| Born: | June 18, 1980 | Draft: | 1998, Phildelphia Flyers, #168 Overall |
| Hometown: | Turku, FIN | Position: | G |
| Known For: | Tournament MVP at 2006 Winter Olympics | Shoots/Catches: | Left |
| National Team: | Finland |
Antero Pertti Elias Niittymäki (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑntero ˈniːtːymæki]; born June 18, 1980) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for TPS of the SM-liiga (Finnish elite league). He additionally played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, while playing for Team Finland, he was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the entire ice hockey tournament.
Partway through his four-year junior career with TPS in the junior SM-liiga, Niittymäki was selected by the Flyers 168th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He continued to play in Finland with TPS for his first year out of the junior leagues, and he won the Finnish elite league’s Rookie of the Year trophy. After two more seasons with TPS, Niittymäki moved to North America to join the Philadelphia Phantoms in the American Hockey League (AHL). When the Phantoms won the AHL Calder Cup championship, he was named the MVP of the playoffs. He then played four seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers before signing as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning. One year later, he signed as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks, but he did not play many games for them over the next two years due to hip injuries. He played his final season with his youth team TPS, and he announced his retirement in 2013.
Antero Niitymaki Statistics
Deeper Dive
- Philadelphia Flyers Winter Olympic History
- Goalie Controversy? What Goalie Controversy?
- 5 Forgotten Flyers Goalies
Achievements
- U16 SM-sarja Silver Medal 1995-1996
- U18 EJC Silver Medal 1997-1998
- U20 SM-liiga Champion 1997-1998
- U20 SM-liiga Bronze Medal 1998-1999
- SM-liiga Champion 1999-2000
- SM-liiga Rookie of the Year 1999-2000
- U20 SM-liiga Silver Medal 1999-2000
- SM-liiga Champion 2000-2001
- AHL Player of the Week (Nov. 16) 2003-2004
- AHL Scored a Goal as Goaltender 2003-2004
- AHL All-Star Game 2004-2005
- AHL Calder Cup Champion 2004-2005
- AHL Playoffs MVP (Jack A. Butterfield Trophy) 2004-2005
- Olympic All-Star Team 2005-2006
- Olympic Best GAA (1.34) 2005-2006
- Olympic Best Goaltender 2005-2006
- Olympic Best SVS% (.951) 2005-2006
- Olympic Most Valuable Player 2005-2006
- Olympic Silver Medal 2005-2006
- World Championship Bronze Medal 2005-2006
- Olympic Bronze Medal 2009-2010
- Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame (Jääkiekkoleijona) (#249) 2018-2019