Olli Jokinen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Olli Jokinen
Jokinen with the Nashville Predators in 2014
Born	(1978-12-05) December 5, 1978 (age 46) Kuopio, Finland
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	KalPa HIFK Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Florida Panthers EHC Kloten Södertälje SK Phoenix Coyotes Calgary Flames New York Rangers Winnipeg Jets Nashville Predators Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	3rd overall, 1997 Los Angeles Kings
Playing career	1995–2015

Olli Jokinen (born December 5, 1978) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He was chosen by the Los Angeles Kings as the third overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. This is where he started his career in the NHL.

Jokinen played for many NHL teams, including the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues. Before joining the NHL, he played for KalPa and HIFK in Finland's top league, the SM-liiga. He also played in Switzerland and Sweden. For a long time, he held the records for most goals, assists, and points for the Florida Panthers.

Olli Jokinen started his professional hockey journey in Finland in 1996. In 1997, he won the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy as the best rookie in the SM-liiga. He also won two other awards in 1998: the Matti Keinonen trophy for being the most effective player and the Jari Kurri Trophy for being the most valuable player in the playoffs. He moved to the NHL full-time in the 1998–99 season. His best years were with the Florida Panthers, where he was the team captain from 2003 to 2008. He also played in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game.

Jokinen played an amazing 799 NHL games before he finally made his first and only Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 2009 with the Calgary Flames. This was an NHL record at the time. In 2012, he played his 1,000th career NHL game.

Olli Jokinen played for the Finnish national team many times. He was an all-star and named the best forward at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, helping Finland win the gold medal. He played in four Olympic Games, winning a silver medal in 2006 and bronze medals in 2010 and 2014. He also won several silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. In 2004, he played for Finland when they finished second to Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in Finland

Jokinen began his hockey journey with his hometown team, KalPa. He played for their younger teams from 1994 to 1996. He made his debut with the main team in the SM-liiga during the 1995–96 season. He played 15 games and scored two points.

He then moved to HIFK for the 1996–97 season. He was the youngest player on the team. In 50 games, he scored 14 goals and 41 points. Because of his great performance, he was named the SM-liiga's rookie of the year. He received the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy.

Drafted by the NHL

The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau thought Jokinen was the best European player for the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The Los Angeles Kings picked him third overall. Only Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau were chosen before him.

Jokinen started the 1997–98 season with the Kings. His first NHL game was on October 1, 1997, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played eight games but didn't score any points. So, the Kings sent him back to HIFK to finish the season.

Back in Finland, Jokinen played 30 games for HIFK and scored 39 points. He added nine more points in nine playoff games. His team won the SM-liiga championship that year. He won the Matti Keinonen trophy and Jari Kurri Trophy for his excellent play. He even scored the winning goal in overtime in game 3 of the championship series.

Time with the Kings and Islanders

Jokinen returned to North America for the 1998–99 season. He started with the Kings' minor league team, the Springfield Falcons. After scoring nine points in nine games, he was called up to the Los Angeles Kings. He got his first NHL point on November 5, 1998, with an assist against the St. Louis Blues. Five nights later, he scored his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames.

The NHL named Jokinen the Rookie of the Month for November. He finished the season with 21 points in 66 games. On June 20, 1999, the Kings traded Jokinen to the New York Islanders. He was a key part of this trade for the Islanders.

Jokinen played only one season for the Islanders. He played all 82 games and scored 21 points. In June 2000, he was traded again, this time to the Florida Panthers. This trade also included goalie Roberto Luongo.

Becoming a Star in Florida

When Jokinen first joined the Florida Panthers, things were a bit tough. His coach, Terry Murray, criticized his play. Jokinen's points dropped to a career-low 16 in the 2000–01 season. He improved slightly to 29 points the next year. At one point, he even thought about leaving the NHL and going back to Finland.

