Antti Niemi (ice hockey)

Antti Niemi
Niemi in 2011 during his tenure with San Jose
Born	(1983-08-29) 29 August 1983 (age 33) Vantaa, Finland
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team Former teams	Dallas Stars Lahti Pelicans Chicago Blackhawks San Jose Sharks
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2005–present

Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Finland
Winter Olympics
	2014 Sochi

Antti Niemi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑntːi ˈniemi]; born 29 August 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). During the 2009–10 season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, he became the first Finnish goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. Niemi signed a contract to play for Pelicans in the SM-liiga in Finland during the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

Niemi left the Blackhawks and played with the San Jose Sharks from 2011 to 2014. The Sharks traded his negotiation rights to the Dallas Stars on 27 June 2015, who signed him to a three-year deal on 29 June.

Niemi played junior-level hockey for Kiekko-Vantaa from 1998 until 2005, where he also worked part-time as a Zamboni driver. He turned pro with the Pelicans of the Finnish SM-liiga in 2005, playing three seasons with the team. In November 2007, Niemi debuted for the Finnish national team. He then signed with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Assigned to Chicago's minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, Niemi spent the majority of the 2008–09 season in the American Hockey League (AHL), alternating starts with Corey Crawford. In February 2009, he was called up to the Blackhawks as an injury replacement. He made his NHL debut on 27 February, playing one period in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Niemi recorded his first NHL start and win several days later on 1 March, a 4–2 victory versus the Los Angeles Kings.