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Numminen

Wednesday, January 7, 2010Phoenix Coyotes President and Chief Operating Officer Douglas Moss announced today that the organization will induct former Winnipeg Jets and Coyotes defenseman Teppo Numminen (#27) into the club’s Ring of Honor on Saturday, Jan. 30 in a pre-game ceremony before the Coyotes game versus the New York Rangers at Jobing.com Arena. Numminen will join Dale Hawerchuk (#10), Bobby Hull (#9) and Thomas Steen (#25) as the only players to be inducted into the Coyotes’ Ring of Honor.Numminen was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the second round (29th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He went on to play 15 seasons (1988-2003) with the organization, including eight in Winnipeg and seven with the Coyotes, moving to Phoenix with the team in 1996. Numminen appeared in a franchise record 1,098 games with the Jets and Coyotes, recording 108 goals, 426 assists and 534 points. He ranks as the Jets/Coyotes’ all-time leader in goals, assists and points among defensemen, as well as 3rd overall in assists, 5th in points and 9th in game-winning goals (19). Numminen also represented the Coyotes in three NHL All-Star Games (1999, 2000, 2001).In addition to being a great player, Numminen was well-respected throughout the League and a leader both on and off the ice. He served as captain of the Coyotes during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns, making him the last Coyotes player to wear the “C” prior to Shane Doan “Teppo Numminen was a true professional and a player I looked up to my entire career,” said Doan. “He played the game with a quiet confidence and at an elite level consistently during his career while always displaying his incredible shot. This is a tremendous honor for him and I am proud to have been his teammate and his friend.”Following his tenure with the Jets and Coyotes, Numminen played one season with the Dallas Stars (2003-04) and four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres (2005-09). In 20 total NHL seasons, the native of Tampere, Finland registered 117 goals and 520 assists for 637 points in 1,372 games. His 1,372 games are the most ever by a European-trained NHL player. He also appeared in 82 career playoff games, recording 9-14-23, as his teams made the postseason in 12 of his 20 seasons. After qualifying for the playoffs in nine of his 15 seasons with the Jets/Coyotes, Numminen led Dallas to the 2004 Playoffs before helping guide Buffalo to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals (2006 and 2007). He was also a member of Buffalo’s Presidents Trophy-winning team in 2006-07.Numminen’s dedication to the game of hockey was evident during the 2007-08 season. After undergoing open-heart surgery in Sept. 2007, Numminen courageously returned to the Sabres to play in the final game of the season in April of 2008. He went on to play one more season with the Sabres before retiring from the NHL on Aug. 5, 2009.In addition to his success in the NHL, Numminen also enjoyed a standout international hockey career. He represented Finland in four Olympics (1988, 1998, 2002, 2006), one World Junior Championship (1988), five World Championships (1987, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997) and two World Cups of Hockey (1996, 2004). Numminen earned six total medals in international competition, earning silver medals in the 1988 and 2006 Olympics, 2004 World Cup of Hockey and 1994 World Championship, and bronze medals in the 1998 Olympics and 1988 World Junior Championship.