Miikka Kiprusoff

Born	October 26, 1976 (1976-10-26) (age 33), Turku, Finland
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team F. teams	Calgary Flames San Jose Sharks
NHL Draft	116th overall, 1995 San Jose Sharks
Pro career	1994 – present

Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmiːkːɑ ˈsɑkɑri ˈkiprusofː]; born October 26, 1976) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played with the San Jose Sharks before being traded to Calgary. He captured the 2006 Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender, and is widely considered among the league's elite at the position.

Playing career

Kiprusoff won the SM-liiga gold medal in 1995 and 1999 in TPS and won the Urpo Ylönen trophy for best goaltender in 1999. He also played in the Swedish Elitserien before he made his NHL debut in 2000 with the San Jose Sharks. He was drafted 116th overall in the 5th round at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

In his first year with the Calgary Flames, Kiprusoff posted an NHL-record 1.69 GAA and helped his team reach the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

After spending three years as a reserve goalie with the Sharks, Kiprusoff was traded in 2003 to the Calgary Flames. He ended the regular season with a GAA of 1.69, a modern NHL record. Kiprusoff was nominated for the Vezina Trophy. Kiprusoff earned his first playoff shutout on April 13, 2004, at the Pengrowth Saddledome, blanking the Vancouver Canucks. The game finished 4–0 and Kiprusoff stopped all 20 shots he faced, and was named the first star of the game. Completing the playoffs with 5 shutouts in total, Kiprusoff then backstopped the Flames to series victories over the Detroit Red Wings and his former club the San Jose Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where the Flames were narrowly defeated in seven games by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Kiprusoff in 2007.

After a season of inactivity due to the 2004–05 lockout, Kiprusoff returned with the Flames in 2005–06 and was nominated for the Hart Trophy in addition to winning the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. He also won the William Jennings Trophy in recognition for playing on the team with the least goals allowed. Kiprusoff also set a new Flames record for most wins by a goaltender with 42.^[1] He broke the record on April 7, 2006, then set another Flames record for the most games played by a goaltender while also reaching the 40-win plateau for the first time in his career in a game against the Minnesota Wild.

Despite a disappointing year from Kiprusoff, compared to his previous seasons, during the 2006–07 season, he still played a major role in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, with a .929 save percentage including a 48-save performance in the second game of the first round. Calgary took the eighth seed, one point ahead of the Colorado Avalanche. Facing the first-seeded Detroit Red Wings, however, Calgary lost the opening series in six games. On May 1, 2007, Kiprusoff was nominated for the third straight consecutive season for the Vezina Trophy, but finished tied for third in voting with the New York Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, behind Vancouver's Roberto Luongo and the eventual winner, the New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur. During the regular season, he had also become the Flames' all-time shutouts leader, recording his 21st shutout with the Flames on March 27, 2007 in a 1–0 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild.

Entering the final year of his contract in 2007–08, Kiprusoff sought a new long-term deal. On October 30, 2007, he accordingly signed a six-year extension deal worth $35 million US.^[2] After recording 39 wins that season, Kiprusoff and the Flames were once again defeated in the first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, this time by San Jose in a seven game series.

In the 2008–09 NHL season, Kiprusoff once again set a new record for most wins by a Calgary Flames goaltender, recording his 43rd win on March 28, 2009.^[1] Despite his strong play, the Flames were eliminated for the fourth consecutive season in the first round, this time by the Chicago Blackhawks.

International play

Kiprusoff followed up his 2004 Stanley Cup performance to help Team Finland in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He backstopped the Finnish squad to a silver medal, losing in the gold medal final to Team Canada.

Kiprosuff was selected to play for Finland at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin but declined, citing a nagging hip injury. His desire to play for Finland was questioned as, despite the claimed injury, he continued to play for the Flames.^[3] He had also previously declined the invitation to join the Finnish national team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and later in the 2008 IIHF World Championships.^{[citation needed]}

Leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kiprusoff announced that he would not play for Finland unless he was the clear-cut starter.^[3]

Kiprusoff has played for Finland in:

• 1996 World Junior Championships (6th place)
• 1999 World Championships (silver medal)
• 2001 World Championships (silver medal)
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey (runner-up)

Personal life

Kiprusoff and his fiancée, Seidi Saski Mantere, have a son, Aaro, born in the summer of 2005. Kiprusoff's older brother, Marko Kiprusoff, is a defenceman for TPS as of December 2008 and has also played in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders.

Awards

• Urpo Ylönen trophy (Best goaltender) - 1999
• Jari Kurri trophy (Best player in playoffs) - 1999
• Vezina Trophy - 2006
• William M. Jennings Trophy - 2006
• NHL First All-Star Team - 2006
• NHL All-Star Team - 2007

Records

• Modern-day NHL record; lowest goals against average, single-season - 1.69 GAA in 2003–04
• Calgary Flames franchise record; most shutouts, single-season - 10 in 2005–06 (surpassed Fred Brathwaite's mark of 5 shutouts)
• Calgary Flames franchise record; most wins, single-season - 45 in 2008–09 (surpassed own record of 42 wins in 2005–06)
• Calgary Flames franchise record; most games played, single-season - 76 in 2007–08 and 2008–09 (surpassed own record of 74 games in 2005–06 and 2006–07)
• Calgary Flames franchise record; most shutouts, all-time - 32

Career statistics

International statistics

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://flames.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8462147&service=page&tab=prf
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ ^{a b} "Kiprusoff won't play in Olympics unless he starts". CTV. 2009-11-24. http://www.ctvolympics.ca/hockey/news/newsid=20550.html?cid=rsstsn. Retrieved 2009-11-24. 

External links

• Miikka Kiprusoff's NHL player profile
• Miikka Kiprusoff's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Bio and detailed statistics from hockeygoalies.org
• Miikka Kiprusoff on nhlfinns.com