Tony Salmelainen | |||
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Born |
Espoo, Finland |
August 8, 1981 ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
Position | Winger | ||
Shot | Right | ||
Liiga team Former teams |
HIFK Ilves Edmonton Oilers Chicago Blackhawks Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Genève-Servette HC |
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NHL Draft | 41st overall, 1999 Edmonton Oilers |
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Playing career | 2000–2013 |
Tony Salmelainen (born August 8, 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He last played for HIFK of the Finnish Liiga in 2013. He was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers as their second-round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. His father Tommi Salmelainen was the first European ever to be drafted by an NHL team.
Salmelainen started his ice hockey career as a junior player in the Blues organisation, and moved to HIFK for his SM-liiga debut in the 1999-2000 season. In an eventful debut, Salmelainen scored his first goal in his very first shift, and was injured later in the game. He played 19 games for HIFK next season, and transferred to Ilves to get more ice time.
After two seasons with Ilves, Salmelainen moved to North America, where he spent three years with the Edmonton Oilers organization, playing in 13 NHL games in the 2003–04 NHL season.
When the NHL resumed play in 2005, Salmelainen returned to HIFK. He played an excellent season, including setting a personal record by scoring a five-goal, six-point night against the Pelicans in a home game on October 10, and culminating in being chosen best player of the regular season after leading the league in points and goals.
Salmelainen also made headlines during the 2005–06 season when he was sent off during a game against HPK, and threw a trashcan down the corridor to the dressing rooms in anger. After narrowly missing goaltender Jan Lundell, the trashcan accidentally hit his team's bus driver, who was injured in the face. Salmelainen was interrogated by the police and received a two-game suspension.