Jyrki Lumme
Encyclopedia
Jyrki Olavi Lumme is a retired Finnish
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...

 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...

 defenceman who played 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) and 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...

. After beginning his career in Finland, playing with Ilves Tampere for three seasons, he moved to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 in 1988. The Canadiens had selected Lumme two years prior in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 21, 1986 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1985–86 NHL season and playoff standings...

 57th overall. In his second NHL season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

, with whom he spent the majority of his career and enjoyed the most success. Over nine seasons with the Canucks, Lumme was named the club's annual top defenceman
Babe Pratt Trophy
thumb|200px|[[Christian Ehrhoff]] is the most recent recipientThe Babe Pratt Trophy is one of six annual team awards presented to players of the National Hockey League 's Vancouver Canucks...

 on four occasions, became the team's all-time top goal- and point-scoring defenceman, and was a part of the squad's run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals
1994 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...

. Towards the end of his NHL career, he additionally played for the Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

, Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

 and 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 the span of five seasons. In 2005, Lumme returned to Ilves Tampere of the SM-liiga after a two-year playing hiatus. He played two final campaigns in Finland before retiring, at which point he became a part-owner of Ilves Tampere.

Early career (1985–90)

Lumme began his professional career in with Ilves Tampere of the 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...

 in 1985–86. Following his rookie season in Finland, Lumme was selected by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

 in the 3rd round (57th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft
1986 NHL Entry Draft
The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 21, 1986 at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1985–86 NHL season and playoff standings...

. He remained with Ilves Tampere for two seasons following his draft. In his final year before transferring to the NHL, Lumme scored 8 goals and 30 points over 43 games to help Ilves to the best regular season record in the league.

In August 1988, Lumme signed a two-year contract with the Canadiens. Playing his first season in North America, Lumme split the 1988–89 campaign between Montreal and their minor league affiliate, the Sherbrooke Canadiens
Sherbrooke Canadiens
The Sherbrooke Canadiens were a professional ice hockey team in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They played their home games at the Palais des Sports. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1984 to 1990, and were a farm team of the Montreal Canadiens....

 of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 (AHL). He became the first Finnish player to compete for the Canadiens in team history. While playing in an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 on December 5, 1988, he suffered a knee injury, sidelining him for some time. He finished the season with 15 points over 26 AHL games, while registering 4 points over 21 NHL games within the Canadiens organization. The following season, Lumme earned a full-time NHL roster spot with the Canadiens.

After scoring 20 points over 54 games with Montreal during the campaign, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

 on March 6, 1990. In exchange for Lumme, Montreal acquired the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...

' second-round selection in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft
1991 NHL Entry Draft
The 1991 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22 at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York. A total of 264 players were drafted. The draft was famous for the controversy surrounding star first overall draft pick, touted by some observers to be The Next One, Eric Lindros, who was drafted by the...

 (previously acquired by Vancouver; Montreal selected Craig Darby
Craig Darby
Craig Darby is a retired American professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.-Playing career:...

). In retrospect of the trade, Lumme recalls not fitting into the Canadiens' playing style and expecting to be dealt away.

Vancouver Canucks (1990–98)

Lumme proved to be a good fit in Vancouver as he quickly established himself as the Canucks' top offensive defenceman. He was placed on a defensive pairing with Paul Reinhart
Paul Reinhart
Paul Gerard Reinhart is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL.Reinhart was drafted 12th overall by the Atlanta Flames in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft...

 immediately after the trade and scored 10 points in 11 games to finish the regular season. In his first full season with Vancouver, Lumme improved to 32 points over 80 games. The following season, he recorded his first of back-to-back 44-point seasons and earned his first of four Babe Pratt Trophies
Babe Pratt Trophy
thumb|200px|[[Christian Ehrhoff]] is the most recent recipientThe Babe Pratt Trophy is one of six annual team awards presented to players of the National Hockey League 's Vancouver Canucks...

 as the team's top defenceman. In 1993–94, Lumme posted a career-high 55 points, second only to late-season acquisition Jeff Brown among team defencemen. He added 13 points in 24 playoff games, helping Vancouver to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals
1994 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...

, where they were defeated by the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 in seven games.

