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Antero Niittymäki

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Antero Niittymäki
Born (1980-06-18) June 18, 1980 (age 44)
Turku, FI
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team Philadelphia Flyers
NHL draft 168th overall, 1998
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1999–present



Antero Niittymäki (/an-te-ro ni:t-ty-mæ-ki/ in IPA) (born June 18, 1980 in Turku, Finland) is a professional ice hockey goaltender currently with the Philadelphia Flyers. He has played in the SM-liiga, AHL, and NHL. He was the first goalie to score an overtime goal in North American pro-hockey history, and was the MVP in the 2006 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament for team Finland.

Playing career

From 1995 to 2002, Niittymäki played for TPS in the SM-liiga (Finnish elite league). In 1999 he started playing in the non-junior SM-liiga. In 2000 he won the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy for Rookie of the Year, and led TPS to their second straight SM-liiga championship.

Niittymäki was the Philadelphia Flyers' 7th pick (168th overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. "I didn't even know I got drafted. I found out the next morning. I was really surprised," he said in an interview in November, 2003. Even if he would have opted to come immediately to the United States to play hockey, compulsory military service kept Niittymäki in Finland until January, 2001.

From 2002 to 2005, Niittymäki played for the Flyers in the NHL and the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate. He has a two-year contract with the Flyers as of August, 2004.

While in the AHL, Niittymäki made his name known. He was named the Sher-Wood AHL Player of the Week for the week ending on November 16 2003 after posting a 0.41 GAA and .984 SP. He played for PlanetUSA in the 2005 AHL All-Star Game. The Phantoms organization gave out Antero Niittymäki bobbleheads on February 27 2005 and Niittymäki figurines on March 3 2006.

Niittymäki scored a game-winning, empty net, overtime, shorthanded, unassisted goal on April 11 2004 versus the Hershey Bears. The game ended 3-2, with Niittymäki recording 32 saves as well, which finished the 12-0 Philadelphia season sweep of the Bears.

The Phantoms won the Calder Cup in 2005 after sweeping the Chicago Wolves. Niittymäki received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for being the MVP in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He had a 1.75 GAA and 15 wins, three of which were shutouts.

Niittymäki played 3 games for the Flyers in February, 2004. He was allowed to play after Robert Esche was injured and Jeff Hackett was forced to retire because of vertigo. He won all three games, posting a 1.00 GAA, against the Washington Capitals, Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils. His starting stint ended after the Flyers acquired Sean Burke from the Phoenix Coyotes. Upon Esche's recovery, Burke took over the backup job and Niittymäki was sent back down to the Phantoms.

Niittymäki started the 2005-06 season as the Flyers' backup goalie for Esche. On October 14 2005, Niittymäki let in a questionable goal immediately after a faceoff on the Pittsburgh Penguins' side of center. He was watching a JumboTron replay when Maxime Talbot softly shot at him and scored.

While Esche was on the injury list, Niittymäki got the opportunity to start with Jamie Storr being his backup goalie. Niittymäki started seventeen consecutive games while Esche was unable to play. He recorded his first NHL shutout and assist/point during this time. He was named the NHL Defensive Player of the week for the week ending on January 8 2006 after posting a 1.33 GAA and a .953 SP along with a shutout.

Niittymäki was named to the Finnish national men's ice hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics after Kari Lehtonen and Miikka Kiprusoff had to pull out due to injuries. Despite being a relative unknown with little top-level experience, he put in a stellar performance and was named the MVP of the tournament after posting 3 shutouts in 6 games, leading Finland to the silver medal.

Niittymäki played for Finland in the 2006 IIHF World Championships until the last game of the qualifying round against Canada, in which he got injured and was replaced by the team's reserve goalie Fredrik Norrena.

The 2006-07 NHL season has revolved around injuries for Niittymäki. He suffered a torn labrum injury to his left hip during training camp. Doctors decided to try giving him cortisone shots to postpone surgery, which would have sidelined him for 6-8 weeks. The first shot allowed him to get back on the ice for the start of the season, but by late December he needed another shot. Despite this, he managed to take over the starting goaltender position from Esche. However, Philadelphia acquired Martin Biron and he was given the starting position for the rest of the year. Niittymäki signed a new two-year contract after the season ended.

Awards

Records

  • First goaltender to record an overtime goal in North American pro-hockey (April 11 2004)
  • Philadelphia Flyers' franchise record for first shootout win (December 6 2005)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for first goal by a goaltender
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for lowest career GAA (2.19 GAA)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for lowest GAA during the postseason (1.75 GAA in 2005)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for most saves in a period during a playoff game (23 saves, 1st period, April 29 2005)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for most saves in the postseason (611 saves in 2005)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for most shutouts in a season (7 SO in 2003-04)
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for most shutouts in the postseason (3 SO in 2005) tied with Neil Little
  • Philadelphia Phantoms' franchise record for most wins by a goalie in a season (33 wins in 2004-05)

Career statistics

Regular season

   
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1999-00 TPS SM-l 32 23 6 3 1899 68 3 2.15 --
1999-00 TPS EHL 4 3 0 0 219 9 0 2.46 .903
2000-01 TPS SM-l 21 10 6 1 1113 46 2 2.48 .907
2001-02 TPS SM-l 27 16 8 1 1498 46 3 1.84 .937
2002-03 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 40 14 21 2 2283 98 0 2.58 .903
2003-04 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 49 24 13 6 2728 92 7 2.02 .924
2003-04 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 3 3 0 0 179 3 0 1.00 .961
2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 58 33 21 4 3452 119 6 2.07 .924
2005-06 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 46 23 15 6 2690 133 2 2.97 .895
2006-07 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 52 9 29 9 2942 166 0 3.38 .894
NHL Totals 101 35 44 15 5812 302 2 3.12 .896

Playoffs

   
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1999-00 TPS SM-l 8 6 2 0 453 13 0 1.72 .944
1999-00 TPS EHL 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 4.93 .902
2001-02 TPS SM-l 4 2 2 0 295 11 0 2.23 .926
2003-04 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 12 6 6 -- 796 24 0 1.81 .926
2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL 21 15 5 -- 1269 37 3 1.75 .943
2005-06 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 0 0 72 5 0 4.11 .828
NHL Totals 2 0 0 0 72 5 0 4.13 .828

International play

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Silver medal – second place 2006 Turin Ice hockey

Played for Finland in:

International statistics

Year Team Comp   GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1998 Finland EJC 1 -- -- -- 60 4 0 4.00 --
2000 Finland WJC 5 -- -- -- 245 10 0 2.45 --
2006 Finland Oly 6 5 1 0 359 8 3 1.35 95.12%
2006 Finland WC 4 2 1 1 212 6 2 1.70 92.68%
Senior Int'l Totals 10 7 2 1 571 14 5 1.53 93.90%

References

Preceded by Winner of the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy
1999-00 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy
2004-05 		Succeeded by

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