Jussi Jokinen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jussi Jokinen |
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Jokinen with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013
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| Born | April 1, 1983 Kalajoki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre/Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Oulun Kärpät Dallas Stars Tampa Bay Lightning Carolina Hurricanes Pittsburgh Penguins Florida Panthers Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Columbus Blue Jackets Vancouver Canucks EHC Kloten |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 192nd overall, 2001 Dallas Stars |
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| Playing career | 2001–2021 | ||
Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He played as a forward. Jussi spent many years in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for several teams like the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Florida Panthers. He was known for being very good at shootouts and winning faceoffs.
Jussi Jokinen is not related to another famous NHL player, Olli Jokinen. However, Jussi does have a younger brother, Juho, who also plays hockey.
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Playing in the NHL
Starting with the Dallas Stars
Jussi Jokinen was chosen by the Dallas Stars in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was picked in the sixth round, as the 192nd player overall. Before joining the NHL, he played for four seasons with Oulun Kärpät in Finland's top league, the SM-liiga.
In his first NHL season (2005–06), Jussi quickly became known as a top shootout specialist. He was amazing, scoring nine goals in a row during shootouts before missing his first attempt. On November 16, 2007, he scored four goals in one game against the Colorado Avalanche, helping his team win 6–1.
Moving to Tampa Bay and Carolina
In 2008, Jussi was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He finished that season with 16 goals and 42 points. The next year, in 2009, he was traded again, this time to the Carolina Hurricanes.
During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Jussi scored a super late game-winning goal. With only 0.2 seconds left in the game, he scored to help the Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils. This was one of the latest game-winning goals ever in an NHL playoff game! He signed a new contract with the Hurricanes and continued to be a shootout star. By November 2009, he had scored 25 goals in 46 shootout tries, with eight of those being game-winners.
Before the 2012–13 NHL season, there was a lockout (a time when players couldn't play). Jussi went back to play for his old Finnish club, Kärpät, until the NHL season started again.
Time with the Pittsburgh Penguins
On April 3, 2013, Jussi Jokinen was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his very first game with the Penguins, he scored a goal and then the winning shootout goal in a 2–1 victory.
During the 2013–14 season, Jussi scored his first "hat-trick" (three goals in one game) with the Penguins. This happened on October 8, 2013, against his former team, the Carolina Hurricanes. He had a great season, scoring 21 goals and 57 points. He often played alongside superstar Evgeni Malkin.
Playing for the Florida Panthers
In 2014, Jussi signed a four-year contract with the Florida Panthers. In his second season with the team, he had one of his best years, scoring 18 goals and 60 points. He also helped the team in the playoffs, getting one goal and three assists in six games.
Final NHL Teams
After the 2016–17 season, the Panthers bought out Jussi's contract. He then signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2017. He played 14 games for them before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He played 18 games for the Kings.
In January 2018, Jussi was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Then, in February 2018, he was traded again to the Vancouver Canucks. This meant Jussi Jokinen played for four different NHL teams in a single season! He was only the fourth player in NHL history to do this. He also managed to score at least one point for each of those four teams.
Playing in Europe and Retirement
After his time in the NHL, Jussi Jokinen returned to Europe. He played briefly for EHC Kloten in Switzerland. Then, he went back to his original Finnish club, Oulun Kärpät. He played three more seasons in the Liiga.
On May 18, 2021, Jussi Jokinen announced that he was retiring from hockey. He had played for 20 seasons!
International Hockey for Finland
Jussi Jokinen proudly represented the Finnish national team in many big tournaments.
He played in the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Olympics. In 2006, he won a silver medal, and in 2014, he won a bronze medal with Team Finland.
In 2016, Jussi and his teammate Aleksander Barkov Jr. played for Finland in the 2016 IIHF World Championship. They won a silver medal after losing to Team Canada in the final game. He also won bronze medals at the World Championships in 2006 and 2008, and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships in 2002 and 2003.
Images for kids
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Jokinen in 2008
