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 famous Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played as a forward in the National Hockey League (NHL). Tikkanen is well-known for winning the Stanley Cup five times during his career. He won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers (in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990). He also won one Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.

Early Hockey Days

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

In 1981–82, Tikkanen spent a year in Canada. He played for the Regina Blues and the Regina Pats. After his time in Canada, he returned to Finland. He signed a contract with HIFK.

The Edmonton Oilers picked Tikkanen in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 80th player chosen overall. In 1984–85, he played 36 games for HIFK. Then, he joined the Oilers for their playoff run in 1985. He also played briefly for the Nova Scotia Oilers, an Oilers farm team. Soon after, he became a full-time player for the Edmonton Oilers.

NHL Playing Career

Starting with the Edmonton Oilers

Tikkanen played his first NHL game with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1985 playoffs. He even got his name on the Stanley Cup that year. This happened before he played his first regular-season NHL game!

He quickly became a key player for the Oilers. He often played on the top line with hockey legends Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. While Kurri and Gretzky focused on scoring goals, Tikkanen was the defensive player on their line. The Oilers' coach, Glen Sather, even thought Tikkanen should win the Frank J. Selke Trophy. This award goes to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Tikkanen was a finalist many times but never won.

Tikkanen was known for distracting opponents. He would talk to them in his unique way, which was called "Tiki-Talk." He also often "shadowed" Gretzky when Gretzky played for other teams. Between 1986 and 1990, Tikkanen scored 30 or more goals three times. He also helped the Oilers win three more Stanley Cups. In 1991, he led the Edmonton Oilers in points during the regular season.

Moving to Other Teams

In March 1993, Tikkanen 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, Tikkanen was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Blues.

The start of the 1994–95 NHL season was delayed. During this time, Tikkanen went back to Finland. He played for HIFK Helsinki again. After the NHL season started, he played for the Blues. He was then traded to the New Jersey Devils. Just three weeks later, he was traded again to the Vancouver Canucks.

The 1996–97 season saw another trade for Tikkanen. He went back to the New York Rangers in March 1997. He scored only one goal in the regular season for New York. But he played great in the playoffs, scoring 9 goals in 15 games. Only Gretzky scored more for the Rangers that year. The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference finals but lost.

In 1997, Tikkanen became a free agent. He signed with the Florida Panthers. However, his stay there was short. 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. This was Tikkanen's last full season in the NHL. He later signed with the New York Rangers for a third time. An injury ended his season after only 32 games.

Tikkanen decided not to take a coaching role in the minors. He returned to Finland and played a full season with Jokerit. In his NHL career, he played 877 games. He scored 244 goals and had 386 assists, for a total of 630 points. He also had 1,077 penalty minutes. In 186 playoff games, he scored 72 goals and 60 assists, totaling 132 points.

After the NHL

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

In 2004–05, Tikkanen returned to hockey. He became a player-coach for Anyang Halla, a team in South Korea. He played 30 games, scoring 8 goals and 17 assists. He also led his team in penalty minutes. After one season, Tikkanen coached the Frisk Tigers in Norway for the 2005–06 season. In 2010, he became the head coach for Jokipojat in Finland.

International Play

Tikkanen (number 10) playing for Finland against Germany in 1993
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 and five World Championship tournaments. He also represented Finland at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where his team won a bronze medal.

Notable Achievements

Tikkanen won the Stanley Cup five times. Four times with the Oilers and once with the Rangers. Teams wanted him for his playoff experience. He scored 72 goals in 186 playoff games. This places him 14th all-time in NHL playoff scoring. He is also 38th all-time in playoff points with 132.

Tikkanen was known for scoring important goals. He was also known for his aggressive style of play. He was nicknamed "The Grate One" because he could annoy opposing players. He often did this by talking to them in his Finnish-English "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk."

His regular-season stats include 244 goals, 386 assists, and 1077 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he added 72 goals, 60 assists, and 275 penalty minutes. Tikkanen also led the Edmonton Oilers with 69 points in the 1990–91 season. He holds an NHL record for scoring two shorthanded goals just 10 seconds apart.

With the Edmonton Oilers, he is 10th in points and 8th in goals in team history. He is also 6th all-time in playoff scoring for the Oilers. His number 5 jersey was retired by Jokerit. This was a special honor, even though he played only one professional season for them. The number 5 was from a sweater his great-grandmother made for him as a mascot.

Tikkanese

Tikkanen is famous for his unique way of speaking English. It was often called "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk." Even his teammates sometimes found it hard to 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 fellow Finn Jari Kurri sometimes struggled to understand Tikkanen.

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 and they had three children together. In 2016, Tikkanen married Tuuli, a physiotherapist from Finland.

Awards and Achievements

• 1982–83 – SM-Liiga – Kanada-malja (HIFK)
• 1984–85 – NHL – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
• 1986–87 – NHL – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
• 1987–88 – NHL – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
• 1989–90 – NHL – Stanley Cup (Edmonton)
• 1993–94 – NHL – Stanley Cup (New York Rangers)
• Matti Keinonen trophy for best plus/minus in the SM-liiga – 1985
• Tikkanen's number 5 was retired by Jokerit in 2001.
• Tikkanen finished as runner-up for the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times.

Tikkanen, the Racehorse

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

Transactions

• March 17, 1993 – Traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the New York Rangers.
• July 24, 1994 – Traded by the New York Rangers to the St. Louis Blues.
• November 1, 1995 – Traded by the St. Louis Blues to the New Jersey Devils.
• November 23, 1995 – Traded by the New Jersey Devils to the Vancouver Canucks.
• March 8, 1997 – Traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers.
• September 17, 1997 – Signed as a free agent with the Florida Panthers.
• March 9, 1998 – Traded by the Florida Panthers to the Washington Capitals.
• October 9, 1998 – Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International