Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen (born the January 25th 1965 with Helsinki in Finland) is a former professional player of Hockey which played in has National league of hockey for the Oilers d' Edmonton, the Rangers of New York, the Blues of Saint-Louis, the Devils of the New Jersey, the Canucks of Vancouver, the Panthers of Florida and the Capitals of Washington, gaining five times the Coupe Stanley.

Beginnings

Esa Tikkanen started its career of hockeyor in his childhood with the club of the Jokerit Helsinki, as a player and a mascot of the club. After having spent one year with the Canada with the Blues of Regina of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Pats of Regina of the Western Hockey League in 1981-82, it returned to Finland, but realized that there was no more place for him within Jokerit. It signed then with the HJK, then a little later with the large rival of Jokerit, HIFK Helsinki. Tikkanen was fished out by Oilers with the fourth turn, 80e on the whole of the Repêchage of entry in the LNH 1983. In 1984-85, it disputed 36 matches with the HIFK before joining Oilers for the series of 1985. He briefly played in the American Ligue of hockey for the Oilers of Nova Scotia into 1985-86 before becoming a regular member of the team first of Oilers.

Career of the LNH

Tikkanen quickly became a key component at Oilers, playing within the first trio with its compatriot Jari Kurri and Wayne Gretzky. The role of Gretzky and Kurri was to count goals; Tikkanen, it, acquitait defensive work of the trio. He excelled in art to disturb and mix the adversary with what became famous as being the “ Tiki-Talk ”. Between 1986 and 1990, Tikkanen marked 30 goals or more three times and gained as much time the Cut Stanley (1987, 1988 and 1990).

The era post-Oilers

In March 1993, Tikkanen is exchanged with the Rangers of New York against Doug Weight. It gained with the latter the Stanley Cut in 1994; this same summer, it was yielded with Doug Lidster to the Blues of Saint-Louis in return of Petr Nedved.

A lockout delaying the beginning of the season 1994-95, Tikkanen turned over to Finland to play with the HIFK, before joining the Blues of Saint-Louis when the work-related conflict of the LNH ended. The following season, at the end of 11 matches, it was exchanged with the Devils of the New Jersey; it took only three weeks before it packs its bags again, being this time tranféré for the Canucks of Vancouver.

In 1996-97, Tikkanen is found once again exchanged, this time turning over to Rangers. It contributed a modest offensive share at the end of the regular season, but it exploded literally in series, marking 9 goals in 15 matches, one of less than Gretzky, which led the team to this chapter. New York eliminated the Panthers from Florida then Devils before being victim of the Flyers of Philadelphia finally of the Conference of the East.

At 32 years, Tikkanen became free agent at the summer 1997; it chooses to sign with Panthers. To make change, this stay was of short duration; in March 1998, it had taken share only with 28 matches and was yielded to the Capitals of Washington in return of Dwayne Hay. It took part in each of the 21 matches post-season of the Capes, helping them to reach the final of the Stanley Cut. The Capes were swept into four matches by the Red Wings de Détroit. It was the last complete season of Tikkanen in the LNH. It met for one 3rd time at Rangers at the summer like free agent, but a wound in the course of season put it at the variation play; it chooses not to return to the play.

After LNH

Tikkanen joint in Jokerit in 1999 after having tried its chance with the camp of drive of Oilers. The club finished second of the Sm-liiga. The following season, it signs with the Moskitos Essen of LED before finally taking its retirement in 2001.

Esa Tikkanen remade surface in 2004, having accepé the post of player-trainer with the Anyang Halla, club southern Korean of the Asia League. He predicts that him and his/her companions of line Vesa Ponto and Marko Poulsen would finish 1-2-3rd markers, but force was to him to recognize that he was wrong, finishing fourth ex-aequo of his team with 8 goals and 17 master keys in 30 matches. It finishes 29e league and to the 30 better league in the chapter of the points did not even manage to belong. Hauled finished fifth of the league and missed the series.

At the end of this season, Tikkanen took the reins of the Frisk Tigers of the Championnat of Norway of hockey. It was there trainer-chief only for one season.

Achievements and notable facts

Tikkanen on the whole gained five times the Stanley Cut, four with Oilers and one with Rangers. He was a specialist in the series, and the teams which became purchasers from there aspired very to successes post-season. “Tik” counted 72 goals in 186 matches of series, against 244 in 877 matches of regular season. Its aptitude to mark important goals and its style of aggressif play were its trademark, but over all, its ability to decentralize the adversary with what was called the Tiki-Talk or tikkanais , a coloured mixture of Finnish and English. Its number 5 was withdrawn by Jokerit in September 2001.

Tikkanen was bronze medal with the Winter Olympics of 1998. He is member of the Temple of re-elected Finnish hockey.

Tikkanais

“Finlanglais” of Tikkanen was considered and if its adversaries were some disconcerted because they did not include/understand it, its own fellow-members often did not include/understand it more. Wayne Gretzky once says “ It brings something of special. I do not know what it is, but if you ask him, you will not include/understand its answer ”. The current trainer-chief of Oilers and former fellow-member of Tikkanen Craig MacTavish known as on this subject: “ Esa speaks twice as much as everyone. It is because one includes/understands only half of what he tells ”.

Even its compatriot Jari Kurri was not immunized against the mixing language of Tikkanen. During its stay with Edmonton, Tikkanen let escape once a comment particularly coloured, after which one of their fellow-member turned to Kurri to require of him what it had just been known as. This last was satisfied to shake the head and to answer that it did not have any idea of it.

See too

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