| Kari Lehtonen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lehtonen with theDallas Stars in October 2014 | |||
| Born | (1983-11-16)November 16, 1983 (age 41) Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Jokerit Atlanta Thrashers Dallas Stars | ||
| National team |  Finland | ||
| NHL draft | 2nd overall,2002 Atlanta Thrashers | ||
| Playing career | 1999–2018 | ||
Kari Lehtonen (born November 16, 1983) is aFinnish former professionalice hockeygoaltender who played 14 seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for theAtlanta Thrashers andDallas Stars. He was selected second overall in the2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Thrashers, becoming the highest-drafted European goaltender, as well as being tied withPatrik Laine,Alexander Barkov andKaapo Kakko for the highest-drafted Finnish player in NHL history.
Lehtonen was born on November 16, 1983, inHelsinki, Finland.[1][2] He is the son to parents Martti and Marja Lehtonen. He also has a sister, Kirsi, and an older brother, Kimmo.[3] His father owns a tire dealership and his mother is a nurse.[3] Lehtonen began picking up an interest in hockey at the age of five, following his brother to his team practices,[3] before he started playing goalie at seven years old, with the help of his personal goalie coach helping him learn the position.[4]
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Lehtonen was drafted second overall in the2002 NHL Entry Draft by theAtlanta Thrashers after an outstanding 2001–02 season in the FinnishSM-liiga and became the highest-drafted European goaltender.[5] Lehtonen was the backup goalie forJokerit,[6] but captured the starting position and won theUrpo Ylönen trophy, given to the best goalie of the season,[7] and the league's playoff MVP award, theJari Kurri trophy.[8] Lehtonen stayed with Jokerit for one more season before moving to North America.[9] He was awarded the Urpo Ylönen trophy again in the 2002–03 season.[8]
During the2003–04 season, Lehtonen mostly spent his time with theChicago Wolves, the Thrashers'American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, but he was called up for a number of occasions and played four games for the Thrashers, winning all four of them and posting oneshutout. In the four games with the Thrashers, he posted a .953 save percentage and 1.25goals against average (GAA).[1] He earned his first shutout in the NHL on March 27, 2004, against theFlorida Panthers, making 30 saves.[3]
Lehtonen spent the2004–05 NHL lockout season with the Wolves, adjusting to the North American playing style. He earned theAHL Second All-Star Team recognition that season and was the 2005 Calder Cup finalist.[10] After playing 57 games for the Wolves, of which he won 38, posting .929 save percentage and 2.27 GAA,[11] the Thrashers called him up, and Lehtonen started the2005–06 season as the starting goalie for Atlanta.[12] On the opening night of the 2005–06 season, Lehtonen suffered a seriousgroin injury whenFlorida Panthers centreNathan Horton collided with him.[13] The injury sidelined him for the first half of the season.[14] Lehtonen was once again injured on April 6, 2006, whenTampa Bay Lightning forwardChris Dingman collided with him; Lehtonen tried to get to his feet, but sprained his ankle in the process.
Shortly into the2006–07 season, Lehtonen broke the Atlanta Thrashers shutout streak record previously held byMichael Garnett.[15] The streak lasted 167 minutes and 56 seconds, before it was snapped byP.J. Axelsson of theBoston Bruins.[16] He also set his career highs in every category.[17]AirTran Airways, a low-cost airline, signed Lehtonen as an endorser for the 2006–07 season.[18] On February 8, 2007, Lehtonen became the Thrashers franchise leader for wins by a goaltender with 49, surpassingPasi Nurminen's record of 48. On April 12, 2007, Lehtonen was the starting goaltender for the Thrashers in their firstStanley Cup playoff game. He played two games in the playoffs losing both of them, where he allowed four goals in the first and allowed seven goals on 35 shots in the second.[19][20]
After a rough start to the2007–08 season, Lehtonen suffered another groin injury on October 18, 2007. He would miss 16 games before returning on December 5, 2007.[21] He finished the season with a respectable save percentage of .916 to go along with four shutouts as the Thrashers failed to qualify for the2008 playoffs.[22][23]
In 2009, Lehtonen re-signed with the Atlanta Thrashers to a one-year, $3 million deal, after posting a 19-22-3 record with three shutouts, a 3.06 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 46 games for the Thrashers in the2008–09 season.[24]
Lehtonen re-joined the Thrashers on February 7, 2010, following a condition stint with the Chicago Wolves in January.[25] However, on February 9, Lehtonen was traded to theDallas Stars in exchange forIvan Vishnevskiy and a fourth-round draft pick in the2010 NHL Entry Draft (Ivan Telegin).[26] He spent the remainder of the season backing upMarty Turco and won six of the twelve games he played with the team.[27]
Prior to the start of the2010–11 season, the Stars signed Lehtonen to a three-year, $10.65 million extension.[28] In his first full season in Dallas, Lehtonen compiled a 34–24–11 record with a 2.55 GAA in 69 games played. Lehtonen and the Stars narrowly missed the2011 playoffs after losing to theMinnesota Wild on the final day of the season to eliminate them from playoff contention, finishing the season only two points behind the defending Stanley Cup championChicago Blackhawks for the last playoff spot.[27]
On September 4, 2012, the day before an impending lockout, Lehtonen signed a five-year, $29.5 million contract.
