Jyrki Lumme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Pro Clubs | Ilves Tampere (FNL) Toronto Maple Leafs Dallas Stars Phoenix Coyotes Vancouver Canucks Montreal Canadiens |
| Nationality |  Finland |
| Born | July 16, 1966, Tampere, Finland |
| NHL Draft | 3rd round, 57th overall, 1986 Montreal Canadiens |
| Pro Career | 1988 – 2006 |
Jyrki Olavi Lumme was born July 16, 1966 in Tampere, Finland. He was a defenceman in the National Hockey League from 1988 to 2003, drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 3rd round, 57th overall in 1986.
Lumme only played 75 games with the Canadiens over two seasons before his career took off with the Vancouver Canucks, following a trade during the 1989-90 season. He quickly established himself as the Canucks' top offensive defenceman, recording career highs for goals, assists and points during his first full season in Vancouver. He would score 44 points each of the next two seasons, to lead Vancouver's defence corps in scoring both years.
His career high of 55 points in 1993-94 would also have led the Canucks' defenders in scoring if not for the late-season acquisition of high-scoring defenceman Jeff Brown, a move which helped Vancouver make an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals that spring. Vancouver forced the New York Rangers to the seven-game maximum, and came within a goalpost and crossbar of forcing overtime or, potentially, winning the Cup in the 3-2 seventh-game loss.
Lumme continued his fine career in Vancouver, becoming a more complete defender, and falling only one point short of his career high during the 1995-96 season, scoring 54 points -- enough to lead the defence corps in scoring once more. That included a career high 17 goals, as well, a very impressive mark for an NHL defenceman during that period.
He continued to lead the Canucks' defence in scoring his final two years in Vancouver. Becoming an unrestricted free-agent in 1998, he regretfully left the Canucks during a time of team turmoil, when the fiery Mike Keenan was coach. Lumme played three seasons for the Phoenix Coyotes, then had a brief stint with the Dallas Stars before a trade brought him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He never saw the same success that he had while in Vancouver, however.
Though Lumme's smooth skating and deadly-accurate wrist shot made him best known as an offensive defenceman, during the peak of his career he was reliable in his own end, too, with likely the most effective backhand on the Canucks, allowing him to clear the zone with ease. Playing on the West Coast, many analysts felt that Lumme never received the kind of acclaim he might have in an NHL market with more media exposure. In this vein, Canuck broadcaster Tom Larscheid once called him "the best kept secret outside of British Columbia."
Lumme's efforts were recognized by Vancouver Canuck fans and media, who in four seasons named him the recipient of the Babe Pratt Trophy as the team's most outstanding defenceman (1991-92, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97).
After the 2002-03 NHL season Lumme did not play for two years, but in 2005 he moved back to Finland and played one more season for Ilves Tampere before retiring. In December 2006, after seeing his former team sinking to bottom of table, Lumme decided to make one final comeback. After joining Ilves, the team has now made a good effort for the playoffs, with Lumme not the least factor of success.
[edit] NHL Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988-89 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989-90 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 54 | 1 | 19 | 20 | 41 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989-90 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 11 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990-91 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1991-92 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 75 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 65 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 1992-93 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 74 | 8 | 36 | 44 | 55 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1993-94 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 83 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 50 | 24 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 1994-95 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 36 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1995-96 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 80 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 50 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1996-97 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 66 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997-98 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 74 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 34 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1998-99 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 60 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1999-00 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 74 | 8 | 32 | 40 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2000-01 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 58 | 4 | 21 | 25 | 44 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001-02 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001-02 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 51 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2002-03 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 985 | 114 | 354 | 468 | 630 | 105 | 9 | 35 | 44 | 52 | ||||
