Finnish ice hockey player (b. 1960)
Ice hockey player
Jari Pekka Kurri
(
Finnish pronunciation:
[?j?ri
?pekː?
?kurːi]
; born 18 May 1960) is a Finnish former professional
ice hockey
player. Beginning in 1980, he played
right wing
for five
National Hockey League
(NHL) teams: the
Edmonton Oilers
, the
Los Angeles Kings
, the
New York Rangers
, the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
, and the
Colorado Avalanche
. Kurri played 17 seasons in the NHL and was the first Finnish player to be enshrined into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, in 2001. He was a member of a Stanley Cup?winning team five times, all with the Oilers. In 2017, Kurri was named one of the '
100 Greatest NHL Players
' in history.
[1]
He won the
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
in 1985, and was the
NHL goal scoring leader
in the
1985?86 season
.
Kurri's jersey # 17 was retired by the Edmonton Oilers and
Jokerit
. Internationally, Kurri played on the
Finland men's national ice hockey team
, and was inducted into the
IIHF Hall of Fame
in 2000. Since 2019, Kurri is the general manager and owner of Jokerit.
Playing career
[
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]
Early years (1977?1980)
[
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]
He began his pro career with
Jokerit
in the Finnish
SM-liiga
. After an eleven-point rookie season for Jokerit in 1977?78, Kurri scored 30 and 39 points the next two years, playing all 33 games in each season.
On March 20, 1979, in a game of seemingly minor consequence at the time, Kurri accompanied the Finnish national team to play in
Edmonton, Alberta
. The Finns had been invited by the
World Hockey Association
to play the WHA-leading
Edmonton Oilers
- while essentially an exhibition game for the Finnish team, the WHA counted the game in its standings. Finland lost the game 8-4, nevertheless, Kurri impressed the Oilers' management. His performance in Edmonton that night would have a profound impact on his later career.
Edmonton Oilers (1980-1990)
[
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]
After his third professional season, Kurri was eligible for the
1980 NHL Entry Draft
. However, he was also widely believed to still be
liable for military service
in NHL circles, and thus was ignored by most NHL teams. The Oilers, who had joined the NHL after the WHA merged following the 1978-79 season, had closely tracked Kurri's career after watching him play in Edmonton. They made discreet inquiries to the Finnish government and were able to determine that Kurri had already fulfilled his military service obligations. Taking advantage of this information, the Oilers waited until the fourth round before selecting Kurri with the 69th overall pick. Kurri remains regarded as one of the greatest "steals" in the history of the NHL draft.
When Kurri joined the Oilers, he was soon paired with
Wayne Gretzky
. Kurri and Gretzky became one of the most prolific scoring duos ever to play in the NHL. Despite not always playing on the same line, Gretzky assisted on 364 of Kurri's 601 career goals, while Kurri had an assist on 196 Gretzky goals.
[2]
During his career in Edmonton, he was nicknamed the "Finnish Flash" (a title since bestowed on
Teemu Selanne
). Kurri was "by far our most complete player", according to Oilers' director of personnel
Barry Fraser
. Although Kurri never won the
Selke Trophy
, he was regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. Alongside Kurri,
Esa Tikkanen
and Gretzky, Edmonton had future hall-of-famers
Paul Coffey
,
Grant Fuhr
,
Glenn Anderson
,
Kevin Lowe
and
Mark Messier
. The team won four
Stanley Cups
during Gretzky's tenure. In 1988, Gretzky was traded, along with team
enforcer
Marty McSorley
, to the
Los Angeles Kings
. Following Gretzky's trade, Kurri recorded 195 points in 154 games, leading the Oilers to their fifth and last Stanley Cup in 1990.
Kurri won five
Stanley Cups
, all with Edmonton (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990). In
1984?85
he had 135 points and scored 50 goals in his first 50 games; however, his 50th game was the Oilers' 53rd game so it does not count as an official
50 goals in 50 games
. A year later, he led the league in goals with 68. In 1984?85 Kurri set a record for goals by a right winger when he scored 71, which was broken by
Brett Hull
when he scored 72 goals in 1989?90 (Hull's 86 goals in 1990?91 is the current record). Kurri also scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in game seven against the
Philadelphia Flyers
in 1987.
Kurri's 19 goals in the 1985 post-season (18 games played) tied an NHL record set by the Flyers'
Reggie Leach
in the 1976 playoffs (16 games played). Those 19 goals included four hat tricks, a still-standing record in a playoff season. Kurri scored three of the hat tricks against the
Blackhawks
in the conference finals, also a feat that no player has ever equaled. He scored
five goals
in a single game, on November 19, 1983. The achievement was not repeated by the Finnish player until November 24, 2018, when
Patrik Laine
had a five-goal game. Kurri registered three goals and two assists in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston, on May 18, 1990, setting a record for scoring in a single Finals game in the modern era, on his 30th birthday. Kurri had also set up
Petr Klima
's goal in triple overtime in Game 1.
