An Ice Hockey Wiki article.

Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
Height Weight	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Vancouver Canucks Ottawa Senators TPS
Nationality	FIN
Born	September 2 1974 (1974-09-02) (age 35), Turku, FIN
NHL Draft	239th overall, 1996 Ottawa Senators
Pro Career	1994 – present

Sami Salo (born September 2, 1974, in Turku, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Salo was drafted by the Ottawa Senators with the last selection in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, 239th overall in the ninth round. He had previously started his professional career with TPS in the Finnish SM-liiga and remained in Finland for two more seasons upon being drafted, including one season with Jokerit, before leaving for North America and the Ottawa Senators.

In Salo's rookie campaign with the Senators, he tallied 7 goals and 19 points and was named to the 1998–99 NHL All-Rookie Team. He scored his first NHL goal, the game-winner, in a 3-1 win against the Boston Bruins. The goal occurred in his 27th game against Byron Dafoe. As a Senator, Salo showed he could successfully produce offensively, but was often injured in his four seasons with the team. Consequently, he was not able to match the offensive output of his rookie season during his time with Ottawa. In his second season, he was sidelined for 45 games. Injuries in 2000–01 that included the flu, shoulder, foot and knee injuries culminated in March 2001, when he was cross-checked in the face by Rick Tocchet of the Philadelphia Flyers, suffering broken teeth and a mild concussion. Before the next season could begin, Salo injured his groin in an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in September.

Salo with the Canucks in 2005.

After an 18-point campaign in 2001–02, Salo underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season. Becoming a free agent, he accepted an $880,000 qualifying offer from the Senators, but was then traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Peter Schaefer in September. The deal came in light of the development of both Anton Volchenkov and Karel Rachunek on the Senators' blueline, deeming Salo expendable. The Canucks had acquired Salo partly in hopes of bolstering their powerplay with Salo's powerful slapshot, arguably the strongest aspect of his offensive game. Goalie Curtis Joseph once nicknamed Salo the "Finnish MacInnis", comparing his shot to retired NHL defenceman Al MacInnis's. Salo has routinely topped the team in the Canucks Superskills' hardest shot category; in 2006, he recorded a 100.0 mph slapper.

Since the trade, Salo has established himself as a top-four offensive defenceman. In his first season with the Canucks in 2002–03, he recorded a career-high 79 games with 9 goals and 30 points, instantly impoving on his Ottawa numbers. The Canucks re-signed him in the off-season to a two-year, $3.2 million contract. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Salo played for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elitserien. With NHL play set to resume the following season, Salo inked another two-year contract with the Canucks, but relapsed into the injury troubles that plagued him as a Senator. Playing for Finland in the 2006 Winter Olympics, he injured his shoulder running into a teammate during a line change.

Salo with the Vancouver Canucks in 2008.

In 2006–07, Salo sprained his knee in a game against the Minnesota Wild on November 2, 2006. Soon after returning, he sustained nerve damage in his shoulder from a hit against the Edmonton Oilers in December. Towards the end of the season, he then injured his knee again. Although he cumulatively missed 15 games, Salo still managed to have a career year, recording personal bests with 14 goals, 23 assists and 37 points. Late in the season, he was re-signed by the Canucks to a four-year, $14-million contract extension.

However, with an accumulation of injuries over the years, Salo spent the off-season recovering from chronic groin, back and shoulder problems. Salo was immediately sidelined once more before the start of the 2007–08 season, fracturing his wrist during an intra-squad game in training camp. Shortly after returning, he was hit by a clearing attempt from teammate Alexander Edler and broke his nose in a game against the Nashville Predators on November 2, 2007. This time kept from 19 games in total, Salo recorded 25 points in 2007–08, his lowest output since his 2001–02 season with the Senators.

The 2008–09 season began with more time off in November due to separate leg and shoulder injuries. After being hit into the boards by Edmonton Oilers captain Ethan Moreau on December 17, 2008, Salo suffered a broken rib and missed 15 games before returning on January 20, 2009. It was reportedly the 34th injury in 10 years during Salo's oft-injured career.

International play

Medal record
Competitor for  Finland
ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Silver	2006 Turin
World Championships
Silver	2001 Germany

Salo has appeared in two World Championships, two Winter Olympics and one World Cup for Finland, winning two silver medals

He made his international debut at the 2001 World Championships and recorded an international career-high 9 points in 9 games helping Finland to the gold medal game where they lost 3-2 to the Czech Republic, earning silver. In his next World Championships appearance in 2004, Finland failed to medal.

Selected to his first Winter Olympics in 2002, Salo appeared in four games but did not register a point as Finland was defeated by gold-medal winning Team Canada in the quarter-finals. He made his second Olympics appearance in 2006 and recorded 4 points. He was, however, kept out of the semi-final and final game as he suffered a shoulder injury in a collision with teammate Ville Peltonen at the team bench. Despite not appearing in the all-Scandinavian gold medal game loss against Sweden, Salo was still awarded a silver medal.

At the 2004 World Cup held in North America, Salo helped Finland to the final, but fell 3-2 against Team Canada.

Awards

• Named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1999.
• Won a silver medal with Finland in the 2001 World Championships and 2006 Winter Olympics.

Transactions

• June 22, 1996 - Drafted by Ottawa Senators in the 9th round, 239th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
• July 31, 2002 - Signed a one-year, $880,000 qualifying offer from the Ottawa Senators.
• September 21, 2002 - Traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Peter Schaefer.
• July 17, 2003 - Re-signed to a two-year, $3.2 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
• August 14, 2005 - Re-signed to a two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
• March 29, 2007 - Signed to a four-year, $14-million contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

External links

• Sami Salo's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Sami Salo at Hockey News