Miikka Kiprusoff was born October 26, 1976 in Turku, Finland. The fifth round, 116th overall selection of the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Kiprusoff developed his game in Finland and Sweden before making the journey to North America in 1999-00.
In 1998-99, Kiprusoff dominated the Finnish Elite League, going 26-6-6 with a 1.85 GAA. Upon joining the Sharks AHL affiliate in Kentucky in 1999, Kiprusoff went 42-24-10 over the next two seasons, making his NHL debut with San Jose in 2000-01, registering a 2-1 record and a 1.95 GAA in five games.
After two strong seasons in 1999-00 and 2000-01 Kiprusoff spent his first full season in the NHL with San Jose in 2001-02, while playing only a handful of games with the team's AHL affiliate in Cleveland. In 20 games with the Sharks, the Finnish netminder had a 7-6-3 record with a 2.48 GAA, before struggling with the Sharks in 2002-03.
Kiprusoff went on to play four seasons in the San Jose organization before being acquired by the Calgary Flames in the early stages of the 2003-04 season. Upon his arrival in Calgary, Kiprusoff was instrumental in leading the Flames to their first playoff appearance since the 1996 post season and their first Stanley Cup final since 1989, while leading the NHL with a 1.69 GAA and tying with Minnesota's Dwayne Roloson with a .933 save percentage.
Aside from his World Junior experience, Kiprusoff has represented his homeland on the international stage at the World Cup of Hockey (2004), and the Winter Olympics (2006).