Later career (1990?1998)
[
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]
Kurri's contract with the Oilers expired in 1990 but his NHL rights were still owned by the Oilers. Instead of accepting a new contract from the Oilers, Kurri opted for a season in Italy and played for
Devils Milano
of the Italian
Serie A
. Kurri had 27 goals and 48 assists in 30 games while he played in the Italian league.
After a season in Italy, Kurri's rights were traded to the
Philadelphia Flyers
and then to the
Los Angeles Kings
on the same day. He made an impression in his first game as a King, scoring 3 goals on opening night. For the first time since the 1988 trade, Kurri was reunited with Wayne Gretzky. The pair had a fairly successful campaign in 1993 leading the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced off against the
Montreal Canadiens
. Kurri managed to put together 17 points in 24 games during the run, in which the Kings ultimately fell short and lost the series in 5 games. Kurri followed the run up with a few more solid seasons as a Los Angeles King, scoring 146 points in 176 games; his decline in scoring was primarily due to his transition into a more defensive-minded forward in a somewhat reduced role. (Though they were back on the same team, by this time he and Gretzky were not usually playing on the same line.)
Kurri's best season for the Kings was during the successful
1992?93 season
when Kurri posted 27 goals and 60 assists in 82 games.
During the
1994?95 NHL lockout
Jari Kurri represented Jokerit, the team for which he played before his NHL career. Kurri played alongside
Teemu Selanne
, the 1993 winner of the
Calder Memorial Trophy
who had established himself as one of the top stars in Finland during early success in the NHL. Kurri had one memorable moment during his visit to SM-liiga when Jokerit faced their local rivals
HIFK
. Kurri played against his former Oilers linemate
Esa Tikkanen
and another Finnish NHL player,
Christian Ruuttu
. Kurri, Selanne, and Jokerit captain
Waltteri Immonen
led Jokerit to a 4?2 victory over Russian
HC Lada Togliatti
in
1994 European Cup Finals
.
After the lockout, Kurri returned to Los Angeles but was traded to
New York Rangers
in 1996 for their playoff run.
Kurri played the remainder of the
1995?96 NHL season
with the Rangers and posted one goal and four assists in 14 games. While he may not have put up the points the Rangers expected him to at the end of the regular season, Kurri proved some of his value by notching 8 points in 11 playoff games with the Rangers.
After his short period with the Rangers, Kurri signed with the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
. Kurri intended to play alongside Teemu Selanne and
Paul Kariya
, but was ultimately reduced to a smaller role on the second and third lines, despite a newfound confidence from rigorous summer training. The Mighty Ducks made it to the playoffs and defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round but were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.
After his single season with the Mighty Ducks, Kurri was signed by the
Colorado Avalanche
, the 1996 Stanley Cup champions. Kurri had a more defensive role with the Avalanche. Kurri's highlight of the season was his 600th NHL career goal, which he scored during a regular season game between the Avalanche and the Kings. Despite having a strong team with players like
Joe Sakic
,
Peter Forsberg
and
Patrick Roy
, the Avalanche were eliminated quickly in the playoffs by the Oilers.
Legacy
[
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]
Kurri finished his career as the highest-scoring European-born-and-trained player in NHL history, with 601 goals, 797 assists, and 1,398 points. (
Stan Mikita
, who was born in Slovakia, but raised in Canada, retired 18 seasons before Kurri with 926 assists and 1,467 points.) Kurri has since been passed in all three categories by
Jaromir Jagr
, who also passed all of Mikita's marks. Kurri has since also been bested in goals by
Teemu Selanne
(the current record-holder for NHL goals scored by a Finn), and in assists by
Nicklas Lidstrom
. He was also the highest ranked
non-Canadian
in NHL points and goals; the only non-Canadian with more assists at Kurri's retirement was American
Phil Housley
, since passed by
Mike Modano
. Kurri finished with 106 career playoff goals and 233 playoff points, third all-time behind Gretzky and Messier. His 1,398 points are 19th all-time, and the third highest among players trained in Europe behind Jagr and Selanne. He is 18th in all-time goals with 601 and was the leading Finn in that department until Selanne passed him in 2010. He is the second leading point-scorer in Oilers history, with 1,043 points in 754 games, behind Gretzky. His No. 17 has been retired by the
Edmonton Oilers
, the
Finnish national team
, and
Jokerit
. In addition, the
Jari Kurri trophy
is given to the most valuable player in the SM-liiga playoffs. In 2000, he was named along with longtime linemate Gretzky to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was ranked number 50 on
The Hockey News
'
list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking Northern European player (1998). In addition, he was the first Finn to be inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, doing so in 2001.
International play
[
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]
Kurri also had a lengthy international career for the
Finnish national team
. Kurri debuted during
1980 Winter Olympics
when Finland played in the
Olympic ice hockey tournament
. Kurri scored two goals and an assist in his international debut.
Since NHL players were unable to participate in the
Winter Olympics
and
World Championships
, Kurri's national team appearances were limited after he started his NHL career. Kurri was part of the Finnish national team during
1981 Canada Cup
. Finland lost four games and had a 4?4 tie with the United States. Kurri had a disappointing performance, with only one assist in five games.
