Mikko Mäkelä

Mikko Mäkelä
Born (1965-02-28) February 28, 1965
Tampere, FIN
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for New York Islanders
Los Angeles Kings
Buffalo Sabres
Boston Bruins
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 65th overall, 1983
New York Islanders
Playing career 19841999

Mikko Matti Mäkelä (born February 28, 1965 in Tampere, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey left wing. Known as the "Flying Finn", he was drafted in the fourth round, 65th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.

Mäkelä made his NHL debut with the Islanders in the 1985–86 season. In four-plus seasons with the Islanders, Mäkelä scored 95 goals, including 37 in the 1987–88 season. The Islanders traded Mäkelä to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1989–90 season in exchange for Hubie McDonough and Ken Baumgartner.

After finishing the 1989–90 season with Los Angeles, Mäkelä was traded again before the 1990–91 season. This time, he went to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Mike Donnelly. After one season in Buffalo, Mäkelä returned to Europe, spending two-plus seasons playing in his native Finland and one in Sweden.

Mäkelä returned to the NHL following the 1994–95 NHL lockout, appearing in 11 games with the Boston Bruins during the shortened 1994–95 season. Mäkelä returned to Europe for the remainder of his career, playing two seasons in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga before returning to Sweden and Finland for his final two seasons.

Mäkelä appeared in 423 NHL games in his career, scoring 118 goals and adding 147 assists. He also appeared in 18 Stanley Cup playoff games, scoring three goals and recording eight assists.

Since retiring from professional hockey, Mäkelä has moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, where he and his family currently reside. He currently works at the Warner Hockey School, a private girl's school located in Warner, Alberta where he serves as both Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the Warner Hockey School Warriors girls' hockey team of the Junior Women's Hockey League. .

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1982–83 Ilves Jr. Fin-Jr. 23 29 11 40 28 4 2 5 7 2
1983–84 Ilves Jr. Fin-Jr. 1 0 0 0 0
1983–84 Ilves SM-l 35 17 11 28 26 2 0 1 1 0
1984–85 Ilves SM-l 36 34 25 59 24 9 4 7 11 10
1985–86 New York Islanders NHL 58 16 20 36 28
1985–86 Springfield Indians AHL 2 1 1 2 0
1986–87 New York Islanders NHL 80 24 33 57 24 11 2 4 6 8
1987–88 New York Islanders NHL 73 36 40 76 22 6 1 4 5 6
1988–89 New York Islanders NHL 76 17 28 45 22
1989–90 Los Angeles Kings NHL 45 7 14 21 16 1 0 0 0 0
1990–91 Buffalo Sabres NHL 60 15 7 22 25
1991–92 TPS SM-l 44 25 45 70 38 3 2 3 5 0
1992–93 TPS SM-l 38 17 27 44 22 11 4 8 12 0
1993–94 Malmö IF SEL 37 15 21 36 20 11 4 7 11 2
1994–95 Boston Bruins NHL 11 1 2 3 0
1994–95 Ilves SM-l 18 3 11 14 4
1994–95 Providence Bruins AHL 7 2 4 6 2
1995–96 Düsseldorfer EG DEL 47 17 37 54 16 13 0 14 14 12
1996–97 Düsseldorfer EG DEL 40 4 14 18 0 4 1 1 2 0
1997–98 Södertälje SK SEL 25 2 11 13 14
1998–99 Tappara SM-l 41 4 6 10 14
SM-l totals 212 100 125 225 128 25 10 19 29 10
NHL totals 423 118 147 265 139 18 3 8 11 14

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1982 Finland EJC 5 3 0 3 4
1983 Finland EJC 5 1 3 4 8
1984 Finland WJC 7 1 2 3 0
1985 Finland WJC 7 11 2 13 6
1985 Finland WC 8 2 2 4 2
1987 Finland CC 5 1 1 2 12
1992 Finland OLY 5 3 3 6 0
1992 Finland WC 8 2 8 10 0
1994 Finland OLY 8 2 3 5 4
1994 Finland WC 8 5 4 9 6
Junior totals 24 16 7 23 18
Senior totals 42 15 21 36 24

External links

Preceded by
Teemu Selänne
Winner of the Kultainen kypärä trophy
1991–92
Succeeded by
Juha Riihijärvi
Preceded by
Bryan Maxwell
Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach
2002–04
Succeeded by
Lindsay Hofford
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