Due to the subsequent 1994–95 NHL lockout, Lumme returned to Finland to play for Ilves Tampere. He recorded 8 points in 12 games before NHL play resumed midway through the campaign, at which point he returned to the Canucks. Lumme continued as one of the Canucks' standout defencemen for the duration of his time with the club, as his defensive game improved as well. He fell only one point short of his career high during the 1995–96 season, scoring 54 points — first among team defencemen. He also managed a personal best 17 goals. The following season, he won his fourth and final Babe Pratt Trophy in 1997. Lumme led the Canucks' defence in scoring his final two years in Vancouver before becoming an unrestricted free agent in July 1998 and signing with the Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

. He left Vancouver as the franchise's all-time leading scorer among defencemen in goals with 83 (surpassed by Mattias Öhlund
Mattias Öhlund
Mattias Öhlund is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and an alternate captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League . Prior to joining the Lightning, he played eleven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks...

 on December 15, 2007) and points with 321 (tied Dennis Kearns
Dennis Kearns
Dennis McAleer Kearns is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who spent his entire career with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...

 and since surpassed by Öhlund).

Post-Vancouver (1998–2007)

Playing with his third NHL club, Lumme remained a prominent member on his team's blueline. With 28-, 40- and 25-point seasons in Phoenix, Lumme finishing second among team defencemen in scoring behind Teppo Numminen
Teppo Numminen
Teppo Kalevi Numminen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League. He is currently an assistant coach for the Buffalo Sabres.-Playing career:...

 in all three campaigns. On June 23, 2001, he was traded from Phoenix to the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

 in exchange for forward Tyler Bouck
Tyler Bouck
Tyler Bouck is a professional ice hockey player currently with the ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...

. Lumme played 15 games with the club in 2001–02. He left the Stars on October 29, 2001, to briefly visit his family in Finland after receiving permission from general manager Bob Gainey
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael "Le Capitaine" Gainey is the former executive vice president and general manager of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He is also a former professional ice hockey player who played for the Canadiens from 1973 until 1989...

. His wife Minna and two kids had planned to join Lumme in Dallas during the season, but were reluctant to take a plane after the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks. Lumme and coach Ken Hitchcock
Ken Hitchcock
Ken Hitchcock also known as "Hitch" is an NHL hockey coach and pro scout, currently coaching the St. Louis Blues.-Early Years:...

 clashed openly during his brief time in Dallas, however, and he was put on waivers
Waivers (NHL)
Waivers is a National Hockey League labor management procedure by which an NHL team makes a professional ice hockey player’s contract and rights available to all other NHL teams. The term refers to the term that other NHL teams 'waive' any claim to a player designated for assignment, re-entry from...

. After clearing, he was traded to 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...

 in exchange for another veteran blueliner, Dave Manson
Dave Manson
-Playing career:Manson played junior hockey with his hometown Prince Albert Raiders in the Western Hockey League. Manson was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft and joined the team a year later. He also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix...

, on November 21, 2001. The deal was initiated by Maple Leafs general manager Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn (ice hockey)
John Brian Patrick Quinn , is a former head coach in the National Hockey League , most recently with the Edmonton Oilers. Known by the nickname "The Big Irishman",...

, Lumme's former coach and general manager in Vancouver, who commended Lumme as a "cornerstone" for the Canucks' success during his time with the club.

Near the end of the season, Lumme was suspended two games for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...

 forward J. P. Dumont in a game on March 2, 2002. He also missed an additional four games with a shoulder injury. Following the trade from Dallas, he posted 12 points in 51 games for Toronto. During the 2002 playoffs
2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championships of the National Hockey League, was played from April until June. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes four games to one to clinch the 10th championship in their history. It was the Hurricanes first ever appearance in the...

, Lumme suffered a concussion and re-aggravated his shoulder during the second round against the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. He suffered the injury after being hit into the boards by opposing forward Chris Neil
Chris Neil
Chris Neil is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Neil currently plays right wing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League .-Early years:Neil started out playing minor hockey in the town of Flesherton, Ontario...

. Sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs, he watched as the Leafs were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

 in the semifinals.

After discovering his shoulder injury did not require surgery, Lumme spent the 2003 off-season rehabilitating himself in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. Prior to the 2002–03 season, he was left unprotected for the NHL's waiver draft. With Lumme set to earn $2.75 million that season, however, he went unselected and remained with Toronto, scoring 17 points in 73 games. He played his last NHL game on April 23, 2003, registering an assist against 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...

