gold star for USAHOF

4. Jari Kurri

4. Jari Kurri

Before there was Teemu Selanne, there was Jari Kurri, the original "Finnish Flash."  Kurri is arguably the first real hockey megastar from Finland, and on a line with Wayne Gretzky, his talents were able to shine.

Kurri was drafted in the 4th Round in 1980, and he debuted in the NHL with a 75 Point Season.  From the 1982-83 to 1986-87, the Right Wing would always score over 100 Points, with two of them going over 130 Points.  He would have five post-season All-Star Selections (two First Team and three Second Team) and had four straight 50 Goal Seasons, winning the Goal Scoring Title in 1985-86.  Kurri was a vital part of the Oiler five Stanley Cup Championships, as he scored 202 Points in 146 Games.

It should be emphatically stated that while Kurri knew how to put the puck in the net, he also knew how to prevent it on his end of the ice.  He had four top-five finishes in Frank J. Selke voting as the game's top defensive forward.  He also won the Lady Byng Trophy in the 1984-85 season.

Kurri was traded to Philadelphia in 1991 (and then repackaged to Los Angeles) as part of Edmonton's fire sale.  Overall, as an Oiler, Kurri had 1,043 Points, with 474 of them coming as Goals.

He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, and his #17 was retired by the Oilers the same year.  Kurri was also included in the Oilers first Hall of Fame Class in 2022.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Right Wing
  • Acquired: Selected in the 4th Round, 69th Overall in the Amateur Draft 6/11/80.
  • Departed: Traded to the Philadelphia Flyers with Dave Brown and Corey Foster for Craig Fisher, Scott Mellanby and Craig Berube 5/30/91.
  • Games Played: 754
  • Notable Statistics: 474 Goals
    569 Assists
    1,043 Points
    348 PIM
    1.38 PPG
    +373 Plus/Minus
    93.2 Point Shares

    146 Playoff Games
    92 Goals
    110 Assists
    202 Points
    101 PIM
    1.38 PPG
    +100 Plus/Minus
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Stanley Cup Champion (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 & 1990)
    Lady Byng Trophy (1985)
    First Team All-Star (1985 & 1987)
    Second Team All-Star (1984, 1986 & 1989)
    All-Star (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989 & 1990)
    Most Goals (1985-86)
    Most Game-Winning Goals (1984-85 & 1985-86)
    Highest Shooting Percentage (1985-86)
    Most Goals per Game (1985-86)

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