| Oulun Kärpät | |
|---|---|
| City | Oulu |
| League | SM-liiga |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Home arena | Oulun Energia Areena (capacity 6,614) |
| Colors | |
| General manager | Juha Junno |
| Head coach | Hannu Aravirta |
| Captain | Ilkka Mikkola |
| Affiliate(s) | Kiekko-Laser (Mestis), Hokki (Mestis), Markus |
|
Website www.oulunkarpat.fi |
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Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat (Mustela erminea); "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships (1981, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008).
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In the spring of 1946, three young men decided to found a new sports club in Oulu. At the constitutional meeting on May 15, the club was named Oulun Kärpät 46. At first, Kärpät played football and its first winter sport was bandy.
In the first annual meeting in January 1947, an ice hockey section was established. At the beginning of the new decade, Kärpät was somewhat successful in ice hockey and it became the main sport of the club. The first game at the highest level was played on the December 4, 1960 against HJK but the visit to the highest level was short and Kärpät lost their position in the series. They made it to the highest level again in 1965–66, but lost their position again. The third try in 1967–68 did not produce a better performance, as Kärpät lost all their games.
From the first years on, junior work was important for Kärpät. E-juniors won the first Finnish Championship for Kärpät in the spring of 1971. When the SM-liiga was founded in August 1975, Kärpät started in the first division. Their goal was to rise to the league. It didn’t happen in the first season, but in 1976. In the next season Kärpät was 7th and then last, but they still remained at the league with ease. After Kärpät acquired some good players, they won the bronze medals in 1980.
In the following year, Kärpät was third in the regular series but in the finals they defeated Tappara. Next year, the weakened team had to settle for 5th place, and the following year they were almost relegated. With a new coach, the goal was to win a medal and finally Kärpät won the bronze. The next goal was to win the championship, but Kärpät only managed to get bronze for the following two years. Kärpät won the regular series in 1987 but they lost to Tappara in the finals. Hopes were high for the next season, but Kärpät fell from the league.
The goal was to rise again shortly but it did not work out. Due to financial constraints, Kärpät went into bankruptcy, but in the fall of 1995 they made it to the first division again. In the first year they came 8th and lost in the play offs. Next year they went against KalPa for a place in the league but lost. In the following year, they lost against KalPa again. For the 1998–99 season, Kärpät acquired coach Juhani Tamminen. After they played very well in the regular series they lost to TuTo in the play offs.
The next year, Kärpät finally qualified to the SM-liiga by beating Pelicans Lahti in the qualification series. The first season in the Elite league was full of ups and downs but Kärpät finished 4th, and 6th the following season. After that they finally made it to the finals but lost against Tappara just like in 1987. In the 2003–04 season, Kärpät played in the finals against TPS and finally won their second Finnish Championship. In 2004–05, Kärpät won the Finnish Championship again when they defeated Jokerit in the finals, winning the best-of-five series 3–1. They retained the championship title in the 2006–07 season by beating Jokerit in the finals (3 wins to none) and winning all their games in the playoffs. The first three championships of the 2000s have been celebrated in Oulu with feasts, each gathering tens of thousands of people to rejoice. In the 2007–2008 season, the organization won its second consecutive championship title, and the fourth within the last five years, by defeating Espoo Blues in the finals with four wins to one.
When Oulun Kärpät Oy was founded in 2000 it took the responsibility off the representative team and A-juniors. Oulun Kärpät 46 ry focuses on other junior work.