The 2002–03 season was a turning point for Jokinen. A new coach, Mike Keenan, helped him a lot. Jokinen started playing with incredible effort. He scored 11 points in his first 12 games. He ended the season with a team-leading 36 goals and 65 points. He also played in his first NHL All-Star Game. Jokinen said Keenan's tough coaching helped him improve so much.

Jokinen became an alternate captain for the Panthers in 2002. Then, he was named the team's captain for the 2003–04 season. He led the team in goals (26) and points (58) again. He reached his 200th career point on March 10, 2004.

When the 2004–05 NHL season was canceled due to a player lockout, Jokinen played for teams in Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland. When he returned to the NHL for the 2005–06 season, he had his best year yet. He scored 38 goals, 51 assists, and 89 points. He played his 500th NHL game in November 2005. He also scored his first NHL hat-trick that month.

In the 2006–07 season, Jokinen played all 82 games and set new personal records with 39 goals, 52 assists, and 91 points. In the 2007–08 season, he led the Panthers in offense for the fifth year in a row. During a game in February 2008, a scary accident happened. Jokinen fell, and his skate accidentally hit his teammate Richard Zedník in the throat. Zedník was seriously hurt but recovered and continued his career.

The Panthers traded Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes in June 2008. He left the Panthers as the team's all-time leader in goals (188), assists (231), and points (419).

Moving to Phoenix, Calgary, and New York

Jokinen is presented with a silver stick in honour of his 1,000th game as his family looks on

The 2008–09 season started well for Jokinen with the Coyotes. However, a shoulder injury made him miss a game for the first time in years. This ended his streak of 397 consecutive games played. He played 57 games for the Coyotes before being traded to the Calgary Flames in March 2009.

This trade was great for the Flames at first. Jokinen scored ten points in his first six games. But he then had a scoring slump. For the first time in his ten-year NHL career, Jokinen finally played in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He had played 799 NHL games before this, which was an NHL record for most games without a playoff appearance. He played six playoff games, scoring five points, but the Flames were eliminated early.

In the 2009–10 season, Jokinen struggled to score goals for the Flames. He was traded again, this time to the New York Rangers in February 2010. This trade was a bit unusual because the news leaked before it was official. Jokinen played his last game for the Flames knowing he was about to be traded. He later said it was a "brutal business" but understood why he was traded given his salary and low goal count.

Jokinen scored 15 points in 21 games with the Rangers. In the last game of the season, the Rangers played the Philadelphia Flyers. The winner would get the final playoff spot. The game went to a shootout, and Jokinen was the last shooter for the Rangers. His shot was stopped, and the Rangers missed the playoffs.

After that season, Jokinen became a free agent. He decided to return to the Flames, signing a two-year contract. Some fans were not happy about this. The Flames' coach, Brent Sutter, worked with Jokinen to help him play better defensively. Jokinen finished the 2010–11 season with 17 goals and 54 points.

Jokinen played his 1,000th NHL game on January 1, 2012.

Final NHL Teams

Jokinen with the Jets in 2013

In July 2012, Jokinen signed a two-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He was named an alternate captain. However, he didn't score as many points as the team hoped, with only seven goals and seven assists in 45 games during the 2012–13 season. He later said that not playing in Europe during the lockout affected his fitness.

Jokinen returned to the Jets for the 2013–14 season. He reached two milestones in October 2013: his 400th assist and 700th point. He played all 82 games that season, scoring 18 goals and 43 points. However, other younger players started to take his spot as a top center. So, the Jets let him leave as a free agent. In July 2014, he signed a one-year contract with the Nashville Predators.

In February 2015, Jokinen was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He chose to wear number 11 instead of his usual number 13. This was out of respect for Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin, who also wore number 13.

After playing only six games for Toronto, Jokinen was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Blues. He played eight games with the Blues before a season-ending injury in March 2015.

Olli Jokinen officially ended his playing career after the 2014–15 season.

