Timo Petteri Nummelin (born November 25, 1972) is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...
who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
for the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
and
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
. He was drafted by the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
as their fifth-round pick, #133 overall, in the
2000 NHL Entry Draft.
Nummelin is the son of
Timo Nummelin
Timo Kalevi Nummelin (born 7 September 1948) is a Finnish former professional football and ice hockey player who played in SM-liiga (ice hockey) and the predecessor of Veikkausliiga (football).
He played for TPS both in ice hockey and in footba ...
, a Finnish ice hockey hall of famer.
Playing career
Career in Finland
Petteri Nummelin started playing ice hockey in his hometown Turku and played for a-junior team of TPS for 3 seasons after which he played for Kiekko-67 in the 1. Division. Nummelin debuted in the SM-Liiga during the 1992–93 Season which he spent playing partly for TPS and Reipas. Nummelin also played in Kiekko-67 and TPS A-Junior team during the season. After the 1992–93 season Nummelin stayed in TPS for 2 more seasons (93–95) and moved to play in Sweden after winning the world championship for Finland.
Career in Sweden
After successful World Championship tournament in 1995 Nummelin attracted some international publicity and was contracted by
Frölunda HC, a Swedish team playing in the
Elitserien. Nummelin spent total of 2 seasons in Sweden.
Career in Switzerland
In 1997 Nummelin joined
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players and ...
, one of the most successful Swiss teams to date. Nummelin played in HC Davos for 3 seasons (1997–2000) during the time Nummelin established himself as a star in Switzerland and at the end of the 1999–2000 season Nummelin received an offer from the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. Nummelin Played in NHL for
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
for the 2000–2001 season and returned to Switzerland and joined
HC Lugano
Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships.
History
The founding of HC Lugano took ...
for the 2001–2002 season. Nummelin played in Lugano for 5 seasons (2001–06) and won several honors during that time, such as the overall scoring title in 2004 and the Swiss championship in 2003 and 2006. He returned to HC Lugano for the 2008-2009 season.
Career in Japan
In 2017 Nummelin signed a contract with the
Nikkō Ice Bucks
The is an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan.
Logo design: The word IceBucks in italicized English in black with white trim, with the words "NIKKO KOBE" in bold italics in orange trimmed with white
Mascot: An orange an ...
, and plays in the Asian Ice Hockey League.
Announced via th
Nikkō Ice Bucks Nummelin ended his career in Japan.
NHL career
Nummelin first played for one season in the NHL during the 2000–2001 NHL season for the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
. In 2006, after spending 5 seasons in Switzerland, Nummelin returned to the NHL and signed with the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
, partially due to the strong encouragement of Minnesota Wild teammate, fellow countryman and friend
Mikko Koivu
Mikko-Sakari Koivu (born 12 March 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. Koivu was drafted sixth overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild. After four seasons with TPS in the SM-liiga, Koivu joined the Wild in ...
, whom he babysat as a child. Known as Nummy by fans and Petu on the ice, Nummelin enjoyed a resurgence in his NHL career in the early stages of the 2006–07 NHL season.
Although Nummelin displayed both strong offensive and defensive contributions during regulation play, many consider his strongest asset his ability to score in the
overtime shootout. As of 7 December 2006, Nummelin converted six shootout goals in all six of his attempts, beating some of the NHL's best goalies including
Nikolai Khabibulin
Nikolai Alexandrovich Khabibulin (; rus, Николай Александрович Хабибулин, p=xəbʲɪˈbulʲɪn, born January 13, 1973) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Known by the nickname "The Bulin Wall", h ...
,
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo (, , ; born April 4, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks. Luongo is a two ...
and
Vezina winner
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff (; born October 26, 1976), nicknamed "Kipper", is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames during his National Hockey League (NHL) career. He was selected in ...
. Nummelin's success is credited to what Wild fans have dubbed "The Shoulder Shake," a deke in which Nummelin shifts his shoulders back and forth without actually moving the puck, forcing the goaltender to move first, Nummelin then reacts to the goalie's movement putting the puck in the net with the backhand or forehand. Nummelin's opportunity in the shootout initially came as a shock to fans and teammates when Minnesota Wild head coach
Jacques Lemaire
Jacques Gerard Lemaire (born September 7, 1945) is a Canadian former ice hockey forward and head coach who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984. He spent his entire twelve-year National Hockey League (NHL) playing career with the Mo ...
listed him third in the shootout lineup against the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...
on 10 October 2006, in the place normally given to
Marian Gaborik (the first three shooters are often reserved for the team's best goal scorers). Nummelin's conversion was the deciding goal to end the shootout and win the game for the Wild. Nummelin is currently the all-time NHL shoot-out conversion leader for players with more than two attempts, with a rate of 80% (8 for 10).
After the
2007–08 NHL season
The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with the D ...
, Nummelin's contract with the Wild expired, and at 35 years of age he signed a 3-year contract with his former Swiss team HC Lugano.
Lugano vahvisti Petteri Nummelinin paluun Sveitsiin - Urheilu - Ilta-Sanomat
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International career
Nummelin debuted with the Finland national team in the 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships where Finland won their first gold medal and has since represented his country in each consecutive year except 2008 and 2011. His total tournaments played count up to 15, an all-time record for most appearances in World Championships, which he held alone until 2013 when Mathias Seger
Mathias Seger (born 17 December 1977) is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Seger began his professional career with SC Rapperswil-J ...
tied this record.
Awards and achievements
* Pekka Rautakallio trophy The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best defenceman of the season. In 1995 the award was renamed to carry the name of its first winner Pekka Rautakallio. In 2019 it was awarded to Oliwer Kaski of Pel ...
for best defenceman in the SM-liiga - 1994
* World record holder in Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments played (15)
* Best defenceman of World Championship tournament 2000 and 2010
* In World Championship all-star team 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2010
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nummelin, Petteri
1972 births
Living people
Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks
Columbus Blue Jackets players
Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Finnish ice hockey defencemen
Finnish ice hockey world championship gold medalists
Frölunda HC players
HC Davos players
HC Lugano players
Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Minnesota Wild players
Olympic ice hockey players of Finland
Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Olympic silver medalists for Finland
Sportspeople from Turku
Storhamar Dragons players
HC TPS players
Nikkō Ice Bucks players
Finnish expatriate ice hockey people
Finnish expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Japan