| Goalkeepers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Glove hand | Contract | Place of Birth | ||
| 1 | Ville Hostikka | L | 2013 | Lappeenranta, Finland | ||
| 33 | Tomi Karhunen | L | 2013 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| Defenders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Lower hand | Contract | Place of Birth | ||
| 5 | Atte Ohtamaa | L | 2012 | Nivala, Finland | ||
| 6 | Ilkka Mikkola | L | 2012 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 25 | Juho Jokinen | L | 2012 | Kalajoki, Finland | ||
| 26 | Mikko Lehtonen | L | 2012 | Kiiminki, Finland | ||
| 28 | Mikko Niemelä | R | 2013 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 50 | Nico Lehto | L | 2013 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 8 | Ville Mäntymaa | R | 2013 | Seinäjoki, Finland | ||
| 44 | Jan Snopek | R | 2012 | Prague, Czech Republic | ||
| 15 | Oscar Eklund | L | 2012 | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 2 | Ville Pokka | R | youth | Tornio, Finland | ||
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Lower hand | Contract | Place of Birth | ||
| 11 | Kimmo Koskenkorva | L | 2012 | Haukipudas, Finland | ||
| 12 | Pekka Saarenheimo | L | 2012 | Oulunsalo, Finland | ||
| 13 | Julius Junttila | L | 2013 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 18 | Mikko Alikoski | L | 2012 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 19 | Juho Keränen | R | 2014 | Keitele, Finland | ||
| 21 | Tomi Körkkö | L | youth | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 22 | Miikka Salomäki | L | 2013 | Raahe, Finland | ||
| 23 | Joonas Kemppainen | L | 2013 | Kajaani, Finland | ||
| 24 | Jari Viuhkola | L | 2012 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 72 | Joonas Donskoi | R | 2012 | Raahe, Finland | ||
| 30 | Joonas Komulainen | L | 2013 | Kuhmo, Finland | ||
| 49 | Veli-Matti Koponen | R | 2012 | Lahti, Finland | ||
| 71 | Ivan Huml | L | 2012 | Kladno, Czech Republic | ||
| 27 | Juha-Pekka Haataja | R | 2016 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 16 | Markus Korkiakoski | L | 2014 | Oulu, Finland | ||
| 37 | Simon Suoranta | L | youth | Vaasa, Finland | ||
| 52 | Miko Seppänen | R | youth | Oulu, Finland | ||
Reijo Ruotsalainen – Reijo Ruotsalainen helped Kärpät win its first domestic championship in 1980–81 before moving to New York Rangers in the NHL. Later he moved to Edmonton Oilers where he won two Stanley Cups. He also played for New Jersey Devils. In total he played 532 matches in the NHL totalling 391 points. Ruotsalainen has also been selected to the NHL All-Star game.
Janne Niinimaa – The offensive defenseman started his career in Kärpät in the Finnish First Division before joining Jokerit in 1993. Has played a total of 800 NHL matches in Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens scoring 343 points. Has been selected to NHL-All Rookie Team in 1996–97 and All-Star team in 2000-01 and has won an Olympic bronze medal and World Championship with Team Finland.
Tim Thomas – Boston Bruins The current number one goalie Tim Thomas played in the 2001-02 season with Kärpät. Although the team didn't get far in the playoffs, Thomas played a successful season of 32 games with a .925 save percentage. Thomas wins the Vezina Trophy in the 2010-2011 NHL season.
Niklas Bäckström – Bäckström started his goaltending career in HIFK but made his break-through while playing in Kärpät 2002–06. Currently Bäckström is the starting goaltender for the Minnesota Wild.
Jussi Jokinen – Jokinen began his career with Kärpät and moved to the NHL after totaling 47 points in 56 matches in the 2004–05 season. In the NHL he has played for Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
Joni Pitkänen – Pitkänen started his career with Kärpät and was drafted 1st round 4th overall in the 2002 NHL draft by Philadelphia Flyers. He is currently playing at Carolina Hurricanes and has also played a season at Edmonton Oilers for a total of 379 NHL games scoring 188 points.
Pekka Rinne – Rinne began his career as an understudy to Niklas Bäckström before moving to North America in 2005. He is now considered the first choice goaltender at Nashville Predators and also made his national team debut at the 2009 World Championships. He was also one of the 3 finalists for the Vezina Trophy in the 2010-2011 NHL season.
Matug - He was the best. He owned everybody.
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