InternationalWon two medals at the World Junior Championships, silver in 1981 and bronze in 1982 ... Played in the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup tournaments ... A veteran of three Olympics (1984, 1992 and 1994) and seven World Championships ... Named to the World Championships All-Star Team in 1992 and 1994 ... Won an Olympic bronze medal in 1994 ... Helped Finland win gold and was named to the tournament All-Star Team at the 1995 World Championships ... He also won a silver medal at the 1992 and 1994 World Championships ... Leader in the dressing room, often serving as a captain of the Finnish National Team ... Captained the Finnish National Team at the 1996 World Championships in Vienna, Austria ... Played at the 1997 World Championships.
Career Buffalo's sixth choice, 68th overall, in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft ... Signed with the Sabres in the summer of 1984, but played only 10 games in the NHL ... Spent the major part of the 1984-85 season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League ... Began his senior career with Tappara Tampere ... Won the Finnish national championship title five times, all with Tappara, in 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1988 ... Named to the Finnish League All-Star Team four times: 1987, 1988, 1993 and 1994 ... Named the Best Defenseman of the Finnish League in 1987 ... Starred in the 1988 Finnish League playoffs, finishing fourth in playoff scoring (6 goals, 6 assists) ... Joined Swedish club Lulea, the northernmost hockey team in the world, in 1988-89 ... Played four seasons in Sweden ... Came back to play for Tappara in 1992 ... In 1995-96, he played his 16th season of elite division hockey and enjoyed the best season of his career, collecting 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points in 49 games ... Was seventh overall in the Finnish League in scoring, tops among defensemen ... In 1996-97, played for Bern in Switzerland and won a champions title with his new team. |