Kimmo Timonen
| Kimmo Timonen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
March 18, 1975 Kuopio, Finland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Liiga KalPa TPS NLA HC Lugano SHL Brynäs IF NHL Nashville Predators Philadelphia Flyers Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| National team |
 Finland | ||
| NHL Draft |
250th overall, 1993 Los Angeles Kings | ||
| Playing career | 1991–2015 | ||
Kimmo Samuel Timonen (born March 18, 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Timonen had played in over 1,100 NHL matches before retiring. During his career, Timonen had also featured in three IIHF World Junior Championships, seven IIHF World Championships, two World Cups and five Olympic tournaments.[1] He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015.
Playing career
Timonen was the youngest player to play for Finland at the 1993 IIHF World Junior Championships at the age of 17. He recorded the second-highest shot total in the tournament with 44.
Timonen was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the tenth round, 250th overall, of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. After the draft, he continued to play in his native Finland for several years, first for KalPa and then later for TPS. In 1998, Timonen played on the bronze medal-winning Finnish Olympic team in Nagano. Shortly after the Olympics, the Kings traded him, along with Jan Vopat, to the Nashville Predators organization (the team not yet having begun play) in agreement that Nashville would not select Garry Galley in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft.
With the Nashville Predators
During the 1998–99 season, Timonen split time between Nashville and their IHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. The following year, he was promoted to a full-time NHL player. He played the next four seasons for the Predators, steadily improving his offensive output, until the 2004–05 NHL lockout. During the lockout, Timonen played for his hometown team, KalPa, which he partly owns with former Flyers teammate Sami Kapanen. Timonen also persuaded his teammate Adam Hall to play for KalPa for the duration of the lockout.
Timonen represented Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and led his team in scoring with six points, the fifth-highest total overall in the tournament.
On October 3, 2006, Timonen was named the captain of the Nashville Predators for the 2006–07 season.[2] That season proved to be a career year for Timonen, as he registered career highs in both assists and total points.
With the Philadelphia Flyers
Following the 2006–07 season, Timonen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. Shortly after, he signed a six-year, $37.8 million contract extension with them, a deal which made him the highest paid Finn in the NHL.[3] At the time, Timonen's younger brother Jussi Timonen was playing for the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. However, Jussi was subsequently traded to the Dallas Stars early in the 2007–08 season.[4]
The Flyers beat the Washington Capitals 4–3 and the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 in the first two rounds of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. During Game 4 of the Flyers' series with Montreal, Timonen was hit by a wrist shot on his foot by Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov. Timonen felt numbness in his foot as the week progressed, though believed it to be nothing but a twisted nerve. After an MRI failed to reveal any injury, Timonen had the foot examined at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where, on May 8, the doctor found a small blood clot in his foot. He was sidelined indefinitely and missed the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Timonen returned for Game 5, but the Flyers eventually lost the game and their playoff run came to an end.[5]
In the 2009–10 regular season, Timonen led all NHL defensemen in shorthanded goals scored, with two.[6] That year, Timonen would play in his first ever Stanley Cup Final, though the Flyers would lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in a six-game series.
Timonen scored his 100th career goal on March 5, 2011, against the Buffalo Sabres. He ended the season in a tie with Marc Staal for most shorthanded goals among defensemen, with two.[7]
Timonen recorded his 500th career point with an assist on March 1, 2012, against the New York Islanders. He played his 1,000th NHL game on March 18, 2013, his 37th birthday.
Blood clots and Stanley Cup victory with the Chicago Blackhawks
In preparation for the 2014–15 season, on August 5, 2014, Timonen was diagnosed with blood clots in both of his lungs as well as in his right leg.[8] The serious nature of injury ruled Timonen out indefinitely with the Flyers. Approaching the NHL trade deadline, and returning to health after missing the first 62 games of the season, Timonen was traded by the Flyers to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick and 2016 conditional fourth-round pick on February 27, 2015. He left the Flyers organization as the third most productive defenseman in franchise history, with 270 points in 519 games.[9] On March 21, 2015, he played in his 1,100th NHL game. [10]
On March 5, Timonen announced his intent to retire from professional hockey after the 2014–15 season. On June 15, Timonen won his first Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in the final game of his 20-year career.[11] During the celebration, Timonen was the first player to receive the Stanley Cup following captain Jonathan Toews. Timonen reflected on his career stating, “I was dreaming about this moment for a long time, and it’s right here. This game has given me so much, and I’m relieved, happy, ready to leave this game, and I’m leaving this game as a Stanley Cup champion.”[12]
In February 2016, President Barack Obama received the winning Blackhawks team in the White House. During his speech, he unexpectedly gave Timonen a laudation:[13][14]
| “ | You all know the big names on this team, seven players were here for all three titles, the guys you’ve heard me talk about twice before, so today I actually wanna give the spotlight to two of the unsung heroes on this team, and they’re the kind of guys that are behind the scenes of every winning team in sports and beyond. First there is Kimmo Timonen. Now Kimmo already had a great career before last season. He had been to the Stanley Cup final, Olympic final, World Championship final — he had lost them all… [laughter from the audience] … Just telling the truth… [more laughter] … In August he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and his calf, he wasn’t even sure he’d play again. He was traded to Chicago mid-season, fought back on the ice, his final NHL game, at the age of 40, Kimmo finally hoisted the Cup. And that, first of all, as an old guy, it makes me feel good, but it’s also a sign of a great career when somebody who’s just able to stick with it and consistently contribute and make a huge difference, so give Kimmo a big one! | ” |
Timonen commented on this to the Finnish state broadcasting company YLE:[13]
