Jere Lehtinen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jere Lehtinen
Lehtinen with the Dallas Stars in March 2009
Born	(1973-06-24) June 24, 1973 (age 52) Espoo, Finland
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shot	Right
Played for	Kiekko-Espoo TPS Dallas Stars
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	88th overall, 1992 Minnesota North Stars
Playing career	1990–2010
Medal record Ice hockey Representing  Finland Olympic Games Silver 2006 Turin Bronze 1994 Lillehammer Bronze 1998 Nagano Bronze 2010 Vancouver World Cup Silver 2004 Toronto World Championships Gold 1995 Sweden Silver 1992 Czechoslovakia Silver 1994 Italy Silver 2007 Russia

Jere Kalervo Lehtinen (born June 24, 1973) is a famous Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played as a right winger. Jere was picked by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played his whole 15-year career in the NHL with the same team. This team moved to Dallas in 1993.

Jere Lehtinen was known as a "two-way forward." This means he was great at both scoring goals and playing defense. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times. This award goes to the NHL's best defensive forward. After he stopped playing, he became the general manager for the Finnish national ice hockey team. In 2018, he was added to the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Jere Lehtinen's Hockey Journey

Starting in Finland

Raimo Kilpiö and Jere Lehtinen

Jere Lehtinen started playing hockey when he was young. In 1987, he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. This was with a youth team from his hometown, Espoo, Finland.

He began his professional career with his hometown team, Kiekko-Espoo. In 1991, his team won their division. They earned a spot in Finland's top league, the SM-liiga. Jere played one more year with Kiekko-Espoo. Then, he got an offer from a bigger team, TPS in Turku.

He joined TPS in the summer of 1993. Jere quickly became a strong offensive player. He often played alongside Saku Koivu, who also became an NHL star. Together, they helped TPS have a great season. They won the regular season title. However, they lost in the finals to Jokerit.

The next season, TPS and Jere made it to the finals again. This time, they beat Jokerit to win the championship! After this, Jere was invited to play in the 1995 World Championships. Finland reached the final game. They beat Sweden 4–1. This was Finland's first ever IIHF World Championship gold medal!

Jere was part of a famous Finnish line. Fans called them "The boys of Duckburg." This was a fun reference to their nicknames: "Tupu, Hupu, Lupu" (like Huey, Dewey, Louie). His linemates were Saku Koivu and Ville Peltonen. All three of them were chosen for the tournament's All-Star team.

Playing for the Dallas Stars

Joining the NHL in 1995

After winning championships in Finland and the World Championship in 1995, Jere moved to play in the NHL. He joined the Dallas Stars team right away. He only played one game in the minor leagues.

Over three years, Jere became a top player for the Stars. He played on the first line with star player Mike Modano. In the 1996–97 season, he was nominated for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. This award is for the best defensive forward.

In the 1997–98 season, Jere was chosen for the NHL All-Star Game. This was a special game where European players played against North American players. Other Finnish stars like Saku Koivu and Teemu Selänne were also there. That same year, Jere won his first Selke Trophy. He was the first Finnish player to win this award! He also won a bronze medal with Finland at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Winning the Stanley Cup in 1999

In 1999, the Stars made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. They beat the Buffalo Sabres in six games to win the Stanley Cup! In the final game, Jere scored the first goal. He also helped set up Brett Hull's winning goal in overtime. That year, Jere had his best statistics. He also won the Selke Trophy again, for the second year in a row!

The 1999–2000 season was tough for Jere. He had ankle problems and played only 17 regular season games. He missed many games due to injuries. But he came back to help his team in the 2000 playoffs. The Stars reached the Finals again. However, they lost to the New Jersey Devils.

Jere returned to his strong form in the 2000–01 season. The Stars made the playoffs but lost in the second round.

Later Years with Dallas

In 2001–02, Jere had an excellent season. He scored 25 goals and 24 assists. He also had the best plus-minus rating on his team. He was chosen for the NHL All-Star Game again. But he could not play because of an injury. He was also nominated for the Selke Trophy.

Jere continued his great play in 2002–03. He led the Stars with 31 goals, a new career high. He also had a very high plus-minus rating. Jere scored his second career hat-trick against the Los Angeles Kings. He also won the Selke Trophy for the third time! This made him one of only three players in NHL history to win it three times.

The 2003–04 season was disappointing due to knee injuries. Jere played only 58 games. The Stars lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Before the NHL lockout, Jere played for Finland in the World Cup of Hockey. Finland reached the final, but lost to Canada.

Jere had knee surgery during the lockout. He came back strong for the 2005–06 season. He scored a career-high 33 goals and tied his career-high in points (52). The Stars won their division title. But they lost in the first playoff round again.

The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin happened during the 2005–06 NHL season. Jere was a key player for Team Finland. He played on a line with Saku Koivu and Teemu Selänne. Finland made it to the gold medal game. But they lost a close game to Sweden, 3–2.

In the 2006–07 season, Jere scored 26 goals. The Stars, however, lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Jere started the 2007–08 season well. But he got a sports hernia injury. He missed 33 games. He returned in February 2008.

Jere made history at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He became one of only six players to win four Olympic hockey medals. Finland won the bronze medal game against Slovakia. Jere is also one of only seven hockey players to play in at least five Olympic Games.

On December 8, 2010, Jere Lehtinen announced he was retiring from hockey. He finished his NHL career with 243 goals and 271 assists. He always had a positive plus-minus rating until his very last season.

On November 24, 2017, the Dallas Stars retired Jere's No. 26 jersey. This means no other player on the Stars will ever wear that number again. It was part of the team's 25th anniversary in Dallas.

Personal Life

Jere Lehtinen met his wife, Jaana, at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. They got married in June 1998. The wedding was just a few days after the NHL Awards. Because of this, Jere was not there to accept his first Frank J. Selke Trophy. Jere and Jaana have twin girls, Anna and Sofia, and a son named Joel.

Awards and Honors

• Played in SM-liiga All-Star Game – 1995
• Raimo Kilpiö Trophy – 1995
• Kanada-malja (Turun Palloseura) — 1995 (Finnish Championship)
• Ice Hockey World Championships Tournament All-Star – 1995
• NHL Rookie of the Month – February, 1996
• Stars Rookie of the Year – 1996
• Voted to the NHL All-Star Game – 1998, 2002 (didn't play due to injury)
• Frank J. Selke Trophy – 1998, 1999, 2003 (Best Defensive Forward)
• Stanley Cup champion (Dallas Stars) — 1999
• Espoo Blues #10 jersey retired – 2014
• Dallas Stars #26 jersey retired – 2017
• IIHF Hall of Fame – 2018

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International