Kari Takko

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FinlandFinland  Kari Takko Ice hockey player
Date of birth June 23, 1962
place of birth Uusikaupunki , Finland
size 187 cm
Weight 87 kg
position goalkeeper
Catch hand Right
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 1981 , 10th lap, 200th position
Nordiques de Québec
NHL Entry Draft 1984 , 5th round, 97th position
Minnesota North Stars
Career stations
1978-1985 Ässät Pori
1985-1986 Springfield Indians
1986-1990 Minnesota North Stars
1990-1991 Edmonton Oilers
1991-1997 Ässät Pori
1997-2000 HV 71 Jönköping

Kari Takko (born June 23, 1962 in Uusikaupunki ) is a former Finnish ice hockey goalkeeper who played for the Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League from 1978 to 2000 .

Career

Kari Takko began his career as a hockey player in the youth department of Ässät Pori , for whose professional team he made his debut in the SM-liiga in the 1978/79 season at the age of 16 . With his team he reached the playoff final right away, but had to admit defeat in this Tappara Tampere . In the following years he developed into a regular goalkeeper at Ässät Pori, with whom he failed again in the championship finals in 1980 at HIFK Helsinki and in 1984 again at Tappara Tampere. Personally, he developed into one of the best players in the SM-liiga and was not only elected to the league's all-star team in the 1984/85 season , but also received the Urpo-Ylönen trophy as the best goalkeeper of the highest in the same year Finnish league. Also in North America his achievements did not go unnoticed and the Finn was selected in the NHL Entry Draft 1981 in the tenth round as a total of 200th player by the Nordiques de Québec . After they did not sign him in the following years, he could be selected again in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft . Finally, the Minnesota North Stars secured the rights to the Finnish international in the fifth round, in which he was selected as the 97th player.

In the summer of 1985 Takko went to North America, where he made his debut in the National Hockey League for Minnesota in the 1985/86 season , but only once - when the North Stars lost - played for them. The rest of the time he spent with Minnesota's farm team , the Springfield Indians , in the American Hockey League , for which he played a total of 43 games. From the 1986/87 season he was regularly on the ice for the NHL team of the Minnesota North Stars, where he was occasionally active for their new farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings , in the International Hockey League . On November 22, 1990, Takko was given to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Bruce Bell within the NHL . For the Canadians he played a further eleven games in the NHL until the end of the season, in which he was unable to convince with a goal average of 4.20 per game and a catch rate of 86.7 percent.

For the 1990/91 season , the 1984 Olympian returned to his Finnish homeland and signed with his home club Ässät Pori. In this he had a regular place in the SM-liiga in the following six seasons and was able to win the Urpo-Ylönen trophy as the best goalkeeper in the SM-liiga for the second time in his career in the 1993/94 season . He was also player of the month in the SM-liiga in February 1994 and September 1995. From 1997 to 2000 the Finn stood again in neighboring Sweden for the HV 71 Jönköping in the Elitserien between the posts before he ended his career at the age of 38. Since the end of his career, Takko has worked as a European scout for the Dallas Stars from the NHL.

International

For Finland , Takko took part in the junior division of the U18 European Junior Championships in 1979 , as well as the Junior World Championships in 1981 and 1982 . At both Junior World Championships he won a medal; 1981 the silver and 1982 the bronze medal. At senior level he was in the squad of his country at the World Championships in 1983 , 1985 and 1991 and in 1987 the Canada Cup . He also ran in five games for the Finns at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo .

Achievements and Awards

  • 1979 Finnish runner-up with Ässät Pori
  • 1980 Finnish runner-up with Ässät Pori
  • 1984 Finnish runner-up with Ässät Pori
  • 1985 SM-liiga All-Star Team
  • 1985 Urpo Ylönen Trophy
  • 1994 SM-liiga player of the month February
  • 1994 Urpo Ylönen Trophy
  • 1995 SM-liiga player of the month September

International

NHL statistics

Seasons Games Victories Defeats draw Shutouts Conceded goal
Regular season 6th 142 37 71 14th 1 3.89
Playoffs 2 4th 0 1 - 0 3.85

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Takko, Kari
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish ice hockey goalkeeper
DATE OF BIRTH June 23, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Uusikaupunki , Finland