. At the end of the season, the Maple Leafs bought out the final remaining year on Lumme's contract for two-thirds of his expected $1.5 million salary.

After his buy out, Lumme took a two-year playing hiatus. During this time, he returned to Vancouver, doing broadcast work for Finnish television. He also became a part-owner of his former Finnish club, Ilves Tampere. In 2005, he returned to play for Ilves. Following his retirement in 2007, Lumme became a part-owner of the Ilves hockey club.

Playing style

Though Lumme's smooth skating and accurate wrist shot made him best known as an offensive defenceman, during the peak of his career he was reliable in his own end too, with an effective backhand that allowed him to clear the zone with ease. Playing on the west coast, many analysts felt that Lumme never received the kind of acclaim he might have in an NHL market with more media exposure. In this vein, Canuck broadcaster Tom Larscheid
Tom Larscheid
Tom Larscheid is a former Vancouver-based radio sports broadcaster and football player. After a career playing college and CFL football, he was the colour commentator for the CFL's BC Lions and the NHL's Vancouver Canucks for many years...

 once called him "the best kept secret outside of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

."

Personal life

Lumme and his wife have two children. Following his retirement, he settled with his family in a countryside cabin in Finland. He returns to Vancouver often, retaining his home in North Vancouver from his playing career with the Canucks.

Lumme is involved with the NHL Players Association
NHL Players Association
The National Hockey League Players' Association or NHLPA is the labor union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the thirty member clubs in the National Hockey League located in the United States and Canada...

 Goals and Dreams Program, an organization that donates hockey equipment to children of low-income families worldwide.

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
1985–86 Ilves Tampere 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...

31 1 4 5 4
1986–87 Ilves Tampere FNL 43 12 12 24 52
1987–88 Ilves Tampere FNL 43 8 22 30 75
1988–89
1988–89 AHL season
The 1988–89 AHL season was the 53rd season of the American Hockey League. Fourteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The league abandoned awarding points for an overtime loss. The Sherbrooke Canadiens finished first overall in the regular season...

Sherbrooke Canadiens
Sherbrooke Canadiens
The Sherbrooke Canadiens were a professional ice hockey team in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They played their home games at the Palais des Sports. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1984 to 1990, and were a farm team of the Montreal Canadiens....

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

26 4 11 15 10 6 1 3 4 4
1988–89 Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...

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...

21 1 3 4 10
1989–90 Montreal Canadiens NHL 54 1 19 20 41
1989–90 Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

NHL 11 3 7 10 8
1990–91 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 5 27 32 59 6 2 3 5 0
1991–92 Vancouver Canucks NHL 75 12 32 44 65 13 2 3 5 4
1992–93 Vancouver Canucks NHL 74 8 36 44 55 12 0 5 5 6
1993–94 Vancouver Canucks NHL 83 13 42 55 50 24 2 11 13 16
1994–95 Ilves Tampere FNL 12 4 4 8 24
1994–95 Vancouver Canucks NHL 36 5 12 17 26 11 2 6 8 8
1995–96 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 17 37 54 50 6 1 3 4 2
1996–97 Vancouver Canucks NHL 66 11 24 35 32
1997–98 Vancouver Canucks NHL 74 9 21 30 34
1998–99 Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....

NHL 60 7 21 28 34 7 0 1 1 6
1999–00 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 74 8 32 40 44 5 0 1 1 2
2000–01 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 58 4 21 25 44
2001–02 Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

NHL 15 0 1 1 4
2001–02 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 51 4 8 12 18 14 0 0 0 4
2002–03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 73 6 11 17 46 7 0 2 2 4
2005–06 Ilves Tampere FNL 45 6 12 18 118 4 0 0 0 6
2006–07 Ilves Tampere FNL 22 3 8 11 28 3 0 2 2 6
NHL totals 985 114 354 468 630 105 9 35 44 52

Awards

  • Babe Pratt Trophy
    Babe Pratt Trophy
    thumb|200px|[[Christian Ehrhoff]] is the most recent recipientThe Babe Pratt Trophy is one of six annual team awards presented to players of the National Hockey League 's Vancouver Canucks...

     (Vancouver Canucks
    Vancouver Canucks
    The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

    ' best defenceman) - 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997

External links

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