Ilkka Sinisalo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ilkka Sinisalo |
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| Born | July 10, 1958 Valkeakoski, Finland |
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| Died | April 5, 2017 (aged 58) Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | NHL Philadelphia Flyers Minnesota North Stars Los Angeles Kings SM-liiga HIFK HPK Ilves Kiekko-Espoo |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1978–1996 | ||
Ilkka Antero Jouko Sinisalo (born July 10, 1958 – died April 5, 2017) was a talented Finnish professional ice hockey player. He was a forward who played for eleven seasons in the top North American league, the National Hockey League (NHL). Ilkka played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars, and Los Angeles Kings. After his playing days, he became a scout for the Flyers.
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Ilkka Sinisalo's Hockey Journey
Starting in Finland
Ilkka Sinisalo began his hockey career as a young player with HIFK in Finland. He showed great skill early on. In the 1970s, NHL teams didn't often look for players in Finland.
However, Ilkka's talent was so impressive that he stood out. After a great 1980–81 season with HIFK, where he scored 27 goals in 36 games, NHL scouts noticed him. He signed his first NHL contract on February 17, 1981, as a "free agent." This means he wasn't drafted by a team but was free to sign with any team that wanted him.
Playing in the NHL
Ilkka played in the NHL from 1981 to 1992. Most of his time was spent with the Philadelphia Flyers. He scored 204 goals and earned 426 points during his NHL career.
He is known as the all-time leading goal scorer among European players for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is also the fourth-highest Finnish goal scorer in NHL history. In 1997, he was honored by being added to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame.
Memorable Moments
Ilkka scored his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the first Flyer to score his first NHL goal on a "penalty shot." A penalty shot is a special play where a player gets to take a shot at the goalie all by themselves. He was only the third NHL player at that time to do this for their first goal.
During the 1984–85 season, Ilkka had a fantastic year. He scored 73 points in 70 games. The 1989–90 season was his last with the Flyers. After that, he played one season for the Minnesota North Stars and two seasons for the Los Angeles Kings.
Retirement from Playing
Ilkka Sinisalo retired from playing hockey in 1996. His last team was Kiekko-Espoo in the Finnish SM-Liiga.
Life After Hockey
After retiring as a player, Ilkka stayed involved in hockey. He became the general manager (GM) for Kiekko-Espoo, his last team. He worked as their GM until 1998–99.
Later, he was hired by the San Jose Sharks as a European scout in 1998. A scout's job is to find new talented players. In 2004, he returned to the Flyers organization, working as their European scout.
Ilkka's Family Life
Ilkka Sinisalo's son, Tomas, also became a professional ice hockey player. Tomas mainly played in Finland and even attended the Flyers' training camp in 2009.
Sadly, Ilkka Sinisalo passed away on April 5, 2017, due to prostate cancer.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1976–77 | PiTa | FIN II | 35 | 22 | 16 | 38 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | HIFK | SM-l | 36 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978–79 | HIFK | SM-l | 30 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | HIFK | SM-l | 35 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1980–81 | HIFK | SM-l | 36 | 27 | 17 | 44 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1981–82 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 66 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 61 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 29 | 17 | 46 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 70 | 36 | 37 | 73 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 74 | 39 | 37 | 76 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1986–87 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 42 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1987–88 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 68 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 59 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 46 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 42 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | HPK | SM-l | 46 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 55 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | Kärpät | FIN II | 28 | 27 | 15 | 42 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Ilves | SM-l | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | Ilves | SM-l | 30 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-l | 16 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Kiekko-Espoo | SM-l | 44 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SM-l totals | 285 | 88 | 81 | 169 | 216 | 39 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 28 | ||||
| NHL totals | 582 | 204 | 222 | 426 | 208 | 68 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 6 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Finland | WJC | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1981 | Finland | WC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1981 | Finland | CC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 1982 | Finland | WC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1983 | Finland | WC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Senior totals | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 20 | |||