Lehtonen made the playoffs with the Stars for the first time in2014 as the team finished as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference where they would eventually be defeated in six games by the top seededAnaheim Ducks.
Prior to the2015–16 season, the Stars acquired fellow Finnish goaltenderAntti Niemi from theSan Jose Sharks to compete with Lehtonen. They alternated regularly the next two seasons.[29] In the2016 playoffs, Lehtonen established himself as the primary goalie. However, in Game 7 of the second round, he was pulled after giving up three goals in the first period as the Stars' season ended with a 6–1 loss to theSt. Louis Blues for a 4–3 defeat in the series.[30]
He earned his 300th win on December 13, 2017, in a game against theNew York Islanders by making 32 saves to clinch a 5–2 win.[31] He played his last game with the Dallas Stars on April 7, 2018, against theLos Angeles Kings picking up a win and made 34 saves.[27] He entered free agency in the summer of 2018.
Lehtonen has been selected to play for Finland's youth andnational teams on many occasions. He won gold with Finland at the2000 IIHF World U18 Championships.[8] He finished the tournament possessing a 5-0-1 record with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage.[32] He also competed in theIIHF World Junior Championship in2001, backing upAri Ahonen, and in2002, where he led the team to a bronze medal and was named the top goaltender in the tournament that year.[33] He represented Finland at the2004 World Cup of Hockey where they placed second.[34] He won a bronze medal at the2014 Winter Olympics.[35] He played in two games, one victory in the preliminary round and a loss in the semi-finals.[36][37] He finished with a 1-1-0 record with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.[38]
Lehtonen was a big goaltender who used his size to his advantage having good net coverage and has lightning-quick reflexes. With his calm and cool demeanour, he has the ability to anticipate plays and have an excellent sense of timing.[33] Central Scouting describes him as a tall goaltender with impressive quickness and excellent reflexes.[3] Lehtonen's childhood idol was iconic Finnish goaltenderJarmo Myllys. He also cites inspiration fromPatrick Roy, admiring his playing style.[33]
On July 2, 2011, Kari married longtime girlfriend Abbe Schutter in a private ceremony at the Club at Hammock Beach inPalm Coast, Florida. Kari met Abbe while playing in Atlanta.[39] Kari and Abbe welcomed their first child, a son, in September 2012.[40][41] They welcomed their second child and son in November 2017.[42]
He spent a couple of years being a guest instructor at a summer hockey program ran by Jarmo Myllys.[3] Prior to entering the United States, he was able to work on his English with the help of formerNew York Rangers goalieJamie Ram, as well as watching television shows likeThe Simpsons andAmerican Idol.[3]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1999–2000 | Jokerit | FIN U20 | 33 | 21 | 9 | 3 | — | 1974 | 86 | 2 | 2.61 | .904 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 758 | 14 | 4 | 1.11 | .952 | ||
| 2000–01 | Jokerit | FIN U20 | 31 | 20 | 9 | 1 | — | 1799 | 71 | 3 | 2.37 | .911 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 4 | 4.44 | 0 | .857 | ||
| 2000–01 | Jokerit | SM-l | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 190 | 6 | 0 | 1.90 | .937 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Jokerit | FIN U20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 360 | 11 | 1 | 1.83 | .944 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Jokerit | SM-l | 23 | 13 | 5 | 2 | — | 1242 | 37 | 4 | 1.79 | .941 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 623 | 18 | 3 | 1.73 | .940 | ||
| 2002–03 | Jokerit | SM-l | 45 | 23 | 14 | 6 | — | 2634 | 87 | 5 | 1.98 | .928 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 626 | 17 | 2 | 1.63 | .941 | ||
| 2003–04 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 39 | 20 | 14 | 2 | — | 2192 | 88 | 3 | 2.41 | .926 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 663 | 23 | 1 | 2.08 | .942 | ||
