Jari Kurri

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Position Right Wing
Shoots Right
Nickname(s) The Spicy Finn
Height
Weight		 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
198 lb (90 kg/14 st 2 lb)
Pro clubs NHL
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Nationality Flag of Finland Finland
Born May 18, 1960 (1960-05-18) (age 48),
Helsinki, FIN
NHL Draft 69th overall, 1980
Edmonton Oilers
Pro career 1977 – 1998
Hall of Fame, 2001

Jari Pekka Kurri (born May 18, 1960, in Helsinki, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He is currently the General Manager of Team Finland.

Contents

[edit] Early career

He began his pro career with Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga. Kurri played a total of three seasons for Jokerit. After his third season, Kurri was contracted to the Edmonton Oilers by then General Manager and Head Coach Glen Sather.

[edit] NHL career

[edit] Edmonton Oilers (1980–1990)

When Kurri arrived to the Oilers he was soon paired with Wayne Gretzky, a phenomenal Canadian centre. The duo of Kurri and Gretzky started to be effective after Esa Tikkanen was added to the first line in 1986. The trio would be known as "The Finnish Sandwich" as its wingers, Kurri and Tikkanen, were Finnish.

During his tenure in Edmonton, he was nicknamed the "Finnish Flash" (a title since usurped by Teemu Selänne). Kurri was "by far our most complete player," according to Oilers' director of personnel Barry Fraser. Although Kurri never won the Selke Trophy, he was regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. Alongside with Kurri, Tikkanen and Gretzky, Edmonton had future hall-of-famers Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr and Mark Messier. The team won four Stanley Cups during Gretzky's tenure. In 1988, however, the team would be dismantled when Gretzky was infamously traded, along with team enforcer Marty McSorley, to the Los Angeles Kings. Following Gretzky's trade to Los Angeles in 1988, Kurri recorded 195 points in 154 games, leading the Oilers to their fifth and, to date, final Stanley Cup in 1990.

Kurri won five Stanley Cups, all with Edmonton (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990). In 1984–85 he had 135 points and scored 50 goals in his first 50 games, however his 50th game was the Oilers' 53rd game so it does not count as an official 50 goals in 50 games. A year later, he led the league in goals with 68. In 1984–85 Kurri set a record for goals by a right winger when he scored 71. The record lasted for five years until broken by Brett Hull when he scored 72 goals in 1989–90 (Hull's 86 goals in 1990–91 is the current record).

Kurri's 19 goals in the 1985 post-season (18 games played) tied an NHL record set by the Philadelphia Flyers' Reggie Leach in the 1976 playoffs (16 games played). He also had four hat tricks in the conference finals, another feat that no player has ever equaled.

Though Kurri was still contracted to the Oilers, he opted for a season in Italy and played for HC Milano Devils of the Italian Serie A with Paul Hetherington of CDS.

[edit] Los Angeles Kings (1991–1996)

After a season in Italy, Kurri was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and then to the Los Angeles Kings on the same day. Kurri was reunited with Gretzky. The pair had a fairly successful campaign in 1993 leading the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced off against the Montreal Canadiens. Kurri managed to put together 17 points in 24 games during the run, in which the Kings ultimately fell short and lost the series in 5 games. Jari followed the run up with a few more solid seasons as a Los Angeles King, scoring 146 points in 176 games, his decline in scoring was primarily due to his reduced role, and transition into a more defensive minded forward.

Kurri's best season for the Kings was during the successful 1992–93 NHL season when Kurri posted 27 goals and 60 assists in 82 games. During the 1994–95 NHL lockout Jari Kurri represented Jokerit, the team which he played for before his NHL career. Kurri played alongside with Teemu Selänne, the 1992 winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy and a rising NHL Star who won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2007–2008 with the Ducks. After the lockout Kurri returned to Los Angeles but was traded to New York Rangers in 1996 for their playoff run.

[edit] New York Rangers (1996)

Jari Kurri's visit to New York was a short one. Kurri played the remainder of the 1995–96 NHL season with the Rangers and posted one goal and four assists in 14 games. While he may not have put up the points the Rangers expected him to at the end of the regular season, Kurri proved some of his value by notching 8 points in 11 playoff games with the Rangers.

[edit] Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–1997)

After his short period in NY Rangers, Kurri signed with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Kurri intended to play alongside with Teemu Selänne and Paul Kariya, but was ultimately reduced to a smaller role on the second and third lines, despite a new found confidence from rigorous summer training. The Mighty Ducks made it to Playoffs and defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round but they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.

[edit] Colorado Avalanche (1997–1998)

After his single season with the Mighty Ducks, Kurri was signed by the Colorado Avalanche, the 1996 Stanley Cup Champions. Kurri had a more defensive role with the Avalanche. Kurri's highlight of the season was his 600th NHL career goal, which he scored during a regular season game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings. Despite having a strong team with players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Patrick Roy, the Avalanche were eliminated quickly in the playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers. Kurri played his final NHL game (Game 6) in Edmonton, before the Avalanche were finally defeated in the 7th game.

