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 was born on October 4, 1984, in Seinäjoki, Finland. He is a professional ice hockey player from Finland. Petri plays as a centre, which is a key attacking position in hockey. He currently plays for the team Ilves in the Liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league.
Petri has also played in the famous National Hockey League (NHL) in North America. The Chicago Blackhawks team chose him in the 2004 NHL Draft. He was the 196th player picked that year.
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Petri's Hockey Journey
Petri Kontiola started his professional hockey career in Finland. He played for the team Tappara in the Finnish SM-liiga. In 2004, when he was still playing for Tappara, the Chicago Blackhawks picked him in the NHL Draft. This was a big step for his career!
Playing in North America
Petri moved to North America for the 2007–08 season. He first played for the Rockford IceHogs. This team is linked to the Blackhawks and plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). On November 25, 2007, Petri played his first game in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks. It was against the Vancouver Canucks.
In 2009, Petri was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. He then joined their AHL team, the Iowa Chops. He played there for the rest of that season.
Adventures in Russia and Back to Finland
After his time in North America, Petri decided to play in Russia. On May 26, 2009, he signed a two-year contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. This team plays in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), which is a major league in Europe and Asia.
Later, on May 3, 2011, Petri joined another KHL team, Traktor Chelyabinsk. He played there for a few years.
In 2014, Petri tried to return to the NHL. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, he ended up playing for their AHL team, the Toronto Marlies. After 11 games, he decided to go back to the KHL. He joined Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in November 2014.
Petri played five seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. In 2019, he returned to Finland to play for Jokerit, another KHL team. After that, he played for HPK and now plays for Ilves in the Finnish Liiga.
Playing for Finland: International Games
Petri Kontiola has proudly represented his home country, Finland, in many international hockey tournaments.
| Medal record | ||
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Representing  Finland |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2014 Sochi | |
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2007 Russia | |
| Silver | 2014 Belarus | |
| Silver | 2021 Latvia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2004 Finland | |
Junior and Senior Debuts
Petri first played for Finland's junior team in 2004. This was at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki. He helped his team win a bronze medal!
In 2007, he made his debut for the senior Finnish team. This was at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Russia. Finland won a silver medal that year.
World Championships and Olympics
Petri has played in many Ice Hockey World Championships. He won silver medals in 2007, 2014, and 2021. In the 2021 final, Finland lost to Canada in overtime.
He also played in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. There, he helped Finland win a bronze medal. He also played in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
