Teppo Numminen

Last updated
Teppo Numminen
Teppo Numminen 2013.JPG
Numminen in 2013
Born (1968-07-03) July 3, 1968 (age 57)
Tampere, Finland
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Tappara
Winnipeg Jets
TuTo
Phoenix Coyotes
Dallas Stars
Buffalo Sabres
National teamFlag of Finland.svg  Finland
NHL draft 29th overall, 1986
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 19852009
Medal record
Representing Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Men's ice hockey
European Junior Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1986 West Germany
World Junior Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1988 Soviet Union
Winter Olympics
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1988 Calgary
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 Turin
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1998 Nagano
World Cup of Hockey
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2004 World Cup

Teppo Kalevi Numminen (born July 3, 1968) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for Tappara and TuTo of the SM-liiga and the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Internationally, he represented the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013.

Contents

Playing career

Numminen playing with the Buffalo Sabres in 2007 Teppo Numminen.jpg
Numminen playing with the Buffalo Sabres in 2007

Numminen started his career with his local team, Tappara, in the SM-liiga. Drafted in the second round (twenty-ninth overall) in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, Numminen moved to North America in 1988 to play for the Jets. He moved with the team as it became the Phoenix Coyotes before the 1996–97 season. He played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1999, 2000 and 2001. After fifteen seasons playing for the Winnipeg/Phoenix organization, Numminen was traded to the Dallas Stars in July 2003, for Mike Sillinger. Numminen took a break from hockey during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, then signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres.

On November 13, 2006, Numminen played his 1,252nd game in the NHL, thus setting a record for most NHL games played by a European-trained player, surpassing Jari Kurri.

After signing a one-year contract for the 2007–08 season, Numminen was forced to undergo open heart surgery before the start of the season. Numminen was suspended by the Sabres when it was discovered he needed heart surgery. [1] Sabres' general manager Darcy Regier stated the suspension was because his $2.6 million contract was not insured, and the contract contained a clause, which stated that player must have passed the physical and had to be fit to play. [2]

Word came that Numminen's heart surgery was successful. Completed on September 20, 2007, at the Cleveland Clinic, the surgery was performed to repair a faulty valve. [3] Numminen was able to return to action for the final game of the Sabres' 2007–08 season on April 5, 2008.

Per a statement by general manager Regier, Numminen expressed some interest in returning to NHL play for at least another year. On August 8, 2008, Numminen re-signed with the Buffalo Sabres. [4]

He was the leader among active NHL players who played the most games without winning the Stanley Cup: 1,372 at the end of the 2008-09 season.

Numminen announced his retirement on August 4, 2009. The 41-year-old finished his NHL career with 117 goals and 520 assists for 637 points in 1372 NHL games. At the time of his retirement, Numminen was the last player from the 1986 NHL Entry Draft still playing in the NHL and he had extended his record to 1,372 NHL games, the most by a European-born and trained player at any position, which stood until broken by Nicklas Lidström in the 2009–10 season.

On January 30, 2010, the Coyotes enshrined Numminen's number 27 jersey into the ring of honor. During his 15 seasons for the franchise, including their previous incarnation as the Winnipeg Jets, he played 1,098 games, a then franchise record. His 534 points are also a franchise record for defencemen. [5]

International play

IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013: Jan-Ake Edvinsson, Gord Miller, Mats Sundin, Danielle Goyette, Paul Henderson, Peter Forsberg, Teppo Numminen and Boris Mikhailov IIHF Hall of Fame 2013.JPG
IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013: Jan-Åke Edvinsson, Gord Miller, Mats Sundin, Danielle Goyette, Paul Henderson, Peter Forsberg, Teppo Numminen and Boris Mikhailov

Numminen represented the Finnish men's national team and won two silver medals in 1988 and 2006, and one bronze medal in 1998 Winter Olympics.[ citation needed ]

Numminen was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2013. [6] [7]

Personal life

Numminen and his wife Ann-Maarit have two daughters, Bianca and Erica, and one son, Nicklas. His brother, center Teemu Numminen (born December 23, 1973) was drafted 229th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets but he never made it to the NHL. [8]

Numminen used to own 80% of Montreal Sports Ltd, which was a company founded by his father, Kalevi. The company produced ice hockey sticks and equipment and was sold to the large hockey brand Warrior.[ citation needed ]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1984–85 Whitby Lawmen OJHL 1639120
1985–86 Tappara Fin-Jr.2000030112
1985–86 Tappara SM-liiga 31246680000
1986–87 TapparaSM-liiga4499181694154
1987–88 TapparaSM-liiga40101020291066126
1988–89 Winnipeg Jets NHL 691141536
1989–90 Winnipeg JetsNHL7911324320712310
1990–91 Winnipeg JetsNHL808253320
1991–92 Winnipeg JetsNHL80534393270000
1992–93 Winnipeg JetsNHL66730373361122
1993–94 Winnipeg JetsNHL575182328
1994–95 Winnipeg JetsNHL425162116
1994–95 TuTo SM-liiga1238114
1995–96 Winnipeg JetsNHL741143542260002
1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes NHL82225272873360
1997–98 Phoenix CoyotesNHL821140513010000
1998–99 Phoenix CoyotesNHL821030403072134
1999–00 Phoenix CoyotesNHL79834421651120
2000–01 Phoenix CoyotesNHL725263136
2001–02 Phoenix CoyotesNHL761335482040002
2002–03 Phoenix CoyotesNHL786243030
2003–04 Dallas Stars NHL62314171840110
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL752384036121124
2006–07 Buffalo SabresNHL792272932160444
2007–08 Buffalo SabresNHL10000
2008–09 Buffalo SabresNHL572151722
SM-liiga totals12724315555271071710
NHL totals1,372117520637513829142328

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1986 Finland EJC 52358
1987 Finland WC 105054
1987 Finland CC 41012
1988 Finland WJC 75274
1988 Finland OLY 61450
1991 FinlandWC1013410
1991 FinlandCC61122
1996 FinlandWC10112
1996 Finland WCH 20000
1997 FinlandWC52246
1998 FinlandOLY61122
2002 FinlandOLY40110
2004 FinlandWCH60220
2006 FinlandOLY82132
Junior totals12751212
Senior totals6813173030

See also

References

  1. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/162294.html [ dead link ]
  2. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/162818.html [ dead link ]
  3. http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/167444.html [ dead link ]
  4. Buffalo Sabres - News: SABRES SIGN TEPPO NUMMINEN - 08/08/2008 Archived 2008-08-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "COYOTES INDUCT NUMMINEN INTO RING OF HONOR". Phoenix Coyotes. 2010-01-30.
  6. Koivukangas, Antti (19 May 2013). "Teppo Numminen intagen i Hall of Fame". Yle (in Swedish). Helsinki, Finland. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. "Monster class of 2013". International Ice Hockey Federation . 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. "Eurohockey.com - 404 error page". www.eurohockey.com. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
Preceded by Phoenix Coyotes captain
200103
Succeeded by