Jari Kurri

At 63 years old, Jari Kurri has this physical status:

Jari Pekka Kurri (Finnish pronunciation: [jri...pek]; born May 18, 1960) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. In 2001, he became the first Finnish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Kurri was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in 2017 in the United States. He is Jokerit's general manager and owner.

Personal life

Kurri is married to former Miss Finland, Vanessa Kurri Forsman; they wed in 2004 and have three children: Odessa (born 2002), Alissa (born 2005), and Isla (2012), as well as one son, Paulus (born 2007). Kurri also has twin boys (Joonas and Ville) from his first marriage to Tiina Kurri. Kurri's children were the godfather of Kurri's children from his first marriage, according to former linemate Wayne Gretzky.

Kurri Lepistö's godfather is Sami Lepistö.

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Playing career

In the Finnish SM-liiga, he began his pro career with Jokerit. Kurri scored 30 and 39 points in the next two years, despite an eleven-point rookie season for Jokerit in 1977–78.

Kurri accompanied the Finnish national team to play in Edmonton, Alberta, on March 20, 1979, in a game of ostensibly little importance at the time. The Finns had been invited by the World Hockey Association to play the Edmonton Oilers, but the WHA had the game in its standings, rather than an exhibition game for the Finnish team. Kurri impressed the Oilers' leadership even though Finland lost the game 8-4. He's going to have a major influence on his later career if he performed in Edmonton that night.

Kurri was drafted in 1980 for the 1980 NHL Entry Draft following his third professional season. However, he was also expected to continue to be involved with military service in NHL circles, and thus was generally ignored by most NHL teams. Kurri's career was closely followed by the Oilers, who had joined the NHL following the 1978-1979 season. They discreetly contacted the Finnish government and learned that Kurri had already fulfilled their military service obligations. The Oilers waited until the fourth round before selecting Kurri with the 69th overall pick. Kurri is still one of the NHL draft's most popular "steals" in history.

Kurri arrived with Wayne Gretzky soon after joining the Oilers, and he was paired quickly. Kurri and Gretzky were one of the most dynamic scoring pairings to ever play in the NHL. Gretzky assisted on 364 of Kurri's 601 career aspirations, despite not necessarily playing on the same team, while Kurri's Kurri had a hand in 196 Gretzky's goals.

He was dubbed the "Finnish Flash" during his Edmonton career (a term that has since been bestowed on Teemu Selänne). Kurri was "by far our most complete player," according to Oilers' director of operations Barry Fraser. Despite the fact that Kurri never won the Selke Trophy, he was still regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Edmonton hosted future hall of famers Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson, and Mark Messier, along with Kurri, Esa Tikkanen and Gretzky. During Gretzky's tenure, the team won four Stanley Cups. Gretzky and team enforcer Marty McSorley were traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988, along with team enforcer Marty McSorley. Kurri scored 195 points in 154 games following Gretzky's trade, helping the Oilers win their fifth and last Stanley Cup in 1990.

Kurri won five Stanley Cups, all with Edmonton (1984, 1985, 1988, and 1990). In 1984-85, he had 135 points and scored 50 goals in his first 50 games; however, the Oilers' 53rd game meant no points in 50 games, so it does not count as a legitimate 50 goals in 50 games. With 68 goals, he led the league in goals a year later. Kurri scored 71 goals in 1984–90, a record set by a right winger, which was broken by Brett Hull when he scored 72 goals in 1989–91 (Hull's 86 goals is the new record). Kurri also scored the Stanley Cup winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987.

Kurri's 19 goals in 1985 (18 games played) tied for the first NHL record set by the Flyers' Reggie Leach in the 1976 playoffs (16 games played). Four hat tricks were used in a playoff season, a new record in a playoff season. Kurri scored three of the hat tricks against the Blackhawks in the conference finals, which was also a feat that no player had ever reached. On November 19, 1983, he scored five goals in a single game. The feat was not repeated by a Finnish player until Patrik Laine's game on November 24, 2018. Kurri scored in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston, May 18, 1990, setting a record for scoring in a single Finals game in the modern era. In Game 1, Kurri had also set up Petr Klma's goal in triple overtime.

Kurri's contract with the Oilers came to an end in 1990, but the Oilers retained his NHL rights. Kurri played for the Devils Milano of Italy instead of signing a new one. Kurri had 27 goals and 48 assists in 30 games while playing in the Italian league during his time as a player.

Kurri's rights were resigned to the Philadelphia Flyers and then the Los Angeles Kings on the same day after a season in Italy. Kurri was reunited with Wayne Gretzky for the first time since the 1988 trade. In 1993, the Los Angeles Kings led the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they met against the Montreal Canadiens. During the run, Kurri managed to put together 17 points in 24 games, but the Kings eventually fell short and lost the series in five games. Jari continued to play in 176 games after a few seasons as a Los Angeles King, scoring 146 points in 176 games; his loss in scoring was mainly due to his move to a more defensive-minded forward in a limited capacity. (Though they were back on the same team, Gretzky and him were not yet playing on the same team at this point)

Kurri's best season for the Kings came in 1992–93, when Kurri scored 27 goals and 60 assists in 82 games.

Jari Kurri played for Jokerit, the team for which he played before his NHL debut, during the 1994-95 NHL lockout. Kurri was teaming up with Teemu Selänne, the 1993 winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy who had established himself as one of Finland's best players during early success in the NHL. On his way to SM-liiga, Kurri had one memorable moment when Jokerit met their local rivals, HIFK. Kurri played against Esa Tikkanen, a former Oilers-linemate, and Christian Ruuttu, a Finnish NHL player. In 1994 European Cup Finals, Kurri, Selänne, and Jokerit captain Waltteri Immonen led Jokerit to 4–2 victory over Russian HC Lada Togliatti.

Kurri was recalled to Los Angeles after the lockout, but he was traded to the New York Rangers in 1996 for their playoff run.

Kurri spent the remainder of the 1995-96 NHL season with the Rangers, scoring one goal and four assists in 14 games. Kurri may not have put up the points the Rangers wanted him to at the end of the regular season, but he showed some of his value by scoring 8 points in 11 playoff games with the Rangers.

Kurri has joined the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim following his brief association with the Rangers. Kurri had intended to compete alongside Teemu Selänne and Paul Kariya, but was ultimately limited to a smaller presence on the second and third lines, despite a renewed sense of excitement from intense summer training. In the first round, the Mighty Ducks made it to the playoffs and defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, but the Detroit Red Wings defeated them in the second round.

Kurri was signed by the Colorado Avalanche, the 1996 Stanley Cup champions, after his single season with the Mighty Ducks. Kurri played a more defensive role with the Avalanche. Kurri's highlight of the season was his 600th NHL goal, which he scored during a regular season match between the Avalanche and the Kings. Despite having a strong roster featuring players like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Patrick Roy, the Avalanche were dismissed quickly by the Oilers in the playoffs.

Career statistics

^ Led league

In bold are NHL records (tied with Reggie Leach) (tied for most of the NHL).

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