| Olli Jokinen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Jokinen with theNashville Predators in 2014 | |||
| Born | (1978-12-05)December 5, 1978 (age 46) Kuopio, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | KalPa HIFK Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Florida Panthers EHC Kloten Södertälje SK Phoenix Coyotes Calgary Flames New York Rangers Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |  Finland | ||
| NHL draft | 3rd overall,1997 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 1995–2015 | ||
Olli Veli Pekka Jokinen (born December 5, 1978) is a Finnish former professionalice hockey player. He was selected by theLos Angeles Kings third overall in the1997 NHL Entry Draft, with whom he made his NHL debut. He has also played for theNew York Islanders,Florida Panthers,Phoenix Coyotes,Calgary Flames,New York Rangers,Winnipeg Jets,Nashville Predators,Toronto Maple Leafs, andSt. Louis Blues. He began his professional career withKalPa and thenHIFK of the FinnishSM-liiga. Additionally, he played forEHC Kloten ofSwitzerland'sNational League A andSödertälje SK ofSweden'sElitserien. He previously held the franchise records for most goals, assists, and points for the Florida Panthers.
Jokinen began his professional career in his native Finland in 1996 and in 1997 won theJarmo Wasama memorial trophy as SM-liiga rookie of the year. He won theMatti Keinonen andJari Kurri trophies in 1998 as the most effective player of the regular season and most valuable player of the playoffs, respectively. He moved to the NHL full-time in1998–99 and played his best seasons with the Florida Panthers, with whom he served as captain from 2003 to 2008 and played in the2003 All-Star Game. Jokinen played an NHL record 799 games before making his first and onlyStanley Cup playoff appearance in2009 with the Flames (Since broken byRon Hainsey in 2017 with 907 Games played). In 2012, he played his1,000th career NHL game.
Internationally, Jokinen has played forFinland on numerous occasions. He was an all-star and named best forward of the1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, leading his nation to the gold medal. He is a four-time Olympian, winning a silver medal at the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin and bronze at the2010 and2014 Winter Olympics inVancouver andSochi, respectively. He has also won two silver and three bronze medals at theWorld Championships and played for the Finnish team that finished second toCanada at the2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Jokinen began with his hometown team,KalPa, playing for the squad's under-18 andjunior teams between 1994 and 1996. He made his debut with the senior team in theSM-liiga in1995–96, appearing in 15 games, scoring one goal and one assist.[1] He moved ontoHIFK in1996–97, where he played full-time with the senior squad. He was the youngest player on the team, and in 50 games, scored 14 goals and 41 points.[2] He was recognized as the SM-liiga's rookie of the year, and was presented with theJarmo Wasama memorial trophy.[1]
The NHL'sCentral Scouting Bureau rated Jokinen as the top European prospect for the1997 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected by theLos Angeles Kings with the third overall selection, afterJoe Thornton andPatrick Marleau.[3] Jokinen began the1997–98 season with the Kings, making his NHL debut on October 1, 1997, against thePittsburgh Penguins.[2] He was held pointless in eight games, however, and the Kings chose to return him to HIFK to complete the season.[4]
Jokinen played 30 games with HIFK, scoring 39 points. He added another nine points in nine playoff games as the team won the SM-liiga championship.[1][5] He won theMatti Keinonen andJari Kurri trophies in 1998 as the most effective player of the regular season and most valuable player of the playoffs, respectively. He also scored the game-winning goal in game 3 in overtime vs Ilves to secure the championship for his team.[6]
Returning to North America, Jokinen began the1998–99 season with the Kings'American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theSpringfield Falcons. He earned a recall to Los Angeles after nine games, in which he scored nine points.[1] He recorded his first NHL point on November 5, 1998, with an assist in a game against theSt. Louis Blues, then scored his first NHL goal five nights later against theCalgary Flames. Jokinen was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for November, scoring eight points in 11 games.[2] He finished the season with 21 points in 66 games played.[1] Following the conclusion of the season, on June 20, 1999, Jokinen was traded to theNew York Islanders, along withJosh Green,Mathieu Biron, and a first-round selection atthat year's draft, in exchange forŽigmund Pálffy,Bryan Smolinski,Marcel Cousineau, and a fourth-round selection. Jokinen was considered the central piece of the deal from New York's perspective, as they gave up their top player in Pálffy.[7]
