Olli Jokinen

Olli Jokinen
Jokinen with the Nashville Predators in 2014
Born (1978-12-05) December 5, 1978 (age 45)
Kuopio, Finland
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for KalPa
HIFK
Los Angeles Kings
New York Islanders
Florida Panthers
EHC Kloten
Södertälje SK
Phoenix Coyotes
Calgary Flames
New York Rangers
Winnipeg Jets
Nashville Predators
Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
National team  Finland
NHL draft 3rd overall, 1997
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 1995–2015

Olli Veli Pekka Jokinen (born December 5, 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings third overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, with whom he made his NHL debut. He has also played for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues. He began his professional career with KalPa and then HIFK of the Finnish SM-liiga. Additionally, he played for EHC Kloten of Switzerland's National League A and Södertälje SK of Sweden's Elitserien. He previously held the franchise records for most goals, assists, and points for the Florida Panthers.

Jokinen began his professional career in his native Finland in 1996 and in 1997 won the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy as SM-liiga rookie of the year. He won the Matti Keinonen and Jari Kurri trophies in 1998 as the most effective player of the regular season and most valuable player of the playoffs, respectively. He moved to the NHL full-time in 1998–99 and played his best seasons with the Florida Panthers, with whom he served as captain from 2003 to 2008 and played in the 2003 All-Star Game. Jokinen played an NHL record 799 games before making his first and only Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 2009 with the Flames (Since broken by Ron Hainsey in 2017 with 907 Games played). In 2012, he played his 1,000th career NHL game.

Internationally, Jokinen has played for Finland on numerous occasions. He was an all-star and named best forward of the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, leading his nation to the gold medal. He is a four-time Olympian, winning a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and bronze at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi, respectively. He has also won two silver and three bronze medals at the World Championships and played for the Finnish team that finished second to Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.