It’s a long way from Kalajoki, Finland, to the NHL, but Jussi Jokinen has made the trek worth while.
The Edmonton Oilers winger will play his 900th career game Saturday night when the Oilers host the Washington Capitals.
“It means a lot, 900 games, for a guy who is too slow, can’t skate,” Jokinen said Saturday morning. “At least somebody always played me. It’s not easy to play 900 games in this league, especially since I wasn’t a first round draft pick. I was a sixth round draft pick coming from a small town in Finland.”
“His biggest asset in my opinion is his brain,” Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said. “He sees the game and studies it very well.”
Jokinen, 34, was picked 192nd overall by Dallas in 2001. He debuted for the Stars at the beginning of the 05/06 season.
“I remember we were down 4-0 after the first,” Jokinen recalled, though the Stars did rally to beat L.A. 5-4.
He scored his first career goal in his third game against Phoenix, who at that time were coached by Wayne Gretzky.
“That’s a fun memory to have, scoring my first goal against the best player to ever play the game,” Jokinen said.
The Oilers are expected to go with the same lineup that beat Dallas 5-4 on Thursday. Catch the Oilers and Capitals on 630 CHED at 8pm following the Eskimos/Stampeders game.
Comments