Jari Kurri
| Jari Kurri | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2001 | |||
Kurri in 2016
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| Born |
May 18, 1960 Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Jokerit Edmonton Oilers HC Milano Devils Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Colorado Avalanche |
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| National team |
 Finland
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| NHL Draft | 69th overall, 1980 Edmonton Oilers |
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| Playing career | 1977–1998 | ||
 Jari Kurri looks on as the Finnish national team plays at the 2002 Winter Olympics. |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
 |
1998 Nagano | |
| World Championships | ||
 |
1994 Italy | |
Jari Pekka Kurri (born May 18, 1960) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. On January 27, 2017, in a ceremony during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Kurri was part of the second group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He is currently the general manager of Jokerit.
He began his pro career with Jokerit in the Finnish SM-liiga. After an eleven-point rookie season for Jokerit in 1977–78, Kurri scored 30 and 39 points the next two years, playing all 33 games in each season. After his third season, Kurri was signed by the Edmonton Oilers.
When Kurri joined the Oilers he was soon paired with Wayne Gretzky. The duo of Kurri and Gretzky became one of the most prolific scoring tandems ever to play in the NHL. Despite not always playing on the same team, Gretzky assisted on 364 of Kurri's 601 career goals, while Kurri had an assist on 196 Gretzky goals.
During his tenure in Edmonton, he was nicknamed the "Finnish Flash" (a title since bestowed on Teemu Selänne). Kurri was "by far our most complete player," according to Oilers' director of personnel Barry Fraser. Although Kurri never won the Selke Trophy, he was regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. Alongside Kurri, Esa Tikkanen and Gretzky, Edmonton had future hall-of-famers Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson and Mark Messier. The team won four Stanley Cups during Gretzky's tenure. In 1988, however, the team would be dismantled when Gretzky was traded, along with team enforcer Marty McSorley, to the Los Angeles Kings. Following Gretzky's trade, Kurri recorded 195 points in 154 games, leading the Oilers to their fifth and, to date, final Stanley Cup in 1990.
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