Ville Nieminen
| Ville Nieminen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
6 April 1977 Tampere, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Tappara Colorado Avalanche Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks Calgary Flames New York Rangers San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues HC Sibir Novosibirsk Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Dinamo Riga Lukko |
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| National team |
 Finland
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| NHL Draft | 78th overall, 1997 Colorado Avalanche |
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| Playing career | 1999–2015 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland
|
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Men's Winter Olympics | ||
 |
2006 Turin | |
| World Cup | ||
|
2004 Toronto | |
Ville Juhani Nieminen (born April 6, 1977) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward who played over 400 games in the National Hockey League. He won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2000–01 season.
Nieminen started his professional hockey career with Tappara in the Finnish SM-liiga, in the 1994–95 season. He was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche as their third-round pick, #78 overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Nieminen spent three seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, and moved to the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001.
Known for his non-stop motor mouth and aggressive in-your-face style of play, Nieminen is an annoying opponent in the rink, whose style is heavily reminiscent of Esa Tikkanen. Nieminen has a relaxed personality outside the rink and his odd sense of humour is his trademark.
Nieminen has played for several teams in the NHL, and spent the 2004–05 lockout season playing for his home team, Tappara. He signed with the New York Rangers for the 2005–06 NHL season, and was traded to San Jose on March 8, 2006.
He represented Finland in international play at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and when he was unable to compete at the 2005 IIHF World Championships, he provided commentary on Finnish television with fellow NHL player Tuomo Ruutu. Ville is a popular colour commentator due to his sense of humour and knowledge of the game.
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