| Mikko Viitanen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born | February 18, 1982 Nurmijärvi, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Blues Hershey Bears Lowell Lock Monsters Lukko Rauma JYP Jyväskylä Ässät Pori | ||
| NHL Draft | 149th overall, 2001 Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Playing career | 2000–2016 | ||
Mikko Viitanen (born February 18, 1982) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who most notably played in the Finnish Liiga. He was drafted 149th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Viitanen previously played seven seasons with JYP, joining from fellow Liiga club Lukko Rauma in 2009. [1]
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually consisting of six players each: one goaltender, and five players who skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team.
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners. They were once called cover-point. A good defenceman is both strong in defensive and offensive play and for defenceman pairing also need to be good at defending and attacking.
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On April 23, 2015, Viitanen joined his fourth Finnish Liiga club, in agreeing to a two-year contract with Ässät Pori. [2] Viitanen appeared in 32 games for 5 points in the 2015–16 season. With his campaign limited due to injury and with the toll of 15 professional seasons mounting, Viitanen opted to forgo the final year of his contract with Pori and end his professional hockey career on May 31, 2016. [3]
The 2015–16 Liiga season was the 41st season of the Liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975.