Jokinen played only one season onLong Island. He appeared in all 82 games for the Islanders, scoring 21 points.[1] However, he was included in a trade at the2000 NHL Entry Draft, as he was packaged with goaltenderRoberto Luongo and sent to theFlorida Panthers in exchange forMark Parrish andOleg Kvasha on June 24, 2000.[8]
In Florida, Jokinen initially did not get along with head coachTerry Murray, as the Panthers' bench boss criticized his play while leaving him out of the lineup for several December games during the2000–01 season.[9] Though he appeared in 78 games for the Panthers, Jokinen's offensive totals fell to a career-low 16 points. He showed a modest improvement to 29 points in 80 games in2001–02, but Jokinen was increasingly being criticized as a bust. His confidence reached a low point during that season, at one point he contemplated leaving the NHL and returning to Finland.[10]
The2002–03 season proved to be Jokinen's breakout year. Playing under new head coachMike Keenan and described by general managerRick Dudley as skating "every shift like it was his last," he scored 11 points in his first 12 games of the season.[11] He equaled his previous career high of 29 points in the 26th game of the season,[10] and finished with a team-leading 36 goals and 65 points.[2] Additionally, he played in his firstNHL All-Star Game.[12] Jokinen credited his turnaround to Keenan, who launched into a tirade against the player's commitment during the first intermission of a game mere days after he was hired as a mid-season replacement for Terry Murray.[10]
Jokinen was named an alternate captain of the Panthers prior to the2002–03 season,[10] and was elevated tocaptain to begin2003–04.[1] He again led the team in goals (26) and points (58) and scored his 200th career point on March 10, 2004, with an assist against theBuffalo Sabres.[2] When the2004–05 season was cancelled due to alabour dispute, Jokinen played for several European teams: firstEHC Kloten of the SwissNational League A, thenSödertälje SK of the SwedishElitserien and finally HIFK back in Finland.[1] Returning to the NHL in2005–06, Jokinen reached new career highs with 38 goals, 51 assists and 89 points. He played his 500th NHL game on November 19, 2005, against the New York Islanders, and recorded his first NHLhat-trick on November 25 against Pittsburgh.[2]
Appearing in all 82 games for the Panthers in2006–07, Jokinen again set personal bests with 39 goals, 52 assists and 91 points. He fell back to 34 goals and 71 points in2007–08, but led the Panthers offensively for the fifth consecutive season.[2] He was involved in a frightening accident during a February 10, 2008, game against the Buffalo Sabres. Jokinen was checked by Buffalo forwardClarke MacArthur and as he fell to the ice, his skate came up and struck teammateRichard Zedník in the throat, seriously injuring him.[13] Zedník was nearly killed by the cut and missed the remainder of the season, though he recovered and was able to resume his career.[14]
Jokinen was the subject of trade rumours throughout the season as the Panthers, who had failed to make theStanley Cup playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, looked at ways of improving their club.[15] Florida ultimately traded Jokinen at the2008 NHL Entry Draft; he was sent to thePhoenix Coyotes in exchange forKeith Ballard,Nick Boynton and a second-round draft pick.[16] Jokinen left the Panthers as the franchise's all-time leader in goals (188), assists (231) and points (419).[2]
The2008–09 season began well for Jokinen, as he recorded 18 points in his first 21 games with the Coyotes. A shoulder injury suffered in November 2008, however, caused him to miss a game for the first time since 2002–03, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 397.[17] He appeared in 57 games for the Coyotes but did not finish the season in Phoenix; theCalgary Flames acquired him, along with a third-round draft pick, on March 4, 2009, in exchange forMatthew Lombardi,Brandon Prust and Calgary's first-round selection at the2010 NHL Entry Draft.[18]
