Reijo Ruotsalainen
| Reijo Ruotsalainen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Ruotsalainen in 2016
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| Born |
April 1, 1960 Oulu, Finland |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
NHL New York Rangers Edmonton Oilers New Jersey Devils SM-liiga Kärpät Tappara KalPa Elitserien HV71 Nationalliga A SC Bern Zürich SC Lions |
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| National team |
 Finland
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| NHL Draft | 119th overall, 1980 New York Rangers |
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| Playing career | 1975–1998 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1988 Calgary | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
|
1980 Finland | |
| European Junior Championships | ||
 |
1976 Czechoslovakia | |
Reijo Ruotsalainen (born April 1, 1960) is a Finnish retired ice hockey defenceman. He was twice named Finland's top defenceman, and won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, in 1987 and 1990.
Reijo Ruotsalainen started his career in Kärpät. From his early days, "Reksa" was recognized as a talented defenseman while playing for Kärpät Junior teams.
Kärpät, along with Ruotsalainen, got promoted to SM-liiga from 1. Divisioona for the 1977–78 season, and Ruotsalainen played 30 games and posted 23 points in his first SM-liiga season.
During the 1979–80 season, Ruotsalainen and Kärpät played in the SM-liiga Playoffs, but were eliminated from the Finals by HIFK. Kärpät, however, won the bronze medal series, 2-0, against TPS, and Ruotsalainen along with Kärpät got to enjoy their first medals in SM-liiga history.
The 1980–81 season proved to be a breakthrough for Ruotsalainen. Kärpät broke their way through to finals against Tappara. Before the fifth and decisive game, the series was tied 2 games to 2. After the first period, Tappara was leading 2-0 but Kärpät made a spectacular comeback and won the game 5-2.
After his first Championship in SM-liiga, Ruotsalainen headed to NHL.
Ruotsalainen was signed by the New York Rangers of the NHL in 1981. During his debut season, Ruotsalainen scored 56 points in 78 games.
Ruotsalainen, initially paired on defense with Barry Beck, was eventually moved to forward. His Head Coach Herb Brooks said that Ruotsalainen was the best skater in NHL. Ruotsalainen's fluid skating helped him compensate for his lack of size (Ruotsalainen was 1,73m tall).
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Wikipedia