Sean Bergenheim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sean Bergenheim
Bergenheim with the Florida Panthers in 2012
Born	(1984-02-08) February 8, 1984 (age 41) Helsinki, Finland
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	Jokerit New York Islanders Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers HIFK Minnesota Wild SC Bern Frölunda HC
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 2002 New York Islanders
Playing career	2001–2018

Sean Bergenheim, born on February 8, 1984, is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He played as a winger in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was part of teams like the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild.

Sean Bergenheim's Hockey Journey

Starting in Finland

Sean Bergenheim started his career playing for Jokerit in the Finnish league, called SM-liiga. He played there for three seasons, from 2001 to 2004. In 2002, his team won the Finnish championship!

The New York Islanders picked him in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He was their first pick, chosen 22nd overall. In 2003, Bergenheim signed a three-year contract with the Islanders.

First NHL Games

Sean played 18 games for the Islanders in his first NHL season (2003–04). He scored his very first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a special "short-handed" goal, meaning his team had fewer players on the ice than the Penguins.

In January 2004, he went back to play for Jokerit in Finland. Then, in April, he moved to the American Hockey League (AHL) to play for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He played for them during the 2004 Calder Cup playoffs and the next season.

Back to North America and Europe

Bergenheim spent most of the 2005–06 season in the AHL with the Sound Tigers. He played really well there, which helped him get back to the Islanders. However, he couldn't agree on a new contract with them in 2006.

So, he decided to play in Russia for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Russian Superleague. Later, in October 2006, he signed a one-year contract with Frölunda HC in Sweden's top league, the Elitserien. In Sweden, he quickly became a key player on a successful line with two other forwards.

Returning to the NHL

On June 18, 2007, Sean signed another one-year contract to return to the New York Islanders. The 2007–08 season was his first full season playing in the NHL. On March 4, 2008, he scored a goal at Madison Square Garden. This made him the 350th different Islander player to score there!

He scored 10 goals in 78 games during that season. Because he played so well, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Islanders on July 14, 2008.

Big Moments with the Islanders

In the 2008–09 season, Sean started strong, getting 7 points in his first 16 games. But then he got injured and sick, missing 26 games. When he returned, he played great! On February 28, 2009, he scored two goals in one game for the first time in his NHL career. This helped the Islanders win 2–0 against the Buffalo Sabres.

His strong play continued, and on March 7, 2009, Bergenheim scored his first ever NHL "hat-trick" against the New Jersey Devils. A hat-trick is when a player scores three goals in one game! He finished that season with a career-high 15 goals in 59 games.

Moving to Tampa Bay and Florida

After the 2009–10 season, Sean left the Islanders. On August 17, 2010, he signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was his first time playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Even though he only had 14 goals in the regular season, he scored 9 goals in 16 playoff games!

His amazing playoff performance helped the Lightning win against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. They finally lost to the Boston Bruins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

On July 1, 2011, Bergenheim signed a four-year contract with the Florida Panthers. In his last year with the Panthers (2014–15 season), he asked for a trade. On February 24, 2015, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild.

Back to Europe and Retirement

After his contract ended, Sean became a free agent. On October 7, 2015, he returned to Europe. He signed a one-year contract with SC Bern in Switzerland's top league, the National League A (NLA). There, he played again for his former coach, Guy Boucher.

Sean won the 2016 Swiss championship with Bern. However, he missed some games, including the playoffs, because of a concussion.

In September 2016, he tried out for the Anaheim Ducks in North America but was released. He then went back to Europe and signed with Frölunda HC in Sweden in November 2016, where he had played before.

In February 2018, Sean Bergenheim announced that he was retiring from professional hockey.

International Play

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver	2007 Moscow
Bronze	2008 Quebec City
Bronze	2006 Riga
World Junior Championships
Bronze	2004 Helsinki
Bronze	2003 Halifax
Bronze	2002 Pardubice
IIHF U18 Championships
Bronze	2001 Helsinki

Sean Bergenheim proudly represented Finland in several international tournaments. He played in the IIHF World U18 Championships and the IIHF World Junior Championships. He won one bronze medal in the U18 championships and three bronze medals in the World Junior Championships.

Awards and Honours