International Play for Finland

Medal record
Ice Hockey
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Silver	2006 Turin
Bronze	2010 Vancouver
Bronze	2014 Sochi
World Championships
Silver	1998 Switzerland
Silver	1999 Norway
Silver	2014 Belarus
Bronze	2000 Russia
Bronze	2006 Latvia
Bronze	2008 Canada
World Cup
Silver	2004 Toronto
World Junior Championships
Gold	1998 Finland

Jokinen proudly represented his home country, Finland, many times. He first played for the Finnish junior team at the 1996 IIHF European Junior Championships. A year later, he joined the under-20 team for the 1997 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored five goals in six games.

He also made his debut with the senior team in 1997. He was second in scoring for Finland at the 1997 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.

At the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Jokinen was one of the top scorers with ten points. He helped Finland win the gold medal on their home ice. He was named an all-star forward for the tournament. He then won a silver medal at the 1998 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. He won another silver in 1999 and bronze medals in 2000, 2006, and 2008. In total, Jokinen played in ten World Championships for Finland.

Jokinen played in his first Olympics at the 2002 Games. He scored two goals, but Finland was eliminated by Canada. Two years later, he helped Finland reach the final of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He scored a key goal in the semi-final against the United States. Finland lost to Canada in the final.

At the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Jokinen tied for the team lead with six goals. He helped Finland reach their first gold medal game at the Winter Games. However, they lost to Sweden and won a silver medal. Jokinen won a bronze medal at his third Olympics, the 2010 Vancouver Games. He scored two goals, including the winning goal, in the bronze medal game against Slovakia. He also won a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Life After Playing Hockey

After retiring from playing hockey in 2015, Olli Jokinen started the South Florida Hockey Academy. He created it with other former Florida Panthers players, Tomáš Vokoun and Radek Dvořák.

Jokinen became interested in coaching. In February 2021, he was hired to coach the team Mikkelin Jukurit in the Liiga, Finland's top hockey league. After his first season, where he led Jukurit to second place, Jokinen received the Kalevi Numminen trophy as the best coach.

In 2024, Olli Jokinen became the head coach of Timrå IK in the SHL. His contract with the Swedish team was for two years, with an option for a third.

In 2025, his contract with Timrå IK ended. He returned to Finland's Liiga and became the head coach of HIFK. His contract with HIFK is also for two years with an option for a third.

Personal Life

Olli Jokinen met his wife, Katerina, when they were both 18. Katerina was born in Greece but grew up in Finland. They got married in 2001 and have three daughters.

Olli also has an older brother named Ville. Ville played 47 games in the SM-liiga between 1996 and 1998.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play Statistics

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996	Finland	EJC			5	5	2	7	2
1997	Finland	WJC	5th		6	5	0	5	12
1997	Finland	WC	5th		8	4	2	6	6
1998	Finland	WJC			7	4	6	10	6
1998	Finland	WC			10	0	1	1	6
1999	Finland	WC			10	3	1	4	14
2000	Finland	WC			9	1	3	4	6
2002	Finland	OG	6th		4	2	1	3	0
2002	Finland	WC	4th		9	1	1	2	4
2003	Finland	WC	5th		7	1	2	3	8
2004	Finland	WC	6th		7	5	3	8	6
2004	Finland	WCH			6	2	1	3	6
2005	Finland	WC	7th		7	1	4	5	2
2006	Finland	OG			8	6	2	8	2
2006	Finland	WC			5	2	1	3	27
2008	Finland	WC			8	1	4	5	29
2010	Finland	OG			6	3	1	4	2
2014	Finland	OG			6	2	2	4	2
2014	Finland	WC			10	2	3	5	4
Junior totals					18	14	8	22	20
Senior totals					122	36	32	68	124

Awards and Achievements

As a Player

• 1996–97 SM-liiga Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy (Rookie of the Year)
• 1997–98 SM-liiga Matti Keinonen trophy (Most Effective Player)
• 1997–98 SM-liiga Jari Kurri Trophy (Playoff MVP)

As a Coach

• 2021–22 Liiga Kalevi Numminen trophy (Best Coach)

See Also

• List of NHL players with 1000 games played