Antti Niemi (ice hockey)
| Antti Niemi | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 29, 1983 , Vantaa, FIN |
| Height Weight | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg; 14 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Catches | Left |
| NHL team F. teams | Chicago Blackhawks Pelicans (SM-liiga) |
| NHL Draft | Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2005–present |
Antti Niemi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑntːi ˈniemi]; born August 29, 1983) is a Finnishice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). professional
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Playing career
Niemi played junior-level hockey for Kiekko-Vantaa from 2000 until 2005, when he turned pro with the Pelicans of the Finnish SM-liiga. He played three seasons with the Pelicans before signing with the Chicago Blackhawks as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Assigned to Chicago's minor league affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, Niemi spent the majority of the 2008–09 season in the American Hockey League (AHL). In February 2009, he was called up to the Blackhawks as an injury replacement. He made his NHL debut on February 27, playing one period in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Niemi recorded his first NHL start and win several days later on March 1, a 4–2 victory versus the Los Angeles Kings.
The following season, Niemi made the Blackhawks lineup out of training camp. Niemi started the second game of a back-to-back season opener against the Florida Panthers in Helsinki[1]. He stopped all 23 shots he faced against the Panthers earning his first NHL shutout in his native Finland on October 3, 2009. Niemi was made the starting goaltender for the Blackhawks near the close of the 2009-2010 NHL regular season and the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, replacing Christobal Huet. During Game 2, Niemi recorded a shutout victory against the Nashville Predators at United Center, making him the first Blackhawks goaltender since Ed Belfour in 1996 to record a postseason shutout.[2]. On April 22, 2010, Niemi stopped 33 shots to record his second shutout of the postseason, making him the first Chicago goaltender since Tony Esposito in 1974 to record two shutouts in one playoff series. On May 16, 2010, Niemi made 44 saves in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Chicago ended up sweeping the series against Sharks in four games.
[edit] Stanley Cup Finals/2010
In only his second Stanley Cup finals game Niemi made 32 saves, earning the Player-of-the-Game honor from the National Hockey League.[3]
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Regular season
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OT L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
| 2005-06 | Pelicans Lahti-Finland | SM-liiga | 40 | 12 | 17 | 8 | — | — | 103 | 3 | 2.73 | 0.916 |
| 2006-07 | Pelicans Lahti-Finland | SM-liiga | 48 | 18 | 21 | 7 | — | — | 119 | 3 | 2.57 | 0.918 |
| 2007-08 | Pelicans Lahti-Finland | SM-liiga | 49 | 26 | 14 | 6 | — | — | 109 | 4 | 2.35 | 0.926 |
| 2008–09 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 141 | 8 | 0 | 3.40 | 0.864 |
| 2008–09 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 38 | 18 | 14 | 3 | — | 2095 | 85 | 2 | 2.43 | 0.910 |
| 2009-10 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 39 | 26 | 7 | — | 4 | 2190 | 82 | 7 | 2.25 | 0.912 |
| NHL Totals | 42 | 27 | 8 | — | 5 | 2332 | 94 | 7 | 2.32 | 0.910 | ||
| AHL Totals | 38 | 18 | 14 | 3 | — | 2094 | 85 | 2 | 2.43 | 0.910 | ||
| SM-liiga Totals | 137 | 56 | 52 | 21 | — | — | 331 | 10 | 2.55 | — | ||
[edit] References
- ^ "In front of home crowd, goalie Niemi gives Blackhawks shutout". Associated Press. 2008-10-03. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=291003026. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ "Antti Niemi posts Chicago Blackhawks' first playoff shutout since 1996". Chicago Tribune. 2010-04-18. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-04-18/sports/ct-spt-0419-blackhawks-bits--20100418_1_hawks-goalie-playoff-postseason-shutout. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
- ^ http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Ice_hockey:_Blackhawks_take_2-0_series_lead_in_the_2010_Stanley_Cup_Finals?dpl_id=188836
[edit] External links
- Antti Niemi (ice hockey)'s career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Antti Niemi (ice hockey)'s NHL player profile
- SM-Liiga 2005-06 statistics
 | This biographical article relating to Ice hockey in Finland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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