Kari Takko
Kari Takko ( born June 23, 1962 in Uusikaupunki ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League, among others, for the Minnesota North Stars, and Edmonton Oilers during his active from 1978 to 2000.
- 2.1 International
Career
Kari Takko began his career as a hockey player in the junior department of Ässät Pori, for the first team, he made his debut in the SM- liiga in the 1978/79 season at the age of 16 years. He and his team immediately reached the play-off final, but was beaten in this Tappara Tampere. In the following years he became the regular keeper at Ässät Pori with which he again failed again in 1980 HIFK Helsinki and Tampere in 1984 Tappara Cup finals. Personally, he developed into one of the best players in the SM- liiga, and was elected in the 1984/85 season, not only in the All-Star team in the league, but also received the Urpo - Ylönen trophy in the same year as the best goalkeeper of the highest Finnish league. Also in North America remained his achievements not hidden and the Finn was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1981 in the tenth round as the 200th overall player of the Nordiques de Québec. After this did not take him in the following years under contract, he could be re-selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1984. Finally, the Minnesota North Stars secured the rights to the Finnish national team in the fifth round, in which he had been selected as the 97th overall player.
In the summer of 1985 Takko went to North America, where he indeed came in the 1985/86 season for his debut in the National Hockey League for Minnesota, but only once - at the defeat of the North Stars - played for them. The entire rest of the time he spent in Minnesota's farm team, the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, for whom he played 43 games. From the 1986/87 season he was a regular for the NHL's Minnesota North Stars on the ice, where he occasionally for their new farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League was active. On 22 November 1990 Takko was delivered to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Bruce Bell in the NHL. For the Canadians, he played until end of season eleven more games in the NHL, where he could not convince in a Gegentorschnitt of 4.20 per game and a catch rate of 86.7 percent, however.
For the season 1990/91 the Olympians returned in 1984 to his Finnish homeland and signed for his hometown club Ässät Pori. In this he had to win in the following six seasons a regular place in the SM- liiga and was in the 1993/94 season for the second time in his career the Urpo - Ylönen trophy as the best goalkeeper in the SM- liiga. He was also in February 1994 and September 1995 inclusive Player of the Month SM liiga. From 1997 to 2000, the Finn stood once more in the neighboring country Sweden for the HV 71 Jönköping in Elitserien between the posts, before he ended his career at the age of 38 years. Since his career end Takko has worked as a scout for the Dallas Stars Europe from the NHL.
Internationally
For Finland Takko took at junior level at the U18 European Junior Championships in 1979 and the Junior World Championships in 1981 and 1982 in part. In both Junior World Championships he won a medal; In 1981, the silver and the bronze medal in 1982. In the senior level, he stood in his country's squad at the World Championships in 1983, 1985 and 1991 and in 1987 at the Canada Cup. He also ran in five games for the Finns at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.