Petri Kontiola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Petri Kontiola |
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Kontiola in 2013
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| Born | October 4, 1984 Seinäjoki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| Liiga team Former teams |
Ilves Tappara Chicago Blackhawks Metallurg Magnitogorsk Traktor Chelyabinsk Toronto Marlies Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Jokerit HPK |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 196th overall, 2004 Chicago Blackhawks |
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| Playing career | 2003–present | ||
Petri Kontiola (born October 4, 1984) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre, which is a forward position in hockey. Kontiola played for the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks picked him in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
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Petri Kontiola's Hockey Journey
Petri Kontiola started his professional hockey career in Finland with a team called Tappara. This was in the Finnish SM-liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league. In 2004, when he was 19, the Chicago Blackhawks chose him in the NHL Draft. He was the 196th player picked that year.
Playing in North America
After playing four years with Tappara, Kontiola moved to North America. He joined the Blackhawks' minor league team, the Rockford IceHogs, in the American Hockey League (AHL). The AHL is a league where players often develop their skills before playing in the NHL.
Petri played his first NHL game for the Chicago Blackhawks on November 25, 2007. He played a few games for the Blackhawks, showing off his skills.
In 2009, Kontiola was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for their AHL team, the Iowa Chops, for the rest of that season.
Moving to Russia and Back to North America
After his time in North America, Kontiola decided to play in Russia. He signed a contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2009. The KHL is a major hockey league in Europe and Asia. He played there for two years.
In 2011, he moved to another KHL team, Traktor Chelyabinsk, where he played for three seasons.
In 2014, Kontiola tried playing in North America again. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. However, he was sent to their AHL team, the Toronto Marlies. After a short time with the Marlies, he decided to return to the KHL. He joined Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in November 2014. He played five seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
Returning to Finland
After many years in the KHL, Petri Kontiola returned to Finland in 2019. He joined Jokerit, a Finnish team that also played in the KHL. Later, he played for HPK and Ilves in the Finnish Liiga before retiring from professional hockey.
Petri Kontiola's International Career
Petri Kontiola also played for the Finnish national team many times. Representing your country in sports is a big honor!
Junior and Senior World Championships
He first played for Finland's junior team at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. His team won a bronze medal there.
Later, he joined the senior national team. He played in the Ice Hockey World Championships several times.
- In 2007, Finland won a silver medal at the World Championships.
- In 2014, Finland won another silver medal at the World Championships.
- In 2021, he won his third silver medal at the World Championships.
Olympic Games
Kontiola also represented Finland at the Olympic Games.
- He won a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
During the 2014 World Championships, Kontiola had a funny moment during an interview. When a reporter asked him three questions, he replied "I don't know" to all of them. This interview became very popular online! He later apologized to the reporter with a hug.
Images for kids
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Petri Kontiola in 2013