[edit] Conclusion

Jari Kurri finished his career as the highest scoring European-born player in NHL history with totals of 601 goals, 797 assists, and 1,398 points. He also finished with 106 career playoff goals and 233 playoff points, third all-time behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. He is the first Finn to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His 1398 points are 18th all-time, and the second highest among Europeans behind Jaromir Jagr. He is 14th in all-time goals with 601. He is the second leading scorer in Oiler history, with 1,043 points in 754 games, behind only Gretzky. His #17 has been retired by both the Oilers and the Finnish national men's ice hockey team.

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice Hockey
Bronze 1998 Nagano Finland

He has a trophy named after him in the SM-liiga, the Jari Kurri trophy. Kurri is currently the General Manager of the Finnish national men's ice hockey team.

Kurri married former Miss Finland, Vanessa Kurri, née Forsman, in 2004; they have two daughters, Odessa (b. 2002) and Alissa (b. 2005), and one son, Paulus (b. 2007). Kurri also has twin boys (Joonas and Ville) from his first marriage to Tiina Kurri. Gretzky is the godfather to Kurri's children — not surprising, as during their prime in Edmonton, Kurri was always closest to Gretzky, who himself has always been the first to acknowledge his teammates for their success, and frequently fed Kurri goal opportunities. Coming from "The Great One", the compliment "Jari and I see the game the same way"[citation needed] is very generous.

However, Kurri had a last laugh when he faced Gretzky on ice for the last time, when Finland and Canada played for the Olympic Bronze medal in Nagano. Finland was the underdog against the All-star team of Canada, but eventually Finland won the game 3–2. Kurri scored the first goal of the game, which turned out to be the last goal of his professional career.[1]

Lately Kurri has worked as a GM of Finnish national men's ice hockey team, scouting players and assisting the head coach.

On October 27th Jari Kurri's jersey number 17 was retired by his former team Jokerit during the club's 40th Anniversary celebrations. Kurri already has his national team jersey number retired on the ceiling of Hartwall Areena, the home ice of Finnish national men's ice hockey team and SM-liiga team Jokerit

[edit] Transactions

[edit] Achievements

  • 1978- European Junior Hockey Championship All-Star Team
  • 1978- Named best forward at the European Junior Hockey Championship
  • 1983- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1984- NHL Second All-Star Team
  • 1985- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
  • 1985- NHL First All-Star Team
  • 1985- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1986- NHL Second All-Star Team
  • 1986- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1987- NHL First All-Star Team
  • 1988- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1989- NHL Second All-Star Team
  • 1989- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1990- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1991- World Hockey Championship All-Star Team
  • 1993- Played in NHL All-Star Game
  • 1994- World Hockey Championship All-Star Team
  • 1998- Played in NHL All-Star Game: World Team (players born outside North America)
  • 1998 - Ranked number 50 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking Northern European player.
  • 2001- First Finn inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 Jokerit SM-liiga 29 2 9 11 12 6 1 7 8 2
1978–79 Jokerit SM-liiga 33 16 14 30 12 -- -- -- -- --
1979–80 Jokerit SM-liiga 33 23 16 39 22 -- -- -- -- --
1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 75 32 43 75 40 9 5 7 12 4
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 32 54 86 32 5 2 5 7 10
1982–83 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 45 59 104 22 16 8 15 23 8
1983–84 Edmonton Oilers NHL 64 52 61 113 14 19 14 14 28 13
1984–85 Edmonton Oilers NHL 73 71 64 135 30 18 19 12 31 6
1985–86 Edmonton Oilers NHL 78 68 63 131 22 10 2 10 12 4
1986–87 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 54 54 108 41 21 15 10 25 20
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 43 53 96 30 19 14 17 31 12
1988–89 Edmonton Oilers NHL 76 44 58 102 69 7 3 5 8 6
1989–90 Edmonton Oilers NHL 78 33 60 93 48 22 10 15 25 18
1990–91 HC Devils Milano ITA 30 27 48 75 6 10 10 12 22 2
1991–92 Los Angeles Kings NHL 73 23 37 60 24 4 1 2 3 4
1992–93 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 27 60 87 38 24 9 8 17 12
1993–94 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 31 46 77 48 -- -- -- -- --
1994–95 Jokerit SM-liiga 20 10 9 19 10 -- -- -- -- --
Los Angeles Kings NHL 38 10 19 29 24 -- -- -- -- --
1995–96 Los Angeles Kings NHL 57 17 23 40 37 -- -- -- -- --
New York Rangers NHL 14 1 4 5 2 11 3 5 8 2
1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL 82 13 22 35 12 11 1 2 3 4
1997–98 Colorado Avalanche NHL 70 5 17 22 12 4 0 0 0 0
NHL Totals 1251 601 797 1398 545 200 106 127 233 123

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ CNN/SI - Nagano Olympics - Olympic Men's Hockey Recap (Canada-Finland) - February 21, 1998

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Wayne Gretzky		 NHL Goal Leader
1986		 Succeeded by
Wayne Gretzky
Preceded by
Mike Bossy		 Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy
1985		 Succeeded by
Mike Bossy