Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff ( born October 26, 1976 in Turku ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender, who was most recently from 2003 until September 2013 when the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League contract. Kiprusoff, who was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1995 by the San Jose Sharks, debuted for the Californians during the 2000/01 season in the NHL. Previously, the Finn had played in his homeland with TPS Turku of the SM - liiga and Elitserien for AIK Solna in the. After he mostly acted as back-up for the San Jose Sharks, the Finn was promoted at the Calgary Flames quickly becoming the goalkeeper and reached with the team from Alberta in the 2003/04 season the finals for the Stanley Cup. His consistent performances in the following years were honored by the league with several individual awards and Kiprusoff won after the completion of the 2005 /06 both the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals and the Vezina Trophy as the best goalkeeper of the year.
As a long- time member of the Finnish national team, he represented his country at numerous tournaments. Previous highlights here were winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 1999 and 2001 and the World Cup of Hockey 2004.
- 2.1 International
Career
At the Junior World Championships in 1995, he belonged to the squad of Team Finland and has been drawn in the same year by the San Jose Sharks in the fifth round at number 116 in the NHL Entry Draft in 1995. First professional experience gained Kiprusoff, who enjoys listening to Finnish rock music, with AIK in the Swedish Elitserien and TPS Turku in the Finnish SM- liiga, where he was awarded the best goalkeeper in the league and the best player of the Play Offs 1999. Then he was allowed to prove two years at the Kentucky Thoroughblades in the American Hockey League. His NHL debut for the San Jose Sharks gave Kiprusoff on 24 October 2000 against the Carolina Hurricanes. But on his first NHL victory, he had to wait some time. It was only on 29 March 2001, after he had in the meantime been sent back to the minor league, he could use that celebrate against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
In the following two seasons it ran for the Finns not so good in California. So it was a stroke of luck for him and his next employer, the Flames that these agreed on 16 November 2003 with the Sharks on an exchange. San Jose gave Kiprusoff and received therefor a second-round vote for the NHL Entry Draft in 2005. With a goal average of only 1.69 Kiprusoff made in the 2003/04 season a new NHL record, repressed Calgary's then- goalkeeper Roman Turek on the Dugout, and managed with the Flames a place in the Stanley Cup final in 2004. Additionally, he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding goalie of the season. As the following season 2004/ 05 failed due to the lockout, Kiprusoff played in the season at Timrå IK in the Swedish league. In the season 2005/ 06, there was again normal game operation in the NHL, but failed Kiprusoff with his team in the first round of the play offs. Once again, he was nominated for the Vezina Trophy and this time he got it as well. He was also nominated for the Hart Memorial Trophy yet, which is awarded to the most outstanding player of the season. He had already safely A ceremony: The William M. Jennings Trophy for the goalkeeper with the fewest goals against.
The following 2006/07 season began for Kiprusoff with inconstant performance and with only four wins from the first twelve encounters. In the season progressed, increased the goalkeeper and established close to matching the previous season, so he was first nominated in January 2007 for the NHL All-Star Game. On 27 March 2007 he succeeded his 21st shutout for the Calgary Flames and thereby broke the previous franchise record of Dan Bouchard. The 2006/07 season, the Finn retired with 40 wins from 74 matches. In October 2007, his contract was extended for the Flames to six years, and guarantee him around 35 million U.S. dollars. After two somewhat weaker seasons in which Kiprusoff reached a quota of around 90.5 percent, he tied in the season 2009/10 on the achievements of four or five years ago and was with a catch rate of 92 percent a safe support team from Calgary, which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. On February 20, 2011 at his NHL Heritage Classic, the first shutout of the goalkeeper managed at an outdoor hockey game in the National Hockey League.
Internationally
His greatest success with the Finnish national team was winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 1999 and 2001 and the World Cup of Hockey 2004. Moreover, he took with the Finnish selection at the 2010 Winter Olympics and won the bronze medal. As a junior player, he had represented his country at the U18 European Junior Championships in 1994 and was later also been used at the Junior World Championships in 1995 and 1996.
Awards and achievements
Internationally
NHL stats
( Key to the goalkeeper stats: GP or Sp = Total Games; W or W = Wins, L = Losses, or N, T or D = Draw or shootout defeat, min = minutes; SOG or ZAT = Shots on goal, GA or GT = Goals against; SO = shutouts, GAA or GTS = Gegentorschnitt; Sv % or SVS % = quota, EN = Empty Net Goal; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )