Aki Berg
Encyclopedia
Aki-Petteri Berg (born July 28, 1977) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey
defenceman
. He was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Kings
in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
. He played both for the Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs
over eight seasons and has represented Team Finland
twice at the Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a silver medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
in which Finland lost in the finals to host Canada, and a silver medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
in the Finnish SM-liiga
, Berg was thought to be a cannot miss prospect. Thus, while he turned into a nice complementary player at the NHL level, he nonetheless failed to have the impact that was expected of him. Some analysts feel that, had Berg been given time to refine his offensive game in Finland, as well as some minor technical aspects, he would have become an impact NHL defenceman. He was traded from Los Angeles to Toronto on March 13, 2001 for Adam Mair
and a 2nd round draft pick (later used to select Mike Cammalleri
) as the Leafs wished for an injection of youth into a rapidly aging roster. In April 2006, after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs, Berg signed with TPS and returned to his native Finland.
Aki-Petteri Berg is also known with nickaname: "GOD" and "the King" since 1995.
Berg was a commonly attacked player by Toronto fans. The Toronto Star noted that "he was relentlessly booed as a Maple Leaf" and "reviled Leaf defender in the post- Larry Murphy
era" On After the Horn, Andy Frost
said that "[Berg] is one of the most underrated players on [the Leafs]."
. In 47 games, Berg was the team's top all-around defenceman, recording 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points during the 2004–05 Swedish
Elitserien
regular-season. He returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2005/2006 season.
In 531 career NHL regular-season games with Toronto and Los Angeles Berg has 15 goals and 62 assists for 77 points with a +/- rating of -7 and 318 penalty minutes. In 54 career post-season games he has recorded 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points with a +2 rating and 47 penalty minutes.
On April 25, 2006, Berg signed with TPS of Finland's SM-liiga
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
. He was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
1995 NHL Entry Draft
The 1995 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. The drafting order was now set partially by a lottery system whereby teams would not be guaranteed first pick if they finished last. Instead, a draft lottery was instituted in which the winner of the lottery could move...
. He played both for the Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
over eight seasons and has represented Team Finland
Finnish national men's ice hockey team
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, or Leijonat / Lejonen , as it is called in Finland, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
twice at the Winter Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, a silver medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
2004 World Cup of Hockey
The 2004 World Cup of Hockey was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the second installment of the National Hockey League -sanctioned competition eight years after the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It was held from August 30 to September 14, 2004, and took place in various venues...
in which Finland lost in the finals to host Canada, and a silver medal at the 2006 Torino Olympics.
Draft status and early years
Although Berg had developed into a solid regular NHL defenceman, he nonetheless failed to shed his underachiever tag after entering the NHL in 1995–96 from Finland. As a teenager playing for TPSTPS (ice hockey)
TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...
in the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, Berg was thought to be a cannot miss prospect. Thus, while he turned into a nice complementary player at the NHL level, he nonetheless failed to have the impact that was expected of him. Some analysts feel that, had Berg been given time to refine his offensive game in Finland, as well as some minor technical aspects, he would have become an impact NHL defenceman. He was traded from Los Angeles to Toronto on March 13, 2001 for Adam Mair
Adam Mair
Adam Mair is a Canadian ice hockey centre who is currently playing for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL.-Playing career:...
and a 2nd round draft pick (later used to select Mike Cammalleri
Mike Cammalleri
Michael Cammalleri is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Junior:...
) as the Leafs wished for an injection of youth into a rapidly aging roster. In April 2006, after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs, Berg signed with TPS and returned to his native Finland.
Aki-Petteri Berg is also known with nickaname: "GOD" and "the King" since 1995.
Performance as a Leaf
After his trade to Toronto (Berg scored three times in 12 games with the Leafs during the regular-season that year), Berg played a quiet, if not entirely unspectacular style. Berg played in 78, 79, and 81 games during his first three full seasons in Toronto.Berg was a commonly attacked player by Toronto fans. The Toronto Star noted that "he was relentlessly booed as a Maple Leaf" and "reviled Leaf defender in the post- Larry Murphy
Larry Murphy
Lawrence Thomas Murphy is a former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He currently serves as an analyst and sideline reporter for the Detroit Red Wings on Fox Sports Detroit, and a studio analyst on NHL Network.-Playing career:...
era" On After the Horn, Andy Frost
Andy Frost
Andy Frost is a Toronto radio personality with stations Q-107 and AM 640, as well as the public address announcer at the Air Canada Centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He replaced long-time PA announcer, Paul Morris who retired at the end of the 1998/99 hockey season...
said that "[Berg] is one of the most underrated players on [the Leafs]."
Present status
As a result of the NHL lock-out, Berg returned to Europe in order to play in Sweden with Timrå IKTimrå IK
Timrå IK is a Swedish ice hockey team from Timrå, who currently plays in the top division, Elitserien. Seasons in the top division include 1956–57 to 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, and 2000–01 until present.-History:...
. In 47 games, Berg was the team's top all-around defenceman, recording 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points during the 2004–05 Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
regular-season. He returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2005/2006 season.
In 531 career NHL regular-season games with Toronto and Los Angeles Berg has 15 goals and 62 assists for 77 points with a +/- rating of -7 and 318 penalty minutes. In 54 career post-season games he has recorded 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points with a +2 rating and 47 penalty minutes.
On April 25, 2006, Berg signed with TPS of Finland's SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | TPS TPS (ice hockey) TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:... |
FNL SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | TPS | FNL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Kiekko-67 Turku | FinD1 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Phoenix Roadrunners Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) The Phoenix Roadrunners were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League. The team was housed at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team played in the IHL from 1989 to 1997. The IHL Roadrunners were named for a World Hockey Association team of the same name... |
IHL | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
51 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 41 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 72 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 61 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | TPS | FNL | 48 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 137 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 45 | ||
| 1999–00 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 70 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 47 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 81 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 46 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 37 | ||
| 2002–03 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 79 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 40 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 Elitserien season The 2004–05 Elitserien season was the 30th season of Elitserien. It started on September 20, 2004, with the regular season ending March 1, 2005. The playoffs of the 81st Swedish Championship ended on April 11, with Frölunda HC taking the championship.... |
Timra IK Timrå IK Timrå IK is a Swedish ice hockey team from Timrå, who currently plays in the top division, Elitserien. Seasons in the top division include 1956–57 to 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, and 2000–01 until present.-History:... |
SEL Elitserien Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden... |
47 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 75 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | TPS | FNL | 54 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | TPS | FNL | 14 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | TPS | FNL | 43 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | ||
| 2009–10 | TPS | FNL | 35 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | TPS | FNL | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |||||||
| NHL totals | 606 | 15 | 70 | 85 | 374 | 54 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 47 | ||||