Today, Calgary Flames Goalie, Miikka Kiprusoff announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. Born in Finland, Kiprusoff first entered the NHL with the San Jose Sharks in 2001 where he would become the first Finnish Goalie to win a playoff game.
Kiprusoff however could not crack the starter’s role, and was traded to the Calgary Flames which proved to be beneficial. He became the main guy between the pipes and anchored the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. Two years later, he had his best season, where he was a Hart Trophy finalist and won the William M. Jennings and Vezina Trophy and was a First Team All Star. Internationally, he took Finland to a surprise Silver Medal in the 2004 World Cup and a Bronze medal in the 2010 Olympics.
He retires with 319 career wins and a reputation as being the first great Finnish Goalie in the NHL. Is it enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame? Probably not, but it was a great career, and we thank him for his service in the NHL.
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