Last week, the Calgary Flames announced that they will be retiring the No. 34 in honor of former goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. He joins Jarome Iginla, Lanny McDonald, and Mike Vernon as the fourth player to have his number retired in Calgary. There is no doubt that Kiprusoff deserves this honor, and fans should be excited about the team’s decision to hang up his number. Here is a look back on his career.
Juniors and Overseas
From 1993 to 1995, Kiprusoff played in the Finnish junior league for Turun Palloseura (TPS), which is based in his hometown of Turku. His play here was where he first drew the eyes of NHL teams, and he was selected by the San Jose Sharks as the 116th overall pick of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. After a two-year stint in Sweden to start his professional career, he returned to TPS to play for their pro team in 1998-99. He led TPS to a championship that season, winning 26 of his 38 games in net and posting a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.85.
San Jose Sharks
After nearly two full seasons playing for the Sharks’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Kiprusoff was called up to the NHL in March 2001. He entered the playoffs that season as the Sharks’ backup goalie, so when starter Evgeni Nabokov was sidelined with the flu ahead of Game 4 in the first round, he got the nod. In what was only his second career start, he posted 39 saves, leading the Sharks to a 3-2 victory. This performance made him the first Finnish-born goalie to win an NHL playoff game. Despite this, he struggled over the next two seasons; he won just 12 of his 38 games in that span. Entering the 2003-04 season, his backup role was taken by Vesa Toskala, and he was traded to the Flames in November of that year.
Strong Start in Calgary
The trade to Calgary may have been exactly what Kiprusoff needed to ignite his game. He won 15 out of his first 22 games for the Flames, posting an outrageous 1.49 GAA and .940 save percentage (SV%) during that time. His strong play continued through the end of the regular season, leading the Flames to their first playoff appearance in eight years. He posted a .931 SV% and a 1.82 GAA in the postseason, recording 15 wins as Calgary came within one win of the Stanley Cup. Though the Flames came up short, his performance carrying them to the Final was nothing short of legendary.
Kiprusoff played in Sweden during the lockout in 2004-05; when he returned to NHL action the following season his dominant play continued, as he won 40 games and was awarded both the Vezina and Jennings Trophies. Despite struggling to start the 2006-07 season, he again won 40 games and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, keeping the Flames afloat and earning them another playoff berth. That offseason, he signed a six-year contract worth $35 million.
Struggles and Milestones
Kiprusoff’s play began to decline notably in 2007-08 and into the following season, when he led the league in wins but declined in almost every statistical category for the fourth season in a row. Questions began to arise about his workload, as he had started over 70 games in the three years prior to 2008-09. After an offseason where he focused on getting into better physical shape, he rebounded in 2009-10, finishing in the top ten in the league in GAA and SV%, but the Flames missed the playoffs.
Related: Flames’ Miikka Kiprusoff: 7 Fascinating Statistics
Kiprusoff’s struggles returned in 2010-11 and into the next season, though he was able to become the 27th goalie in NHL history to record his 300th win, doing so in February 2012. He missed time with a knee injury in 2012-13, and in his return towards the end of that season, he recorded his 300th win as a member of the Flames. The organization formally announced Kiprusoff’s retirement in September 2013.
A Deserved Number Retirement
Kiprusoff left his mark in Calgary, and his career was nothing short of historic. He is the only Flames netminder to win the Vezina Trophy, and he holds franchise records for wins, shutouts, and games played by a goalie. More importantly, however, one cannot tell the story of the Flames franchise without mentioning Kiprusoff’s greatness, particularly in 2003-04, where he carried the team to within a game of a Stanley Cup. He earned this honor, and Flames fans should be excited to see his number in the Saddledome rafters later this season.
