Jussi Jokinen

Jussi Petteri Jokinen (born April 1, 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward and an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers (NHL). He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2001 in the sixth round, 192nd overall, and spent his first three NHL seasons with the team. Jokinen has also played in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jokinen is of no relation to former NHL player Olli Jokinen, but has a younger brother, Juho, who also plays ice hockey. Jussi Jokinen is widely considered a shootout and faceoff specialist in the NHL.

Playing career

Professional

Jokinen was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the sixth round, 192nd overall, at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He spent four seasons before his NHL debut playing for Kärpät of the SM-liiga, the top Finnish league.

In his rookie year in 2005–06, Jokinen gained a great reputation as a top shootout specialist in the NHL. Until being stopped by Vesa Toskala, he was a remarkable nine-for-nine in shootouts before his first unsuccessful attempt. He can be seen pulling some unique dekes, such as the one-handed, slide-in goal (as made famous by Peter Forsberg) — also known as "The Paralyzer" — in shootouts.

On November 16, 2007, Jokinen scored four goals against the Colorado Avalanche in a 6–1 win.

At the NHL trade deadline, on February 26, 2008, Jokinen was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick, in exchange for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist.

On February 4, 2009, Jokinen was placed on waivers by the Lightning and later, on February 7, 2009, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Wade Brookbank, Josef Melichar and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick. During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, on April 21, he scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history, with 0.2 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4–3 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals.

On June 29, 2009, the Hurricanes signed Jokinen to a two-year contract worth $3.4 million ($1.5 million in 2009–10 and $1.9 million in 2010–11). As of November 19, 2009, Jokinen had scored a total of 25 goals in 46 shootout attempts, with an impressive 54.3% success rate. Eight of those shootout goals were game-winners.

Jokinen re-signed with his former Finnish club Kärpät during the 2012–13 NHL lockout and committed himself to remain with the club until the resumption of the NHL season in January 2013.

On March 26, 2013, Jokinen was placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. On April 3, 2013, Jokinen was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional sixth- or seventh-round pick in 2013. In his first game with the Penguins, Jokinen scored Pittsburgh's lone goal in regulation and tallied the only shootout goal for the team in a 2–1 victory over the New York Rangers. During the 2013–14 season, on October 8, 2013, Jokinen scored his first hat-trick with the Penguins in a 5–2 win over his former team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Jokinen enjoyed his most productive season since 2010, totaling 21 goals and 57 points in 81 games with the Penguins.

On July 1, 2014, as an unrestricted free agent, Jokinen signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Florida Panthers.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International