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Writer's pictureDerek Ochej

Canada Cup: Finland's Big Breakout

Finland competed in four of the five Canada Cups (they were replaced by West Germany for the 1984 tournament), and were the doormats of the tournament in their first three appearances, finishing last in 1976, 1981 and 1987. The 1991 tournament would spark a turn around in their fortunes, as they would make the semi-finals, scoring wins over Czechoslovakia and Sweden, and tying the eventual champs Team Canada in their opening game.


The 1990s marked a coming out for the small Scandinavian nation (population around 5 million since the 1990s), as they would capture two Olympic bronze medals (1994 and 1998) as well as their first medals in the World Hockey Championships (silver in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 1999 and a gold in 1995). These teams would be guided by a combination of veterans such as Jari Kurri, Jyrki Lumme and Esa Tikkanen and young stars such as Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu.


I think these five cards are one of the most intriguing of all the Canada Cup sets. It features Finland's biggest star (Kurri) and their next big star (Selanne) along with three players that would see limited to no NHL action. The cards feature some of Upper Deck's trademark action shots, with Laukkanen, Ketterer and Ojanen's rear photos really standing out.


Only Jari Kurri is featured elsewhere in this set, as he was the only NHL regular at the time. As with previous Canada Cup posts, those players who do not have other cards in the set will have their whole hockey history shared.


Card # 21 – Teemu Selanne

















Drafted 10th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1989, Selanne was a 21-year-old right winger that would score two points in six games for the surprising third-place Finnish squad. Selanne would spend an additional season in Finland, scoring 62 points in 44 games for Jokerit, before making his NHL debut in 1992-93.


It may have taken three seasons after being drafted for the Finnish Flash to make his NHL debut, but he made up for lost time in a quick way. He would capture the Calder Trophy, setting the NHL record for most goals by a rookie (76) which still stands to this day and will likely never be passed. He will forever be remembered as the face of the Anaheim Ducks: as their first true superstar from 1995-2001, and then as a veteran member of their Stanley Cup winning squad from 2005-2014.


Since he did not play in North America until 1992, this card is Selanne’s official rookie card, which lends it extra value to collectors. In the interest of brevity, below is a bullet point list of his outstanding accomplishments, both in internationally and in the NHL:


International hockey

  • Six Olympic appearances ('92, '98, '02, '06, '10 and '14);

  • Four Olympic medals (1 silver, 3 bronze);

  • Best forward at 2006 Olympics, Olympic All-Star in 2006 and 2014, MVP in 2014;

  • Two World Cups appearance, winning silver in 2004;

  • IIHF Hall of Fame inductee in 2017.

NHL

  • 21 seasons with Winnipeg, Anaheim, San Jose, Colorado and back in Anaheim;

  • 2007 Stanley Cup champion;

  • First team All-Star in 1992-93, 1996-97;

  • Second team All-Star in 1997-98, 1998-99;

  • Played in 10 All-Star games;

  • Rocket Richard winner in 1998-99;

  • Bill Masterton trophy winner in 2005-06;

  • 1451 games played (28th all-time), 684 goals (12th all-time) and 1457 points (16th all-time);

  • Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 2017.

Card # 22 – Janne Laukkanen















Drafted in the eighth round by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 draft, the 21-year-old defenceman would score three points in six games for Finland. Laukkanen would return to Finland for three seasons before making his NHL debut in 1994-95 with the Nords. He would be traded the following season from Colorado to Ottawa, where he would have a steady home for the next five seasons, recording career highs of 21 points in 1996-97 and 1997-98.


Laukkanen would be traded to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline in 2000, along with Ron Tugnutt, for Tom Barrasso as part of the underachieving Ottawa Senators' attempt to improve their playoff fortunes (they didn't). He would spend parts of three seasons with the Penguins before being traded to the New York Rangers in February 2003 alongside Alexei Kovalev as part of an eight-player deal. He would never play on Broadway as the Tampa Bay Lightning would claim him on waivers a month after the trade. Laukkanen would play four games for the Lightning, retiring at the end of the 2002-03 season.


Internationally, Laukkanen would appear in three Olympics and the 1996 World Cup for Finland, winning a pair of Olympic bronze medals (1994 and 1998). He is still active in Finnish hockey, as he is the sports manager for the Pelicans team in the Finnish Liiga, and has been so since 2016.


Card # 23 – Markus Ketterer
















Before elite Finnish goaltenders was the norm, Ketterer was the stopper who shocked the world by backstopping the underdog Finnish team to a 2-2 tie with Canada during the preliminary round. He would complete the tournament with 3.00 goals against and .916 save percentage, both pretty stellar numbers for the competition he faced. Perhaps his performance should not have come as a surprise, as Ketterer had been part of three league championship teams (1988-1991), and won the best goaltender award in both the Finnish league and the World Championships in 1991.


Undrafted at the time of the Canada Cup, the 24-year-old would be selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round of the 1992 draft. After playing for Finland in the 1992 Olympics, Ketterer would come to North America and play in 79 games for the Rochester Americans of the AHL between 1993-95.


Ketterer would never play in the NHL, but would win 4 Finnish league titles , a World Hockey Championship silver medal (1992) and be elected as a member of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006. Since 2011 he has worked for the Finnish club team Jokerit, and is currently their goaltending coach and team manager.


Card # 24 – Jari Kurri
















Unlike most of the players featured in the Canada Cup European team cards, Kurri was a well-known name in North America, having already played ten years with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers. The first true Finnish superstar in North America, Kurri went back to Europe for the 1990-91 season to play in Italy while embroiled ijn a contract dispute with the Oilers.


The 1991 Canada Cup was his third appearance at the tournament for Finland, having previously played in 1981 and 1987; he would score two goals in six games. Much like his peers, Kurri would be cursed by the inability of NHLers to represent at international tournaments, although he would appear in two Olympic games, albeit 18 years apart (1980 and 1998).


Kurri would capture an Olympic bronze in 1998, just as Finland began to exert itself as a power on the international stage. He would be inducted in the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2000. Beginning in 2001 Kurri would take on various management roles with Team Finland between 2001-2014, spending 10 years as the general manager of the men's international squad. Since 2014 he has been the general manager, and since 2019-20, the owner of Jokerit, Finland's team in the KHL.


Card # 25 – Janne Ojanen
















Drafted five years prior to the 1991 Canada Cup, in the third round by the New Jersey Devils, the 23 year-old-centre would record four points in six games for Finland at the 1991 tournament, having previously appeared at the 1987 Canada Cup.


1991 represented a return to the North America for Ojanen, who had played 67 games for the Devils between 1988-1990 before heading back to Finland. He would return to the Devils for the 1991-92 playoffs, and an additional 31 regular season games in 1992-93 before returning home for good.


Ojanen would enjoy success at home, as he would become (and as of writing still is) the SM-liiga’s all-time leading scorer with 799 points. He would also represent Finland at the 1988 and 1994 Olympics as well as the 1996 World Cup,winning Olympic silver and bronze to go with three medals (one gold, two silver) from the World Championships.


Since 2015 Ojanen has been an assistant coach with Pyry, a team in Finland's third division men's hockey league.


The second-to-last country in the Canada Cup subset, and Finland's bitter national rival, Sweden, is up next!

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