Kari Makkonen

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FinlandFinland  Kari Makkonen Ice hockey player
Date of birth January 20, 1955
place of birth Harjavalta , Finland
size 184 cm
Weight 83 kg
position striker
Shot hand Left
Draft
NHL Amateur Draft 1975 , 12th lap, 194th position
New York Islanders
WHA Amateur Draft 1975 , 10th lap, 127th position
Indianapolis Racers
WHA Amateur Draft 1976 , 4th lap, 42nd position
Phoenix Roadrunners
Career stations
1974-1979 Ässät Pori
1979-1980 Edmonton Oilers
Houston Apollos
1980-1991 Ässät Pori

Kari Makkonen (born January 20, 1955 in Harjavalta ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player and current coach , who played for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League from 1974 to 1991 . Since 2010 he has been the head coach of JHT Kalajoki in the Finnish third division, Suomi-sarja .

Career

Kari Makkonen began his career as an ice hockey player in the youth department of the lower class Finnish club KuKi, for whose senior team he was active for the first time in the third Finnish division in the 1973/74 season. Then the attacker switched to Ässät Pori , for whom he played in the top Finnish league for the next five years - first in the SM-sarja and from the 1975/76 season in its successor SM-liiga . With his new team he became Finnish champion in 1978 and runner-up a year later. At European level, he reached third place in the European Ice Hockey Cup with Ässät in the 1978/79 season . For him personally, too, the early days at Ässät Pori were very successful. In his first season in the SM-liiga he received the Jarmo Wasama commemorative trophy as the best rookie in the league, in 1979 he was the top scorer in the main round with 36 goals in 36 games, for which he received the Aarne Honkavaara trophy .

After Makkonen's good performance, several franchises from North America noticed him in the mid-1970s. In 1975 and 1976 he was selected in succession in the NHL Amateur Draft by the New York Islanders and in the WHA Amateur Draft by the Indianapolis Racers and Phoenix Roadrunners . The Finnish international never ran for one of these teams, but signed a contract as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers from the National Hockey League on July 22, 1979 . In his only NHL season, the 1979/80 season , he did not get over two goals and two assists in nine missions for the Canadians and spent the rest of the season with their farm team , the Houston Apollos , in the Central Hockey League . There, too, he did not get beyond 16 missions, in which he scored five goals and as many assists.

In the summer of 1980 Makkonen returned to Ässät Pori after a disappointing year for him, for whom he was on the ice for the following eleven years. In each of the years he was one of the club's top scorers. After relegation in the 1988/89 season to the second class I divisioona, he succeeded with his team in the immediate rise. Following the 1990/91 season , the left shooter finally ended his active career at the age of 36. In 1995 he was recognized for his achievements as a player and was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame as the 99th player.

Following his active career, Makkonen started a career as a coach. During the 1996/97 season he worked as an assistant coach for his home club Ässät Pori and was an interim coach at short notice from September 28, 1996 to October 3, 1996. From 1999 to 2003 he worked for four years as an assistant coach for Ässät's league rivals Tappara Tampere . After a season as head coach at third division S-Kiekko , he returned to the 2004/05 season as an assistant coach in the SM-liiga and joined Lukko Rauma there. From 2006 to 2008 he was head coach Mikkelin Jukurit from the new second division, the Mestis . With the team he finished second in the 2006/07 season . After he had spent the 2009/10 season at the lower-class club Karhu HT , the former NHL player signed a contract with JHT Kalajoki from the third-class Suomi-sarja for the 2010/11 season .

International

For Finland Makkonen took part in the World Championships in 1976 , 1977 , 1978 , 1982 , 1983 , 1985 and 1986 . He was also in his country's squad for the Canada Cup in 1976 and 1981 .

Achievements and Awards

  • 1979 SM-liiga All-Star Team
  • 1979 Aarne Honkavaara Trophy
  • 1984 Finnish runner-up with Ässät Pori
  • 1990 Promotion to the SM-liiga with Ässät Pori
  • 1995 inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame

statistics

Seasons Games Gates Assists Points Penalty minutes
NHL Regular Season 1 9 2 2 4th 0
NHL playoffs - - - - - -
SM liiga main round 14th 529 281 284 565 358
SM liiga playoffs 7th 41 19th 19th 38 36

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Makkonen, Kari
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish ice hockey player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Harjavalta , Finland