Kari Makkonen
Kari Makkonen ( born January 20, 1955 in Harjavalta ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player and current coach, who played in the National Hockey League, among others, for the Edmonton Oilers in its active from 1974 to 1991. Since 2010 he has been head coach at JHT Kalajoki in the third Finnish league, the Suomi- sarja.
Career
Kari Makkonen began his career as a hockey player in the junior department of the Finnish Association unterklassigen KuKi, for the seniors team he in the 1973/74 season first in the third Finnish league was active. Then, the attacker moved to Ässät Pori, for whom he played in the next five years in the top Finnish league - first in the SM- sarja and from the 1975/76 season in its successor SM- liiga competition. With his new team, he became Finnish Champion in 1978 and a year later runner-up. At European level, he reached the third place in Hockey European Cup with Ässät in the 1978/79 season. For him personally, the initial time at Ässät Pori was very successful. In his debut season in the SM- liiga, he received the Jarmo - Wasama Memorial Trophy as the league 's best rookie, in 1979, he was with 36 goals in 36 games as top scorer of the main round, for which he received the Aarne - Honkavaara trophy.
After Makkonens good performance mid-1970s were several franchises in North America aware of him. In the years 1975 and 1976 he was successively selected in the NHL Amateur Draft by the New York Islanders and the WHA Amateur Draft by the Indianapolis Racers and Phoenix Roadrunners. The Finnish national team but never ran on for one of these teams, but signed on July 22, 1979 a contract as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. However, in his only NHL game time, the 1979/80 season he came out not two goals and two assists in nine appearances for Canadians and spent the rest of the season with their farm team, the Houston Apollos in the Central Hockey League. There, too, he did not make it past 16 appearances in which he scored five goals and as many templates.
In the summer of 1980, Makkonen returned after a disappointing year for him to Ässät Pori, for which he stood in the following eleven years on the ice. In each of the years he was among the Topscorern of the association. After the descent in the 1988/89 season in the second class I divisioona, he succeeded with his team in the immediate resurgence. Following the 1990/91 season the links Sagittarius finally ended his active career at the age of 36 years. In 1995, he was honored for his achievements as a player and as an added total of 99 players in the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame.
Following his playing career Makkonen embarked on a career as a coach. During the season 1996/97 he worked as an assistant coach for his hometown club Ässät Pori and was from 28 September 1996 to October 3, 1996 short term interim head coach. From 1999 to 2003, he spent four years as an assistant coach for Ässäts League rivals Tappara Tampere. After one season as head coach at third division S- Kiekko, he returned to the 2004/05 season as an assistant coach in the SM- liiga back and joined there Lukko Rauma. From 2006 to 2008 he served as head coach Mikkelin Jukurit from the new second division, the Mestis. With the team he finished in second place in the 2006/07 season. After spending the 2009/10 season at the club unterklassigen Karhu HT, the former NHL players signed for the 2010/11 season a contract with JHT Kalajoki from the third-rate Suomi- sarja.
Internationally
For Finland took Makkonen part in the World Championships in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986. He also stood in 1976 and 1981 respectively in the squad of his country at Canada Cup.