Petteri Nummelin
Encyclopedia
Petteri Nummelin (born November 25, 1972 in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, Finland
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...

) is a Finnish 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
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...

, and a former 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...

 defenceman for the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

 and Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

. He currently plays for HC Lugano of the Swiss Nationalliga A. He was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 as their fifth-round pick, #133 overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft
2000 NHL Entry Draft
The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was held from June 24 to 25 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft on June 23 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild...

. Nummelin debuted with Finland's team in the 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships
1995 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1995 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was played in Stockholm and Gavle Sweden, from April 23rd to May the 7th, 1995. In the tournament finals, Finland won the gold medal by winning over Sweden 4-1 at the Globen arena in Stockholm. The Finnish goals were scored by Timo Jutila and Ville...

 where Finland won their first gold medal and has since represented his country in each consecutive year except 2008 and 2011. His total tournaments played count up to 15 at this date, which is more appearances than any other hockey player (past or present) has.

Nummelin is the son of Timo Nummelin
Timo Nummelin
Timo Nummelin is a retired professional football and ice hockey player who played in SM-liiga and the predecessor of Veikkausliiga ....

, a Finnish ice hockey hall of famer.

Career in Finland

Petteri Nummelin started playing ice hockey in his hometown Turku and played for a-junior team of TPS for 3 seasons after which he played for Kiekko-67 in the 1. Division. Nummelin debuted in the SM-Liiga during the 1992–93 Season which he spent playing partly for TPS and Reipas. Nummelin also played in Kiekko-67 and TPS A-Junior team during the season. After the 1992–93 season Nummelin stayed in TPS for 2 more seasons (93–95) and moved to play in Sweden after winning the world championship for Finland.

Career in Sweden

After successful World Championship tournament in 1995 Nummelin attracted some international publicity and was contracted by Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...

, a Swedish team playing in the Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

. Nummelin spent total of 2 seasons in Sweden.

Career in Switzerland

In 1997 Nummelin joined HC Davos
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team...

, one of the most successful Swiss teams to date. Nummelin played in HC Davos for 3 seasons (1997–2000) during the time Nummelin established himself as a star in Switzerland and at the end of 1999–2000 Season Nummelin received an offer from the 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...

. Nummelin Played in NHL for Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 for the 2000–2001 season and returned to Switzerland and joined HC Lugano for 2001–2002 season. Nummelin played in Lugano for 5 seasons (2001–06) and won several honors during that time, such as the overall points ranking in 2004 and the Swiss championship in 2003 and 2006.
Since the season of 2008–2009, he comes back to Switzerland for HC Lugano.

NHL career

Nummelin has played for one season in the NHL during the 2000–2001 NHL Season for the Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...


In 2006, after spending 5 seasons in Switzerland, Nummelin returned to the NHL and signed with the Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

, partially due to strong encouragement by Minnesota Wild teammate, fellow countryman and friend Mikko Koivu
Mikko Koivu
Mikko Sakari Koivu is a Finnish professional ice hockey center and captain of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League...

, whom he babysat as a child. Known as Nummy by fans and Petu on the ice, Nummelin has enjoyed a resurgence in his NHL career in the early stages of the 2006–07 NHL season.

Although Nummelin has displayed both strong offensive and defensive contribution during regulation play, many consider his strongest asset his ability to score in the overtime shootout
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...

. As of 7 December 2006, Nummelin has converted six shootout goals in all six of his attempts, beating some of the NHL's best goalies including Nikolai Khabibulin
Nikolai Khabibulin
Nikolai Ivanovich Khabibulin is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League...

, Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is of Italian and Irish ancestry. He employs the butterfly style of goaltending...

 and Vezina
Vezina Trophy
The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the 30 General Managers of the teams in the National Hockey League vote to determine the goaltender who was the most valuable to his team...

 winner Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...

. Nummelin's success is credited to what Wild fans have dubbed "The Shoulder Shake," a deke in which Nummelin shifts his shoulders back and forth without actually moving the puck, forcing the goaltender to move first, Nummelin then reacts to the goalie's movement putting the puck in the net with the backhand or forehand. Nummelin's opportunity in the shootout initially came as a shock to fans and teammates when Minnesota Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire
Jacques Lemaire
Jacques Gerard Lemaire is a former ice hockey forward for the Montreal Canadiens and a long-time coach, most notably with the New Jersey Devils and the Minnesota Wild.-Playing career:...

 listed him third in the shootout lineup against 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 10 October 2006, in the place normally given to Marian Gaborik
Marian Gaborik
Marián Gáborík is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He began his career in the Slovak Extraliga with HC Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the...

 (the first three shooters are often reserved for the team's best goal scorers). Nummelin's conversion was the deciding goal to end the shootout and win the game for the Wild. Nummelin is currently the all-time NHL shoot-out conversion leader for players with more than two attempts, with a rate of 80% (8 for 10).

After the 2007–08 NHL season, Nummelin's contract with the Wild expired, and at 35 years of age he signed a 3-year contract with his former Swiss team HC Lugano.

Awards and achievements

  • Pekka Rautakallio trophy
    Pekka Rautakallio trophy
    The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best defenceman of the season.-Trophy winners:*1977-78: Pekka Rautakallio *1978-79: Pekka Rautakallio *1979-80: Reijo Ruotsalainen...

     for best defenceman in the SM-liiga - 1994
  • World record holder in Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments played (15)
  • Best defenceman of World Championship tournament 2000 and 2010
  • In World Championship all-star team 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2010

Career statistics


--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992-93 Lahden Reipas FNL 14 3 4 7 18
1992-93 TPS FNL 3 0 0 0 8
1993-94 TPS FNL 44 14 24 38 20 11 0 3 3 4
1994-95 TPS FNL 48 10 17 27 32 11 4 3 7 0
1995-96 Vastra Frolunda HC Gotebo SEL 32 7 11 18 26 12 2 7 9 4
1996-97 Vastra Frolunda HC Gotebo SEL 44 20 14 34 39 2 0 1 1 0
1997-98 Davos Swiss 33 13 17 30 24
1998-99 Davos Swiss 44 11 42 53 22
1999-00 Davos Swiss 40 15 23 38 0 5 0 3 3 0
2000-01 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 61 4 12 16 10
2001-02 Lugano Swiss 34 4 18 22 6
2002-03 Lugano Swiss 43 18 39 57 12
2003-04 Lugano Swiss 48 20 39 59 59 16 7 20 27 4
2004-05 Lugano Swiss 36 13 36 49 18 3 1 0 1 2
2005-06 Lugano Swiss 38 13 32 45 22 17 8 25 33 10
2006-07 Minnesota Wild NHL 51 3 17 20 22
2007-08 Minnesota Wild NHL 27 2 7 9 2
2008-09 Lugano Swiss 41 21 39 60 16
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 139 9 36 45 34


External links

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