Sami Kapanen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sami Kapanen |
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Kapanen with KalPa in 2009
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| Born | 14 June 1973 Vantaa, Finland |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | KalPa HIFK Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 87th overall, 1995 Hartford Whalers |
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| Playing career | 1990–2010 2011–2014 |
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| Medal record | ||
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Representing  Finland |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Bronze | 1994 Lillehammer | |
| Bronze | 1998 Nagano | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1995 Stockholm | |
| Silver | 1994 Milan | |
| Silver | 1998 Zürich | |
| Silver | 2001 Nuremberg | |
Sami Hannu Antero Kapanen (born on June 14, 1973) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played for 12 seasons in the NHL. He was part of the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Philadelphia Flyers teams. After his playing career, Sami became the main owner of KalPa, a hockey team in Finland. His son, Kasperi Kapanen, also plays ice hockey for the Edmonton Oilers.
Playing Career
Sami Kapanen was chosen by the Hartford Whalers in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 87th player picked overall. His first season in the NHL was in 1995–96, where he played 35 games for Hartford.
After the 1996–97 season, the Whalers team moved and became the Carolina Hurricanes. For the next five seasons with the Hurricanes, Sami was a strong player. He scored about 24 goals and made 35 assists each season. His best season was in 2001–02, when he scored 27 goals and made 42 assists, totaling 69 points.
Sami was chosen to play in the NHL All Star Game twice, in 2000 and 2002. In both games, he won the "Fastest Skater" event!
On February 7, 2003, Sami Kapanen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. In his first two seasons with the Flyers, he played 31 playoff games and scored 17 points.
Sami played for the Finnish national team three times at the Winter Olympics. In 18 Olympic games, he scored 2 goals and made 3 assists. In the NHL, Sami played in 831 regular season games. He scored 189 goals and made 269 assists, adding up to 458 points. He also played in 87 playoff games, scoring 13 goals and 22 assists. Sami also won a gold medal at the 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships.
Since 2003, Sami Kapanen has been the main owner of the Finnish hockey team KalPa Kuopio. This is the same club where he started his professional career. Another player, Kimmo Timonen, who later became Sami's teammate on the Flyers, was also a part-owner. After the 2007–08 season, Sami announced he was leaving the NHL. He returned to Finland to play for KalPa. He stopped playing hockey after the 2009–10 season.
On April 7, 2011, Sami Kapanen surprised everyone by saying he would play for KalPa again! He signed a two-year contract. He also stepped down as the club's chief executive officer (CEO) and gave that job to his brother, Kimmo Kapanen.
Coaching Career
Sami Kapanen started coaching in the Finnish Liiga with KalPa from 2017 to 2019. On April 2, 2019, he became the head coach for HC Lugano in Switzerland's National League. However, he left that role on December 18, 2019.
Awards
Sami Kapanen won many awards during his career:
- He won a Bronze Medal at the Winter Olympics in 1994.
- He was named to the SM-liiga First All-Star Team in 1994.
- He won a Gold Medal at the World Championships in 1995.
- He won another Bronze Medal at the Winter Olympics in 1998.
- He played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2000.
- He was named Best Forward at the World Championships in 2001.
- He played in the NHL All-Star Game again in 2002.
- He received the Yanick Dupre Memorial award in 2004.
- He was given the Gene Hart Memorial Award in 2007.
Records
Sami Kapanen also set some impressive records:
- He tied a record by scoring two overtime goals in two games in a row. (This record was later broken by Andrew Cogliano).
- He won the "Fastest Skater" event at the NHL All-Star Game twice (in 2000 and 2002). He completed a lap around the rink in 13.649 seconds and 14.039 seconds.
- He was once named the "Fastest Man on Ice" for completing a lap around an NHL rink in just 12.7 seconds!
Images for kids
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Kapanen (bottom left) playing for the Flyers against the New York Rangers in 2007.