| “ | This was absolutely a total surprise, and he really made a funny speech, and even to get a mention from him was such an honor for me, and then, of course, when he took a stand on my problems with blood clots, and when you think of what kind of a program I had to go through before I could put my skates on again, it really stirs some powerful feelings in an old man like me, I must admit. And the Stanley Cup victory brought with it some great things that I got to do, and for sure, this was one thing that I absolutely wanted to experience, and I’ll centainly remember this for the rest of my life. | ” |
Personal life
Kimmo is married to Johanna Timonen and has three children — son Samuel and daughters Elle Amelie and Ava Fiona.[15] Kimmo announced his retirement after winning the Stanley Cup in 2015 with the Blackhawks. Timonen owns several successful restaurants and nightclubs in his hometown of Kuopio.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1991–92 | KalPa | SM-l | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | KalPa | SM-l | 33 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | KalPa | SM-l | 46 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | TPS | SM-l | 45 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 1995–96 | TPS | SM-l | 48 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1996–97 | TPS | SM-l | 50 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1997–98 | HIFK | SM-l | 45 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 24 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1998–99 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 50 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 29 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 51 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 82 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 82 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 72 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 77 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 52 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Lugano | NLA | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Brynäs IF | SHL | 10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | KalPa | Mestis | 12 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 79 | 11 | 39 | 50 | 74 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 80 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 80 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 50 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 2008–09 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 3 | 40 | 43 | 54 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 33 | 39 | 50 | 23 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 20 | ||
| 2010–11 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 82 | 6 | 31 | 37 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 76 | 4 | 39 | 43 | 46 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 23 | ||
| 2012–13 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 45 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| NHL totals | 1108 | 117 | 454 | 571 | 654 | 105 | 4 | 31 | 35 | 109 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Finland
| ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2006 Turin | |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1998 Nagano | |
| | 2010 Vancouver | |
| | 2014 Sochi | |
| World Championships | ||
| | 1998 Switzerland | |
| | 1999 Norway | |
| | 2001 Germany | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Finland | EJC | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1993 | Finland | EJC | 4th | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1993 | Finland | WJC | 5th | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1994 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | |
| 1995 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1996 | Finland | WC | 5th | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1998 | Finland | OG |  |
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Finland | WC |  |
10 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1999 | Finland | WC | |
10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2001 | Finland | WC | |
9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |
| 2002 | Finland | OG | 6th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Finland | WC | 4th | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 2003 | Finland | WC | 5th | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Finland | WCH | |
6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Finland | WC | 7th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2006 | Finland | OG | |
8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Finland | OG | |
6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Finland | OG | |
6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 31 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 16 | ||||
| Senior totals | 93 | 14 | 36 | 50 | 46 | ||||
Awards
- 1994 - First Team All-Star selection at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- 1997 - Matti Keinonen trophy for best +/- in the SM-liiga
- 2000 - Named to NHL All-Star Game, but unable to play due to injury
- 2004 - Played in NHL All-Star Game
- 2005 - Elected most valuable player in the Mestis playoffs
- 2007 - Played in NHL All Star Game
- 2008 - Named to NHL All-Star Game
- 2012 - Named to NHL All-Star Game
- Five-time Barry Ashbee Trophy winner as Philadelphia Flyers best defenseman – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
- 2015 - Stanley Cup Champion
See also
References
- ↑ "Elite Prospects". Elite Prospects. 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
- ↑ "Preds name Timonen captain, send Radulov to AHL". ESPN. 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
- ↑ "Flyers acquire, sign Hartnell and Timonen". The Sports Network. 2007-05-22. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
- ↑ "Flyers trade Jussi Timonen to Dallas". Philadelphia Flyers. 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ↑ "Timonen Out with Blood Clot". Philadelphia Flyers. 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ↑ "2010 Shorthanded goals". hockeyreference.com. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- ↑ "NHL 2011 Skaters". hockeyreference.com. 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ↑ "Flyers' Timonen has blood clots, team signs Del Zotto". USA Today. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
- ↑ "Flyers trade Kimmo Timonen to Blackhawks". CSN Philly. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
- ↑ Mark Lazerus (21 March 2015). "Kimmo Timonen on playing 1,100 games: 'Usually means you're old'". Chicago Suntimes. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ↑ "Kimmo Timonen retires from NHL". CBC Sports. 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
- ↑ Leahy, Sean (2015-06-16). "Kimmo Timonen ends 17-year NHL career as a Stanley Cup champion". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2015-06-16.
- 1 2 YLE Urheiluruutu, 19 February 2016.
- ↑ Obama talks to the Blackhawks in 2016
- ↑ "2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers media guide" (PDF). Philadelphia Flyers. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kimmo Timonen. |
- Career statistics and player information from NHL.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Kimmo Timonen on nhlfinns.com
- The President Welcomes the Chicago Blackhawks, 2015 Stanley Cup Champions — Barack Obaman makes a special mention of Timonen at the White House at 4:14, YouTube.
| Preceded by Petri Varis |
Winner of the Matti Keinonen trophy 1996–97 |
Succeeded by Olli Jokinen |
| Preceded by Greg Johnson |
Nashville Predators captain 2006–07 |
Succeeded by Jason Arnott |