Ville Nieminen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ville Nieminen |
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| Born | 6 April 1977 Tampere, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Tappara Colorado Avalanche Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks Calgary Flames New York Rangers San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues HC Sibir Novosibirsk Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Dinamo Riga Lukko |
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| National team |  Finland |
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| NHL Draft | 78th overall, 1997 Colorado Avalanche |
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| Playing career | 1999–2015 | ||
Ville Juhani Nieminen (born April 6, 1977) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He played as a forward and spent many years in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is famous for winning the Stanley Cup!
Contents
Ville Nieminen: A Hockey Journey
Ville Nieminen began his professional hockey journey with a team called Tappara in Finland during the 1994–95 season. The Colorado Avalanche picked him in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 78th player chosen overall. Before joining the NHL, Ville played for three seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears.
Playing Style and Personality
Ville Nieminen was known for his energetic and aggressive playing style. He was a tough opponent on the ice. Off the ice, he had a relaxed personality and a unique sense of humor. He was also known for talking a lot during games!
Winning the Stanley Cup
Ville played for several teams in the NHL. A big highlight of his career was winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. During that playoff run, he scored 10 points and showed his tough playing style.
After the NHL lockout season in 2004–05, when many players went to play in other leagues, Ville returned to his home team, Tappara. He later played for the New York Rangers and the San Jose Sharks.
International Play and Commentary
Ville also represented Finland in international hockey. He played in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. When he couldn't play in the 2005 IIHF World Championships, he became a commentator for Finnish television. People enjoyed his commentary because of his humor and deep knowledge of the game.
He later played for the St. Louis Blues before moving to Sweden to play for the Malmö Redhawks. After one season, he returned to Finland and Tappara.
Later Career and Return to Finland
In 2010, Ville signed with a Russian team, HC Sibir Novosibirsk, in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He stayed in Russia for a bit longer, playing for HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and Dinamo Riga.
Ville came back to Finland in 2012 and rejoined Tappara. He had a great season in 2012–13, leading his team with 22 goals and 50 points. He helped Tappara reach the playoffs finals, where they won a silver medal. He played his final professional season in 2014–15 with Lukko.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Ville Nieminen started coaching. He has coached several teams:
- KeuPa HT (2015–2016)
- Jukurit (2016–2018)
- Lahti Pelicans (2018–2020)
- Modo Hockey (2020–present)
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993–94 | Tappara | FIN.18 | 29 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 66 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | Tappara | FIN.18 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 58 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 22 | ||
| 1994–95 | Tappara | FIN.2 U20 | 12 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 27 | ||
| 1994–95 | Tappara | SM-l | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Tappara | FIN.2 U20 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 34 | ||
| 1995–96 | Tappara | SM-l | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | KOOVEE | I.div | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Tappara | SM-l | 49 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 120 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1997–98 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 74 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 85 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 67 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 127 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 74 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 28 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 50 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 38 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 20 | ||
| 2001–02 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 53 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 75 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 60 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 55 | ||
| 2004–05 | Tappara | SM-l | 26 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 2005–06 | New York Rangers | NHL | 48 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 22 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 24 | ||
| 2006–07 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Malmö Redhawks | Allsv | 34 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 124 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Tappara | SM-l | 55 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Tappara | SM-l | 50 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 142 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16 | ||
| 2010–11 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 53 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 62 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | KHL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Örebro HK | Allsv | 15 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Tappara | SM-l | 57 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 132 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 41 | ||
| 2013–14 | Tappara | Liiga | 55 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 115 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Lukko | Liiga | 50 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Liiga totals | 362 | 94 | 114 | 208 | 659 | 65 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 91 | ||||
| NHL totals | 385 | 48 | 69 | 117 | 333 | 58 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 99 | ||||
International Play Statistics
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Men's Winter Olympics | ||
| Silver | 2006 Turin | |
| World Cup | ||
| Silver | 2004 Toronto | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Finland | WJC | 5th | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Finland | OG | 6th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Finland | WCH |  |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Finland | OG | |
8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup (Colorado Avalanche) | 2001 | |
| Liiga | ||
| Kanada-malja Runner-up | 2013, 2014 | |
See also
In Spanish: Ville Nieminen para niños
