Sami Kapanen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sami Kapanen
Kapanen with KalPa in 2009
Born	(1973-06-14) 14 June 1973 (age 52) Vantaa, Finland
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
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	87th overall, 1995 Hartford Whalers
Playing career	1990–2010 2011–2014

Medal record
Representing  Finland
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 ice hockey coach and a former professional player. He played for 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Sami played for teams like the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Philadelphia Flyers. He is also the main owner of KalPa, a hockey team in Finland. Sami's son, Kasperi Kapanen, is also a professional hockey player.

Sami Kapanen's Hockey Journey

Starting in the NHL

Sami Kapanen was chosen by the Hartford Whalers in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. His first season in the NHL was in 1995–96. He played 35 games for the Whalers that year. After the 1996–97 season, the Whalers team moved and became the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing for the Carolina Hurricanes

With the Carolina Hurricanes, Sami Kapanen was a strong player. For five seasons, he scored about 24 goals and made 35 assists each year. His best season was in 2001–02, when he scored 27 goals and made 42 assists, totaling 69 points.

Sami was picked to play in the NHL All Star Game twice, in 2000 and 2002. In both games, he won the "Fastest Skater" competition. This showed how incredibly fast he was on the ice!

Moving to the Philadelphia Flyers

On February 7, 2003, Sami Kapanen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. He joined the Flyers along with another player, Ryan Bast. In his first two seasons with Philadelphia, Sami played in 31 playoff games. He scored 17 points during these important games.

Playing for Finland's National Team

Sami Kapanen also played for the Finnish national team at the Winter Olympics three times. In 18 Olympic games, he scored 2 goals and made 3 assists. He also helped Finland win a gold medal at the 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships.

NHL Career Highlights

In total, Sami Kapanen played 831 regular season games in the NHL. He scored 189 goals and made 269 assists, adding up to 458 points. He also played in 87 playoff games, scoring 13 goals and making 22 assists.

Returning to KalPa

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. After the 2007–08 NHL season, Sami announced he was leaving the NHL. He went back to Finland to play for KalPa. He stopped playing as a professional player after the 2009–10 season.

However, on April 7, 2011, Sami Kapanen decided to make a comeback! He announced he would play for KalPa again on a two-year contract. He stepped down from being the club's chief executive officer (CEO) and his brother, Kimmo Kapanen, took over that role.

Sami Kapanen's Coaching Career

After his playing days, Sami Kapanen started coaching. He began his coaching career in the Finnish Liiga with KalPa from 2017 to 2019. On April 2, 2019, Sami was named the head coach for HC Lugano in the National League for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. However, he was dismissed from this role on December 18, 2019.

Awards and Achievements

Sami Kapanen earned many awards during his hockey 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.

Amazing 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 amazing times of 13.649 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!

Career Statistics

Kapanen (bottom left) playing for the Flyers against the New York Rangers in 2007.

Regular Season and Playoff Games

International Games