| Pekka Rautakallio | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 25, 1953 Pori, FIN |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shot | Left |
| Played for | NHL Atlanta Flames Calgary Flames WHA Phoenix Roadrunners SM-liiga Ässät HIFK |
| Playing career | 1970–1987 |
Pekka Rautakallio (born July 25, 1953 in Pori, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames and Calgary Flames.
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Pekka Rautakallio started his ice hockey career in local club of his hometown, Ässät in 1970. As a skilled and mobile defenceman, Rautakallio was soon noticed and he played on his first International tournament in 1972.
Rautakallio played twice on the World Championships before he was acquired by WHA team Phoenix Roadrunners.
Rautakallio played in the WHA for two seasons and scored on his first season a total of 50 points in 73 games during the regular season.
Rautakallio returned to Finland after the 1976–1977 WHA season.
Rautakallio's return to Finland lasted for two seasons.
During the two seasons, Rautakallio was selected twice as the best defenceman in SM-liiga and he started to establish a good reputation in Finland as a good defenceman.
Rautakallio moved to NHL in 1979 and quickly made his mark. As a skilled but tough defenceman, Rautakallio fitted well to the North American style of hockey.
In 1982, Rautakallio was selected to the NHL All-Star game as the first ever Finnish player but after the season Rautakallio decided to return to Finland.
After his NHL career, Pekka Rautakallio stayed as one of the top players of his time. Rautakallio returned to play for HIFK, instead of Ässät and served for a while as the captain of HIFK.
Rautakallio retired from playing in 1987.
After his playing career, Rautakallio started out as Coach.
Rautakallio has served twice as Head Coach, in both occasions he has been the Head Coach for SM-liiga team Blues. His first term came during the 1998–99 SM-liiga season, when he was replaced mid-season by Hannu Saintula. Rautakallios second term came when he was the replacement for Hannu Virta, who was sacked during the 2004–05 SM-liiga season. On the 21st of April 2011, it was announced that Rautakallio is the new head coach for the KHL team Dinamo Riga.
| Preceded by first winner |
Winner of the Pekka Rautakallio trophy 1977–78 and 1978–79 |
Succeeded by Reijo Ruotsalainen |
| Preceded by Tapio Levo |
Winner of the Pekka Rautakallio trophy 1985–86 |
Succeeded by Hannu Virta |
| Preceded by first winner |
Winner of the Matti Keinonen trophy 1977–78 |
Succeeded by Veli-Pekka Ketola |
| Preceded by Matti Hagman |
Captain of HIFK 1985–1987 |
Succeeded by Matti Hagman |
| Preceded by Hannu Saintula |
Head coach of Blues 1998 |
Succeeded by Hannu Saintula |
| Preceded by Hannu Virta |
Head coach of Blues 2004–2005 |
Succeeded by Kari Heikkilä |
| Preceded by Július Šupler |
Head coach of Dinamo Riga 2011–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |