Miikka Kiprusoff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born |
Turku, Finland | October 26, 1976|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Goaltender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Caught | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Played for |
TPS AIK San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Timrå IK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NHL draft |
116th overall, 1995 San Jose Sharks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1994–2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmiːkːɑ ˈsɑkɑri ˈkiprusofː]; born October 26, 1976),[1] nicknamed "Kipper", is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames between 2000 and 2013. He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall, by the Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, and has also played professionally for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga, as well as for both AIK IF and Timrå IK of the Swedish Elitserien.
Kiprusoff represented Finland several times on the international stage, earning silver medals at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1999 and 2001, as well as leading the Finns to a surprise second-place finish at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He also helped the Finnish national team win the bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Kiprusoff began his professional career with TPS in 1994, and was named the best goaltender and best player of the playoffs in 1999 as he led them to the SM-liiga championship. He then moved to North America in 1999, and after two All-Star seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL), made his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks, where he served primarily as the team's backup. A trade to the Calgary Flames in 2003–04 brought Kiprusoff into a starting role, and he set a modern NHL record for lowest goals against average (GAA) at 1.69 as he helped the Flames reach the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. He won the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the NHL in 2006 along with the William M. Jennings Trophy for giving up the fewest goals in the League. He played in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2007. Having won over 300 games after turning 27, he is the franchise record holder in both wins and shutouts for the Flames.