After the Oilers were eliminated in the
1982 NHL playoffs
, Kurri was able to join the Finnish national team in
1982 World Championships
. The tournament was held in Finland. Kurri formed Finland's top line along with
SM-liiga
players
Reijo Leppanen
of
TPS
and
Kari Jalonen
of
Karpat
. The lineup led the Finnish team in points and played well during the tournament but Finland was not able to advance to the medal round.
Kurri was part of the Finnish team at the
1987 Canada Cup
and the
1989 World Championships
, but Finland was unable to gain success in those tournaments, ranking 6th of 6 and 5th of 8, in those respective tournaments.
In 1991, Kurri represented Finland at the
1991 World Championships
held again in Finland. Finland ranked 5th of 8 teams. Later that year, at the
1991 Canada Cup
, Finland lost 3?7 to the United States in the semi-finals.
At the
1994 World Championships
, Kurri managed to get his first international medal when Finland earned silver after losing 1?2 in a shootout against Canada.
At the
1998 Winter Olympics
, Kurri faced Gretzky on ice for the last time, when Finland and Canada played for the Olympic bronze medal in Nagano. Finland was the underdog against Canada, but Finland won the game 3?2. Kurri scored the first goal of the game, which turned out to be his last goal for the Finnish national team.
[3]
After retirement
[
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]
After being long-time general manager of the
Finnish national men's ice hockey team
, scouting players and assisting the head coach. He is now GM of the first Finnish KHL league team
Jokerit
. In the summer of 2019,
Hjallis Harkimo
sold the Jokerit to Jari and so Jari Kurri now owns the club.
Personal life
[
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]
Kurri is married to former
Miss Finland
, Vanessa Kurri,
nee
Forsman; they wed in 2004 and have three daughters: Odessa (born 2002), Alissa (born 2005), and Isla (2012), and one son, Paulus (born 2007). Kurri also has twin boys (Joonas and Ville) from his first marriage to Tiina Kurri. Former linemate Wayne Gretzky is the godfather of Kurri's children from his first marriage.
Kurri is the godfather of
Sami Lepisto
.
Transactions
[
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]
- May 30, 1991 ? Traded by the
Edmonton Oilers
, along with
Dave Brown
and Corey Foster, to the
Philadelphia Flyers
in exchange for Craig Fisher,
Scott Mellanby
and
Craig Berube
.
- May 30, 1991 ? Traded by the Philadelphia Flyers, along with
Jeff Chychrun
to
Los Angeles Kings
in exchange for
Steve Duchesne
,
Steve Kasper
and Los Angeles' 1991 4th round draft choice.
- March 14, 1996 ? Traded by the Los Angeles Kings, along with
Shane Churla
and
Marty McSorley
, to the
New York Rangers
in exchange for
Ray Ferraro
,
Ian Laperriere
,
Nathan LaFayette
,
Mattias Norstrom
and New York's 1997 4th round draft choice.
- September 10, 1996 ? Signed as a free agent with the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
.
- September 15, 1997 ? Signed as a free agent with the
Colorado Avalanche
.
Career statistics
[
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]
Regular season and playoffs
[
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]
^ Led league
In
bold
are NHL record(s) (tied with
Reggie Leach
)
International
[
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]
Year
|
Team
|
Event
|
|
GP
|
G
|
A
|
Pts
|
PIM
|
1978
|
Finland
|
EJC
|
4
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
4
|
1979
|
Finland
|
WJC
|
6
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
2
|
1980
|
Finland
|
WJC
|
5
|
4
|
7
|
11
|
0
|
1980
|
Finland
|
OLY
|
7
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
6
|
1981
|
Finland
|
CC
|
5
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1982
|
Finland
|
WC
|
7
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
1987
|
Finland
|
CC
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
1989
|
Finland
|
WC
|
7
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
4
|
1991
|
Finland
|
WC
|
10
|
6
|
6
|
12
|
2
|
1991
|
Finland
|
CC
|
6
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
7
|
1994
|
Finland
|
WC
|
8
|
4
|
6
|
10
|
2
|
1996
|
Finland
|
WCH
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1998
|
Finland
|
OLY
|
6
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
2
|
Junior totals
|
15
|
12
|
12
|
24
|
6
|
Senior totals
|
65
|
26
|
26
|
52
|
29
|
Achievements
[
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]
- NHL
Award
|
Year(s)
|
NHL All-Star Game
|
1983
,
1985
,
1986
,
1987
,
1988
,
1989
,
1990
,
1993
,
1998
|
Stanley Cup
champion
|
1984
,
1985
,
1987
,
1988
,
1990
|
NHL Second All-Star Team
|
1984
,
1986
,
1989
|
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
|
1985
|
NHL goal scoring leader
|
1986
|
NHL First All-Star Team
|
1985
,
1987
|
Edmonton Oilers #17 jersey
retired
|
2001
|
Hockey Hall of Fame
|
2001
|
- SM-Liiga
- International
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]