The deal was an immediate benefit to the Flames, as Jokinen had one of the best starts for a newly acquired player in team history, scoring ten points in his first six games, and was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week for March 9–15.[2] He fell into an offensive slump toward the end of the season, however, failing to score in Calgary's last 13 regular season games. For the first time in his ten-year NHL career, however, and after a wait of 799 NHL games, Jokinen played in theStanley Cup playoffs.[19] Earlier in the season, while still with Phoenix, Jokinen surpassedGuy Charron's NHL record total of 735 games without ever appearing in a playoff game.[20] Jokinen appeared in six games during the2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring five points as the Flames were eliminated in the first round.[1]
Jokinen's offense disappeared in2009–10, as he scored just three goals in his first 23 games and failed to work well with captainJarome Iginla. He was criticized by local media, who placed blame on his shoulders for the Flames' failure to make the2010 playoffs and for failing to live up to the value expected by hisUS$5.25 million contract.[21] Late in the season, Jokinen was involved in a trade to theNew York Rangers, where he was sent withBrandon Prust in exchange forAleš Kotalík andChris Higgins, who had similarly disappointing seasons in New York.[22]
The deal generated controversy after Canadian channelTSN had announced that the trade was complete, then claimed that the Flames had balked at completing the deal, believing they would need their players for a scheduled game. Consequently, Jokinen appeared in his final game with the Flames knowing through the media that he was to be traded afterward. When the trade was officially made, Jokinen bluntly described his feelings on the deal: "It’s a brutal business. That’s the way it goes. It comes with the salary. When you make $5 million, 11 goals is not going to cut it. ... It’s definitely a slap in the face to get traded."[23] Jokinen scored 15 points in 21 games with the Rangers.[1] In the final game of the season, New York faced thePhiladelphia Flyers with the winner qualifying for the final playoff spot. Regulation time ended with the two teams tied, and the game ultimately went to ashootout. Jokinen came up as the Rangers' final shooter, with Philadelphia leading by one goal. His shot was stopped byBrian Boucher, ending their season.[24]
Afree agent following the season, Jokinen chose to return to the Flames, signing a two-year, $6 million contract.[25] The deal generated a strong reaction in Calgary, as some fans expressed strong opinions against his reacquisition.[26] The Flames' head coachBrent Sutter sought to simplify Jokinen's game and force greater defensive responsibility on the forward. He finished the2010–11 season with 17 goals and 54 points and was praised by his coach.[27]
Jokinen appeared in his1,000th NHL game on January 1, 2012, a 5–3 loss to theNashville Predators.[28]
After becoming an unrestrictedfree agent on July 1, 2012, Jokinen signed a two-year, $9 million deal with theWinnipeg Jets a day later, on July 2.[29] He was named an alternate captain of the team at the start of thelockout-shortened2012–13 season.[30] While he was a popular player with his Jets teammates, Jokinen was unable to provide the type of offensive performance the team expected.[31] He recorded only seven goals and seven assists in 45 games.[28] Following the season, Jokinen admitted that not playing in Europe during the lockout negatively impacted his fitness and play throughout the NHL season.[32]
Jokinen returned to Winnipeg for the2013–14 season and reached a pair of milestones early in the campaign. He recorded both his 400th assist and 700th point on October 13, 2013, in a 3–0 victory over theNew Jersey Devils.[33] He played in all 82 games for Winnipeg and recorded 18 goals and 43 points. However, he was also passed byBryan Little andMark Scheifele on the Jets' depth-chart at centre.[34] As a consequence, Winnipeg allowed Jokinen to leave via free agency. On July 20, 2014, he signed a one-year contract with theNashville Predators worth $2.5 million.[35]
On February 15, 2015, Jokinen, along withBrendan Leipsic and a first-round draft pick in2015, were traded to theToronto Maple Leafs in exchange forCody Franson andMike Santorelli.[36] He wore number 11 in Toronto as opposed to his regular number 13, out of respect for the Maple Leafs' greatMats Sundin, saying, "There's only one No. 13 for the Maple Leafs and that's the way it should be."[37]
After only six games played for Toronto, Jokinen was traded to theSt. Louis Blues in exchange for forwardJoakim Lindström and a conditional sixth-round pick in2016 (Nicolas Mattinen).[38] He played 8 games with the Blues before suffering a season-ending injury on March 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jokinen ended his playing career after the 2014–15 season.
