarkko Ruutu
* August 23, 1975 Vantaa
188 cm, 94 kg
Shoots left
Team: Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Jarkko Ruutu is one of the best-known role players in international hockey. His physical and uncompromising style of play has served Finland well at most championship tournaments of the past decade. He is no stranger to the Olympic city, having played for the Vancouver Canucks for six seasons before moving on to Pittsburgh and Ottawa. Jarkko has played for Finland in Olympic, World Championship and World Cup finals as well as for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals but victories have so far eluded him.
1998 WCh silver
2001 WCh silver
2002 OG 5th-8th
2004 WCh 6th
2004 WCup 2nd
2005 WCh 7th
2006 OG silver, WCh bronze
2007 WCh silver
2009 WCh 5th
National team: 107 games, 9+11=20 points
 |
Tuomo Ruutu
* February 16, 1983 Vantaa
184 cm, 94 kg
Shoots left
Team: Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Tuomo Ruutu starred for Finland at World Junior Championships at the turn of a millennium. In 2004 he scored a spectacular goal against Canada in the final of the World Cup of 2004. His later career has suffered from a string of injuries, though, one of which forced him to withdraw from the Finnish Olympic team for Turin 2006. At one point he even considered early retirement but move to Carolina Hurricanes in 2008 has revitalised his career: last season was his best so far in the NHL. Tuomo is the younger brother of Jarkko Ruutu.
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 WCh bronze
2007 WCh silver
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 41 games, 11+11=22 points
 |
Teemu Selänne
* July 3, 1970 Helsinki
183 cm, 90 kg
Shoots right
Team: Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Teemu Selänne’s achievements in ice hockey make a very long list. Suffice it to say here that he has been the leading goalscorer in the NHL regular season three times, made the NHL All-Star team twice and that his rookie records in goals (76) and points (132) from the 1992/93 season may well never be beaten. In 2007 Teemu finally made true of his dream of winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. For the Finnish Lions Teemu has been an irreplaceable player at every elite tournament since 1996, and the national team coaches are certainly happy that he decided to prolong his career for one more season. Teemu was the leading goalscorer of the Olympic tournament in both Nagano 1998 and Turin 2006, and in Vancouver he may well become the best ever scorer in recorded Olympic history. Teemu is married, father of four children and known for his charity work and love of fast cars.
1991 WCh 5th
1991 CCup 3rd,
1992 OG 7th
1996 WCh 5th
1996 WCup 5th
1998 OG bronze
1999 WCh silver
2002 OG 5th-8th
2003 WCh 5th
2004 WCup 2nd
2006 OG silver
2008 WCh bronze
National team: 124 games, 66+65=131 points
