Esa Tikkanen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Esa Tikkanen
Tikkanen in 2013
Born	(1965-01-25) January 25, 1965 (age 60) Helsinki, Finland
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	HIFK Edmonton Oilers New York Rangers St. Louis Blues New Jersey Devils Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers Washington Capitals Jokerit Essen Mosquitoes Anyang Halla
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	80th overall, 1983 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	1983–2001 2004–2005

Esa Tikkanen (born January 25, 1965) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He was a forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Esa is famous for winning the Stanley Cup five times! He won four times with the Edmonton Oilers (in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990) and once with the New York Rangers (in 1994).

Esa Tikkanen's Early Hockey Days

Esa Tikkanen started his hockey journey as a young boy. He was a mascot for a team called Jokerit in Helsinki, Finland. Later, he joined another local team, HJK, to play in their junior league.

In 1981, Esa spent a year in Canada. He played for the Regina Blues and the Regina Pats. After that, he returned to Finland and signed with HIFK. The Edmonton Oilers picked him in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 80th player chosen overall.

In the 1984–85 season, Esa played 36 games for HIFK. Then, he joined the Oilers during their playoff run in 1985. He also played a short time for the Nova Scotia Oilers in the American Hockey League. Soon after, he became a full-time player for the Edmonton Oilers.

Esa Tikkanen's NHL Career

Starting Strong with the Edmonton Oilers

Esa Tikkanen played his first NHL game during the 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs. He played just one game in the finals that year. This meant his name was carved onto the Stanley Cup even before he played a regular-season NHL game!

Esa quickly became a key player for the Oilers. He often played on the top line with superstars Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. While Gretzky and Kurri focused on scoring, Esa was the defensive player on their line. He was known for being great at bothering opponents. He would often talk to them in his unique way, which people called "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk."

Esa was nominated several times for the Frank J. Selke trophy. This award goes to the best defensive forward in the NHL. He was a runner-up three times but never won it. Between 1986 and 1990, Esa scored 30 or more goals three times. He also helped the Oilers win three more Stanley Cups during this period. In 1991, he led the Edmonton Oilers in points with 69.

Playing for Other NHL Teams

In March 1993, Esa was traded to the New York Rangers. He helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994. He scored 22 goals and 54 points that season. In July 1994, he was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Blues.

The start of the 1994–95 NHL season was delayed. During this time, Esa went back to Finland to play for HIFK Helsinki. After the delay, he played for the Blues. He also played briefly for the New Jersey Devils and the Vancouver Canucks in the 1995–96 season.

In the 1996–97 season, Esa was traded back to the New York Rangers. He scored 9 goals in 15 playoff games for the Rangers that year. Only Wayne Gretzky scored more goals for the team. The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference finals before losing.

Esa became a free agent in 1997 and signed with the Florida Panthers. In March 1998, he was traded to the Washington Capitals. He played in all 21 of Washington's playoff games. The Capitals reached the Stanley Cup finals but lost to the Detroit Red Wings. This was Esa's last full season in the NHL. He later signed with the New York Rangers for a third time but was sidelined by an injury.

Esa Tikkanen played 877 NHL games in total. He scored 244 goals and had 386 assists, for a total of 630 points. He also had 1,077 penalty minutes. In 186 Stanley Cup playoff games, he scored 72 goals and 60 assists, totaling 132 points.

After the NHL

After his NHL career, Esa Tikkanen played for Jokerit in Finland during the 1999–2000 season. Jokerit finished second in their league. In 2000–01, Esa moved to Germany. He played for the Essen Mosquitoes in the DEL. He officially retired from playing in 2001.

In the 2004–05 season, Esa returned to hockey as a player-coach. He played for the Anyang Halla, a team in South Korea. After one season in Korea, Esa became a coach for the Frisk Tigers in Norway. He coached them for the 2005–06 season. In 2010, he became the head coach for Jokipojat in Finland.

Esa Tikkanen's International Play

Tikkanen (number 10) battling against Germany at the 1993 World Championships
Medal record
Representing Finland
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Bronze	1998 Nagano	Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze	2000 Russia	Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver	1984 Sweden	Ice hockey

Esa Tikkanen played 81 games for the Finnish National team. He played in two Canada Cups, five World Championship tournaments, and the 1998 Winter Olympics. At the 1998 Olympics, he won a bronze medal with Finland. He also won a bronze medal at the 2000 World Championships and a silver medal at the 1984 World Junior Championships.

Esa Tikkanen's Amazing Achievements

Esa Tikkanen won the Stanley Cup five times. Four times with the Oilers and once with the Rangers. He was known for scoring important goals in the playoffs. In 186 playoff games, he scored 72 goals. This puts him 14th all-time in NHL playoff goals! He is also 38th all-time in playoff points with 132.

Esa was nicknamed "The Grate One." This was a funny play on words, as his teammate Wayne Gretzky was called "The Great One." Esa got his nickname because he was so good at annoying opposing players. He would often talk to them in his unique "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk."

He holds an NHL record for scoring two shorthanded goals in the shortest time. He scored them just 10 seconds apart! With the Edmonton Oilers, he is 10th in points and 8th in goals in the team's history. His number 5 jersey was retired by Jokerit in 2001. This was a special honor, even though he only played one professional season for Jokerit. The number 5 was from a sweater his great-grandmother made for him when he was a mascot.

What is Tikkanese?

Esa Tikkanen is famous for his unique way of speaking English, which people called "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk." Even his teammates sometimes couldn't understand him! Wayne Gretzky once said, "He brings something special. I don't know what it is, but if you ask him, you couldn't understand his answer."

Another teammate, Craig MacTavish, joked, "Esa talks twice as much as anybody else. That's because you can understand just half what he says." Even his fellow Finn, Jari Kurri, sometimes had trouble understanding Esa.

Esa Tikkanen's Personal Life

Esa Tikkanen has been married three times. He has two daughters, Sabrina and Stephanie, from his first marriage. He later married Tua Backman in 2004, and they had three children together. They divorced in 2014. In 2016, Esa married Tuuli, a physiotherapist from Finland.

Awards and Achievements

• 1983 – SM-Liiga – Kanada-malja (with HIFK)
• 1985 – NHL – Stanley Cup (with Edmonton)
• 1987 – NHL – Stanley Cup (with Edmonton)
• 1988 – NHL – Stanley Cup (with Edmonton)
• 1990 – NHL – Stanley Cup (with Edmonton)
• 1994 – NHL – Stanley Cup (with New York Rangers)
• Matti Keinonen trophy for best plus/minus in the SM-liiga – 1985
• His number 5 jersey was retired by Jokerit in 2001.
• He was a runner-up for the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times.

The Racehorse Tikkanen

A Thoroughbred racehorse was named "Tikkanen" in Esa Tikkanen's honor. This horse won the 1994 Breeders' Cup Turf. The horse was named by George W. Strawbridge, Jr., who was involved with the Buffalo Sabres NHL team.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play Statistics