| 2003–04 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 239 | 5 | 1 | 1.25 | .953 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 57 | 38 | 17 | 2 | — | 3378 | 128 | 5 | 2.27 | .929 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 983 | 28 | 2 | 1.71 | .939 | ||
| 2005–06 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 38 | 20 | 15 | — | 0 | 2166 | 106 | 2 | 2.94 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 68 | 34 | 24 | — | 9 | 3934 | 183 | 4 | 2.79 | .912 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 11 | 0 | 5.59 | .849 | ||
| 2007–08 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 48 | 17 | 22 | — | 5 | 2707 | 131 | 4 | 2.90 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 124 | 4 | 0 | 1.93 | .934 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 46 | 19 | 22 | — | 3 | 2624 | 134 | 3 | 3.06 | .911 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 247 | 11 | 0 | 2.67 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 12 | 6 | 4 | — | 0 | 663 | 31 | 0 | 2.81 | .911 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 69 | 34 | 24 | — | 11 | 4119 | 175 | 3 | 2.55 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 59 | 32 | 22 | — | 4 | 3497 | 136 | 4 | 2.33 | .922 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 36 | 15 | 14 | — | 3 | 1986 | 88 | 1 | 2.66 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 65 | 33 | 20 | — | 10 | 3804 | 153 | 5 | 2.41 | .919 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 346 | 19 | 1 | 3.29 | .885 | ||
| 2014–15 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 65 | 34 | 17 | — | 10 | 3698 | 181 | 5 | 2.94 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 43 | 25 | 10 | — | 2 | 2280 | 105 | 2 | 2.76 | .906 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 555 | 26 | 1 | 2.81 | .899 | ||
| 2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 59 | 22 | 25 | — | 7 | 3178 | 151 | 3 | 2.85 | .902 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 37 | 15 | 14 | — | 3 | 1945 | 83 | 1 | 2.56 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SM-l totals | 72 | 39 | 20 | 8 | — | 4,066 | 130 | 9 | 1.92 | .933 | 21 | 14 | 6 | 1,249 | 35 | 5 | 1.68 | .941 | ||||
| NHL totals | 649 | 310 | 233 | 0 | 67 | 36,838 | 1,662 | 38 | 2.71 | .912 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 1,019 | 56 | 2 | 3.30 | .887 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Finland | U18 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 307 | 9 | 1 | 1.76 | .963 | |
| 2001 | Finland | WJC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | .920 | |
| 2001 | Finland | U18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 239 | 7 | 2 | 1.76 | .935 | |
| 2002 | Finland | WJC | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 360 | 7 | 1 | 1.17 | .943 | |
| 2002 | Finland | WC | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | Finland | WJC | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 357 | 13 | 2 | 2.19 | .923 | |
| 2003 | Finland | WC | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2004 | Finland | WCH | DNP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | Finland | WC | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | 374 | 12 | 1 | 1.93 | .913 | |
| 2012 | Finland | WC | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 232 | 11 | 1 | 2.85 | .894 | |
| 2014 | Finland | OG | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 119 | 3 | 0 | 1.51 | .935 | |
| Junior totals | 23 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1323 | 38 | 6 | 1.72 | — | |||
| Senior totals | 12 | 7 | 5 | — | 725 | 26 | 2 | 2.15 | .909 | |||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of theUrpo Ylönen trophy 2001–02 & 2002–03 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theJari Kurri trophy 2001–02 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theKalen Kannu 2001–02 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta Thrashers first round draft pick 2002 | Succeeded by |
