Jere Karalahti
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Jere Karalahti (born March 25, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings as their sixth-round pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.
Karalahti has played his entire Finnish hockey career in HIFK. He transferred to North America in 1999 after difficulties with his visa, playing the rest of the season for the LA Kings. After a good first season, his time on ice was reduced and he eventually requested a trade to the Nashville Predators, which he got in 2001. In the summer of 2002 Karalahti was suspended for six months by the NHL for a drug violation, and he returned to Finland. (See below)
Upon returning to the SM-liiga, Karalahti has resumed his role as one of HIFK's premier defensemen. Head coach Doug Shedden made Karalahti team captain for the 2005-06 season, but he lost most of the season due to injuries. At the close of the season, Karalahti stirred up controversy by refusing to play in the bronze medal game for the second time in his HIFK career, citing disinterest. He was subsequently stripped of his captaincy.
Karalahti has represented Finland in international play on a number of occasions.
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[edit] Substance abuse
In a January 21, 2002 interview for Sports Illustrated Karalahti detailed his history of drug use, which included an arrest in 1996 for possession of various quantities of marijuana, amphetamines and heroin that resulted in a brief suspension by the SM-liiga. He told the magazine that he had been drug-free for five years. Nevertheless, on August 16 of that year, the NHL suspended him for six months by the for his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Following the suspension, Karalahti returned to Finland.
His NHL suspension resulted in him being unable to compete in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993-94 | HIFK | SM-l | 46 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 36 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1994-95 | HIFK | SM-l | 37 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1995-96 | HIFK | SM-l | 36 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 102 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1996-97 | HIFK | SM-l | 18 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | HIFK | SM-l | 43 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 59 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1998-99 | HIFK | SM-l | 49 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 65 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1999-00 | HIFK | SM-l | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 55 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Long Beach Ice Dogs | IHL | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 48 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2000-01 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 56 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 2001-02 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | HIFK | SM-l | 45 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 148 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2004-05 | HIFK | SM-l | 42 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 93 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2005-06 | HIFK | SM-l | 20 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 43 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| NHL Totals | 149 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 97 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 | ||||
[edit] International play
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Finland | WC | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| 2000 | Finland | WC | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 2002 | Finland | WC | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 2004 | Finland | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2005 | Finland | WC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
[edit] External links
- Jatkoaika.com player profile (in Finnish)
- Career Stats
- Jere Karalahti at nhlfinns.com
