Tuomo Ruutu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tuomo Ruutu |
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Ruutu with the New Jersey Devils in 2014
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| Born | 16 February 1983 Vantaa, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HIFK Jokerit Chicago Blackhawks Carolina Hurricanes New Jersey Devils HC Davos |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 9th overall, 2001 Chicago Blackhawks |
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| Playing career | 1999–2017 | ||
Tuomo Ruutu (born 16 February 1983) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He played as a forward, usually on the left wing. Tuomo is now an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Chicago Blackhawks picked Ruutu ninth overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first four NHL seasons with the Blackhawks. Later, he also played for the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. He finished his playing career with HC Davos in Switzerland.
Tuomo has two brothers who are also involved in hockey. His older brother, Jarkko Ruutu, was also a professional ice hockey player. His other brother, Mikko Ruutu, works as a scout for the Ottawa Senators.
Playing Career Highlights
Tuomo Ruutu started his hockey journey in Finland. He played for HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga during the 1999–2000 season. After that, he moved to Jokerit for two seasons. In 2002, he returned to HIFK for one more year.
In 2003, Tuomo moved to North America to play in the NHL. He played a full 82 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in his first season.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, when NHL games were paused, Ruutu took time to recover from injuries. He also helped commentate on Finnish television during the 2005 IIHF World Championship.
His 2005–06 NHL season was cut short because of injuries. First, a back injury kept him out for a while. Then, an ankle injury in January needed surgery, ending his season early.
After a tough time at the 2006 IIHF World Championship, Ruutu thought about stopping his professional career. But he decided to keep playing and signed a new contract with Chicago.
In 2008, the Blackhawks traded Ruutu to the Carolina Hurricanes. This happened on 26 February, which is the NHL trade deadline (the last day teams can trade players). The Hurricanes quickly signed him to a new contract.
Ruutu continued to play well for the Hurricanes. He signed a three-year contract extension in 2009. Then, in 2012, he signed another four-year contract extension. This deal included a "no-trade clause" for the first three years. This meant the team could not trade him without his permission.
On 5 March 2014, just before the trade deadline, Ruutu was traded again. He moved to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for another player, Andrei Loktionov.
During the 2015–16 NHL season, Ruutu struggled with injuries and played in only 33 games. When his contract with the Devils ended in 2016, he became a free agent. This meant he could sign with any team.
After the summer, Ruutu agreed to a "professional tryout" (PTO) with the Vancouver Canucks. This was a chance for him to show the team he could still play. However, on 11 October 2016, the Canucks decided not to sign him.
On 28 October 2016, Ruutu signed with HC Davos in Switzerland. He played for them for the rest of the 2016–17 NLA season. He scored his first goal for Davos on 11 November 2016.
International Play and Medals
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Finland |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2010 Vancouver | |
| Bronze | 2014 Sochi | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2011 Slovakia | |
| Silver | 2007 Russia | |
| Bronze | 2006 Latvia | |
| Bronze | 2008 Canada | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Silver | 2001 Russia | |
| Bronze | 2002 Czech Republic | |
| Bronze | 2003 Canada | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2000 Switzerland | |
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 2004 Canada | |
Tuomo Ruutu has proudly represented his home country, Finland, in many big international tournaments.
At the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, he scored his first goal for Finland in the final game against Canada.
He won a bronze medal with Finland at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In 2011, he helped Finland win a gold medal at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.
Ruutu also played for Finland at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Finland won the bronze medal by beating the United States 5–0. Ruutu even got an assist on one of the goals.
He has earned a medal in almost all of the major international tournaments he has played in.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Tuomo Ruutu became a coach. On 29 June 2021, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers.
He was part of the coaching team when the Panthers won the Stanley Cup in the 2023-2024 NHL season. Before joining Florida, Ruutu worked for two years with the New York Rangers. He was their Assistant Director of Player Development.
See also
- Notable families in the NHL
- List of Olympic medalist families
