Ilkka Sinisalo
Encyclopedia
Ilkka Antero Jouko Sinisalo (born July 10, 1958) is a Finnish
former professional ice hockey
forward
who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers
, Minnesota North Stars
and Los Angeles Kings
. He is currently a scout for the Flyers.
in 1997.
When Sinisalo started his ice hockey career in 1970s, the NHL teams did not scout extensively from Finland. The first Finnish ice hockey player in NHL was Matti Hagman
1976-77 for Boston Bruins
. However, the NHL scouts were so impressed by his talents that made an exception of hiring him as a free agent after his 1980-81 season in HIFK, SM-Liiga where he scored 27 goals in 36 games. He signed his first Flyers contract on February 14, 1981. Sinisalo started his first season at Flyers by making history by scoring his first NHL score against Pittsburgh Penguins
. Sinisalo became the first Flyers player to score his first NHL goal on a penalty shot
, and the third of five NHL players in the history. During the 1984-85 season Sinisalo become one of the Mike Keenan
’s most trusted players with total 73 points in 70 games with an outstanding +32 rating. 1989-90 was Sinisalo’s last season at Flyers, which after he played one season at Minnesota North Stars and two seasons at Los Angeles Kings.
He retired from hockey in 1996 with his last team, the Kiekko-Espoo from SM-Liiga
. Sinisalo was originally a junior product of HIFK
.
General Manager, Dean Lombardi
on September 12, 1998. In July 2004, he was back in the Flyers organization as their European Scout.
is a professional ice hockey player, primarily in Finland. Tomas attended the Flyers training camp in 2009.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
former professional ice hockey
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...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League
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...
(NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
and 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...
. He is currently a scout for the Flyers.
Playing career
Sinisalo played in the NHL from 1981–1992, scoring 204 goals and 426 points, mostly with the Flyers. He is ranked the all time most successful goal scorer among the European players in the history of Philadelphia Flyers. He is also ranked the fourth successful Finnish goal scorer in the NHL history, which gave him an honor to be member of the Finnish Hockey Hall of FameFinnish Hockey Hall of Fame
The Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame is part of the Vapriikki Museum Centre in Tampere, Finland and was created in 1979 to honor those individuals who have contributed to Finnish ice hockey...
in 1997.
When Sinisalo started his ice hockey career in 1970s, the NHL teams did not scout extensively from Finland. The first Finnish ice hockey player in NHL was Matti Hagman
Matti Hagman
Matti Risto Tapio "Hakki" Hagman is a former Finnish ice hockey professional. Hagman was the first Finnish-born and Finnish trained player to play an NHL game and the first to play in a Stanley Cup final...
1976-77 for Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. However, the NHL scouts were so impressed by his talents that made an exception of hiring him as a free agent after his 1980-81 season in HIFK, SM-Liiga where he scored 27 goals in 36 games. He signed his first Flyers contract on February 14, 1981. Sinisalo started his first season at Flyers by making history by scoring his first NHL score against Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
. Sinisalo became the first Flyers player to score his first NHL goal on a penalty shot
Penalty shot
A penalty shot is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during stop-time. Penalty shots are sometimes grouped into the larger penalty shootout used to decide games in several sports.-Ice hockey:...
, and the third of five NHL players in the history. During the 1984-85 season Sinisalo become one of the Mike Keenan
Mike Keenan
Michael Edward Keenan is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Calgary Flames, and former General Manager of the Florida Panthers. He is currently working as an analyst for the New York Rangers on MSG Network.Keenan was a player for the St...
’s most trusted players with total 73 points in 70 games with an outstanding +32 rating. 1989-90 was Sinisalo’s last season at Flyers, which after he played one season at Minnesota North Stars and two seasons at Los Angeles Kings.
He retired from hockey in 1996 with his last team, the Kiekko-Espoo from 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...
. Sinisalo was originally a junior product of HIFK
HIFK (ice hockey)
HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897...
.
Career after retirement
After playing his last season of professional ice hockey for Kiekko-Espoo in 1995-96 in Finland he took a job as the General Manager of the club. His last season of Kiekko-Espoo GM was 1998-99. He was then hired as the European based NHL Scout by San Jose SharksSan Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
General Manager, Dean Lombardi
Dean Lombardi
Dean Lombardi is President and General Manager of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. He previously served as GM of the San Jose Sharks, a position he held for seven seasons .-Early life:...
on September 12, 1998. In July 2004, he was back in the Flyers organization as their European Scout.
Personal life
His son Tomas SinisaloTomas Sinisalo
Tomas Sinisalo is an American-born Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for Kiekko-Vantaa of the Finnish Mestis. He is the son of former National Hockey League player Ilkka Sinisalo.-External links:...
is a professional ice hockey player, primarily in Finland. Tomas attended the Flyers training camp in 2009.
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | ||
| 1976–77 | PiTa Pitajanmaki | Fin-2 | 35 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | HIFK HIFK (ice hockey) HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897... |
SM-l 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... |
36 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | HIFK | SM-l | 30 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | HIFK | SM-l | 35 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1980–81 | HIFK | SM-l | 36 | 27 | 17 | 44 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1981–82 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern 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... |
66 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 61 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 29 | 17 | 46 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 70 | 36 | 37 | 73 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 74 | 39 | 37 | 76 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1986–87 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 42 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1987–88 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 68 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 59 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Minnesota North Stars Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white... |
NHL | 46 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | 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 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | 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 | 42 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | HPK HPK HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight... |
SM-l | 46 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Kärpät | Fin-2 | 28 | 27 | 15 | 42 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Ilves Ilves Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä... |
SM-l | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Ilves | SM-l | 30 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Kiekko-Espoo Espoo Blues The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division... |
SM-l | 16 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-l | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 582 | 204 | 222 | 426 | 208 | 68 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 6 | ||||
| SM-l totals | 285 | 88 | 81 | 169 | 216 | 39 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 28 | ||||
| Fin-2 totals | 63 | 49 | 31 | 80 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 1978 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships -Blue group:-Group B:-Group A:-Gold medal game:-Leading scorers:-Tournament awards:-Blue group:-Group B:-Group A:-Gold medal game:-Leading scorers:-Tournament awards:-Blue group:... |
Finland | WJC | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1981 1981 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1981 Ice Hockey World Championships took place at the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg, Sweden from 12 April to the 26 April. Eight teams took part, firstly splitting into two groups of two, with the best two from each group advancing to the final group. These teams then play each other in the... |
Finland | WEC Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1981 1981 Canada Cup The 1981 Canada Cup was the second best-on-best ice hockey world championship and involved the world's top six hockey nations. Tournament games were held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. The Soviet Union defeated Canada in a single game final to win its first title, while Soviet... |
Finland | CC Canada Cup The Canada Cup refers to several types of professional sporting events held in Canada: It is also the previous name of the World Cup of Golf and the World Cup of Hockey.* Canada Cup for men's professional ice hockey* Canada Cup... |
5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 1982 1982 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1982 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Finland from the 15 April to the 29 April. The games were played in Helsinki and Tampere. Eight teams took part, and each played each other once. The four best teams then played each other once more. This was the 48th World Championships, and... |
Finland | WEC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1983 1983 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1983 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in West Germany from 16 April to 2 May. The games were played in Munich, Dortmund and Düsseldorf. Eight teams took part, with each playing each other once. The four best teams then play each other once more. This was the 49th World Championships,... |
Finland | WEC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Junior int'l totals | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |||
| Senior int'l totals | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | |||
External links
- Meltzer, Bill, Heroes of the Past: Ilkka Sinisalo at PhiladelphiaFlyers.com