Kari Takko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Position	Goaltender
Catches	Right
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg/13 st 10 lb)
Pro clubs	NHL Minnesota North Stars Edmonton Oilers SM-liiga Ässät Elitserien HV71
Nationality	Finland
Born	June 23, 1962 (1962-06-23) (age 45), Uusikaupunki, FIN
NHL Draft	97th overall, 1984 Minnesota North Stars
Pro career	1978 – 2000

Kari Takko (born June 23, 1962, in Uusikaupunki, Finland) is a retired Finnish ice hockey goaltender.

[edit] Playing career

He played six seasons in the NHL, serving as a backup to Don Beaupre, Jon Casey and Bill Ranford. He was selected in the tenth round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, 200th overall, by the Quebec Nordiques, but was unable to come to contract terms. He re-entered the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and was this time drafted by the Minnesota North Stars.

Takko started his SM-liiga career in Ässät during the 1978–79 season and played on for seven seasons (1978–1985). Takko went to NHL after the 1984–85 season. He was contracted by Minnesota North Stars and played with them for a total of six seasons (1985–1991). During the 1990–91 season Takko was traded to Edmonton Oilers and played for the rest of the season (and his NHL career) in Edmonton. After retiring from NHL play, he played nine more seasons in Europe representing: Ässät (1991–1996), in SM-liiga, and HV71 (1997–2000), in Elitserien. Takko retired from playing after the 1999–2000 season.

Takko also played internationally for Finland, appearing for their national team for a total of 104 times.

[edit] Awards

• Silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 1981.
• Bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 1982.
• Named Best Goalie of SM-liiga in 1985 and 1994.

[edit] External links

• HockeyGoalies entry
• Kari Takko on nhlfinns.com