Raimo Helminen
| Raimo Helminen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
11 March 1964 Tampere, FIN |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
SM-liiga Ilves NHL New York Rangers Minnesota North Stars New York Islanders Elitserien Malmö IF Redhawks |
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| National team |
 Finland
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| NHL Draft | 35th overall, 1984 New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1982–2008 | ||
| Website | http://www.raipe.fi | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1988 Calgary | |
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1994 Lillehammer | |
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1998 Nagano | |
| World Championships | ||
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1992 Czechoslovakia | |
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1994 Italy | |
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1995 Sweden | |
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1998 Switzerland | |
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1999 Norway | |
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2000 Russia | |
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2001 Germany | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
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1984 Sweden | |
Raimo Ilmari Helminen (born 11 March 1964 in Tampere, Finland) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans. He is the world record holder for most international games played by a hockey player, as well as for tied for being the hockey player in the most Olympic Games, and his 26 seasons as a professional is one of the longest careers in professional hockey history. He is currently an assistant coach at the Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
He has a wife, Leena, and two children, Anssi and Nelli.
Helminen has himself said that he developed most of his skills when he was young and spent all his free time playing in outdoor ice rinks. Before he focused on ice hockey he had also played football.
Helminen started his career in his native town, playing for one of oldest teams in the country, Ilves. After two gold medals in junior leagues, Helminen got to play for Ilves in the SM-liiga, Finland's top ice hockey league, in 1982. His first international success came in 1984 when Finland won silver in the U20 World Championship tournament in Sweden. Helminen broke the record for most points scored in an under-20 tournament and was selected for the All-Star team. This attracted the attention of people scouting new talent for the professional teams in the National Hockey League in North America. That spring Helminen also took part in his first Olympic Games in Sarajevo.
The following season he was one of the best players for Ilves, being the second highest scorer for his team and third overall in the league. As the centre of the first line, he led Ilves to a league championship victory for the first time in the league's history.
The New York Rangers drafted him in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft as their second pick (2nd round, number 35), and Helminen headed for the NHL in the fall of 1985. He finished his rookie season with an outstanding 40 points in 66 games. The next fall, however, the new team management sold most of their young players and Helminen ended up with the Minnesota North Stars.
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