Raimo Helminen
Raimo Ilmari Helminen ( born March 11, 1964 Tampere, Finland ) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player. Between 1982 and 2008 he played 713 games in the SM- liiga, 226 in the Elitserien and 117 in the National Hockey League. His original club was Ilves Tampere. Since end of his career he has worked as a trainer and has since June 2013 assistant coach at Barys Astana.
- 2.1 International
Career
As a player
Raimo Helminen began his career as a hockey player in his hometown in the youth of Ilves Tampere, for the first team he made his debut was in the 1982/83 season in the SM- liiga, where he finished in third place with the team in his rookie year. The attacker, who was active for Ilves in the following three years, has been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in 1984 in the second round than a total of 35 players from the New York Rangers. A year later he was charged with first Tampere Finnish Champion.
After winning the title in 1985, he joined the Rangers in the National Hockey League, for which he stood until 1987 on the ice before he was released on March 10, 1987, to the Minnesota North Stars. The jersey of the North stars, he played in the 1986/87 season as only six games as for the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League.
He then returned to his Finnish homeland, where he ran aground in the season 1987/88 for his former club Ilves Tampere. After the links Sagittarius had signed a contract with the New York Islanders on 1 June 1988 as a free agent, he played in the following season for the Islanders in the NHL, and for their AHL farm team, the Springfield Falcons. In the summer of 1989 Helminen moved to the second Swedish league to Malmö IF, which he managed to climb into the Elitserien and he in 1992 and 1994 respectively won the Swedish Championship. After seven years in Sweden, the Finn left Malmö in 1996 and returned for the third and final time back to Ilves Tampere, for whom he played until his retirement in late 2002, the Center in 1998 once again runner-up, and in 2001 the team was third.
Internationally
For Finland Helminen took part in the U20 World Junior Championships in 1983 and 1984, as well as the World Championships 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 in part. In addition, he was in the squad Finland at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, in 1988 in Calgary, 1992 Albertville, 1994 Lillehammer, Nagano 1998 and 2002 in Salt Lake City, as well as the World Cup of Hockey 1996.
2010 's shirt number 14 was blocked by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association for the national team.
As a coach
During the 2009/10 season Helminen was an assistant coach at Ilves Tampere and was the 2012/13 employed there until the middle of the season, most recently as head coach.
Since June 2013 Heliminen stands as assistant coach of Ari -Pekka Selin at Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League contract.
Awards and achievements
Internationally
Records
- Top scorer of the Elitserien as the first foreign player (1993 /94)
- World record for the most international games played (330 )
- Most assists (155) and most points (207 ) scored for Team Finland
- The only hockey player, who has attended six Olympic Winter Games Sarajevo 1984, Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994, Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002