Jokinen has represented his native Finland on numerous occasions. He first played with theFinnish national junior team at the under-18 level in the 1996European Junior Championship. He joined the under-20 team one year later for the1997 World Junior Championship, scoring five goals in six games.[1] He made his debut with thesenior team that same year, finishing second in team scoring with six points in eight games at the1997 World Championship.[2]
At the1998 World Junior Championship, Jokinen tied with AmericanJeff Farkas as the tournament's scoring leader with ten points and helped Finland win the gold medal on home soil.[2] He was named a tournament all-star at centre, and was given the Directorate Award as top forward.[39] He then won a silver medal at the1998 World Championship. Another silver followed in1999 and bronze medals in2000,2006 and2008. In total, Jokinen has appeared in ten World Championships for Finland, scoring 41 points in 82 games.[40]
Jokinen made his Olympic debut at the2002 Games, where he scored two goals in four games,[1] though Finland were eliminated by Canada in the quarter-finals and finished in sixth place.[41] Two years later, he helped Finland reach the final of the2004 World Cup of Hockey, scoring the first goal in a 2–1 come-from-behind victory over the United States in the semi-final.[42] The Finnish national teams were again defeated by Canada in the final.
At the2006 Olympics inTurin, Jokinen tied withTeemu Selänne for the team lead with six goals and helped Finland reach its first gold medal game in a Winter Games.[43][44] He and his teammates had to settle for silver, however, following a 3–2 loss to rival Sweden in the final.[45] Jokinen won a bronze medal at his third Olympics, the2010 Vancouver Games. He scored two goals, including the game winner, in a 5–3 victory over Slovakia in the third place game.[46]
After Jokinen retired from hockey in 2015, he created the South Florida Hockey Academy, along with former Florida Panthers playersTomáš Vokoun andRadek Dvořák.[47] While his professional hockey career began to dwindle down, he expressed an interest in coaching, and in February 2021, he was hired to coach the teamMikkelin Jukurit in Liiga, which is the highest level hockey league in Finland.[48] After his first season with Jukurit, which he led to second place in regular season, Jokinen was awarded theKalevi Numminen trophy.[49]
In 2024 Olli Jokinen took over as the head coach ofTimrå IK, which plays in theSHL. The Swedish team announced the contract, Jokinen's contract is a 2+1 model. So, in addition to two seasons, the contract includes one option year.
In 2025 his contract withTimrå IK was terminated and he returned toLiiga and took over as the head coach ofHIFK. The Finnish team announced the contract, Jokinen's contract is once again a 2+1 model.[50]
Jokinen met his wife Katerina, who was born inGreece but grew up in Finland, when they were both 18. They were married in 2001,[51] and have three daughters.[52]
He has an older brother,Ville, who played 47 games inSM-liiga between 1996 and 1998 with four points (one goal and three assists) and 58 penalty minutes.[53]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | KalPa | FIN U18 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | KalPa | FIN U20 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 34 | 47 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 1995–96 | KalPa | SM-l | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | HIFK | FIN U20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | HIFK | SM-l | 50 | 14 | 27 | 41 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | HIFK | SM-l | 30 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 32 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 66 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 78 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 80 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 81 | 36 | 29 | 65 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | EHC Kloten | NLA | 8 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Södertälje SK | SEL | 23 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HIFK | SM-l | 14 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | ||
| 2005–06 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 38 | 51 | 89 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 39 | 52 | 91 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 82 | 34 | 37 | 71 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 57 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 19 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 56 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | New York Rangers | NHL | 26 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 45 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 82 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 48 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SM-l totals | 109 | 34 | 64 | 99 | 132 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 26 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,231 | 321 | 429 | 750 | 1,071 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Finland | EJC |  | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
| 1997 | Finland | WJC | 5th | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 12 | |
| 1997 | Finland | WC | 5th | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | |
| 1998 | Finland | WJC |  | 7 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | |
| 1998 | Finland | WC | | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 1999 | Finland | WC | | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | |
| 2000 | Finland | WC |  | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Finland | OG | 6th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Finland | WC | 4th | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Finland | WC | 5th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2004 | Finland | WC | 6th | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Finland | WCH | | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2005 | Finland | WC | 7th | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Finland | OG | | 8 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Finland | WC | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 27 | |
| 2008 | Finland | WC | | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 29 | |
| 2010 | Finland | OG | | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Finland | OG | | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Finland | WC | | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 20 | ||||
| Senior totals | 122 | 36 | 32 | 68 | 124 | ||||
As player
As coach
| Preceded by | Winner of theJarmo Wasama memorial trophy 1996–97 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theMatti Keinonen trophy 1997–98 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theJari Kurri trophy 1997–98 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Los Angeles Kings first round draft pick 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Florida Panthers captain 2003–08 | Succeeded by |
