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11-13-2006, 12:22 PM
Numminen a model of consistency, class
Randy Schultz | NHL.com correspondent Nov 13, 2006, 10:21 AM EST
Teppo Numminen will set the record for most regular-season games played by a European player tonight.
Until 10 days ago, Teppo Numminen had not even given any thought to the NHL record he is about to break.
When Numminen steps on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres when they face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, he will have played in 1,252 regular-season contests. That will surpass the record established by fellow Finn Jari Kurri for the most games played by European player in the NHL.
“Over the past few days, I’ve heard people bringing it up,” said Numminen, a defenseman with the Sabres, now in his 18th season in the NHL. “Up to that point, I hadn’t really thought about it. For me, it’s a great honor to be mentioned in the same breath with Jari Kurri and other legendary players like Borj Salming.”
Numminen, a native of Tampere, Finland really didn’t plan on playing that long in the NHL when he first joined the Winnipeg Jets for the 1988-89 season.
“I really didn’t plan to stay here that long,” recalled the 38 year-old Numminen. “I was planning on coming over here to see how it would go. I figured on staying for a year or two at the most, and if it didn’t work out I would go back and play for my home team back in Finland. That was my dream growing up was to play for my home team (Tampere). I would have been very happy with that. I guess things worked out otherwise.”
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Numminen, who has never played on a Stanley Cup-winning team, admits that it took several seasons before he felt like he was being accepted into the NHL.
“I think it took five years to really feel safe,” joked a smiling Numminen. “It was at that time that I felt that I might be able to stay a couple of more years and hopefully keep the NHL career going. The game was much different in many different ways than it is today. I just took it one year at a time. But then again, that’s how I’ve handled it every year of my career. I simply took it one year at a time. Over the summer I would review what I had done that past year. I would see how everything had went. What was good and what was bad. What would I have to change? Only then would I begin planning ahead to the next season. That has been the way I approached my career and I’ve been very comfortable with that.”
What was the biggest adjustment that Numminen had to overcome when he first began play in the NHL?
“I was 20 and leaving home for the first time,” said Numminen, who has played for the Sabres, Jets, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. “I missed my parents, family and friends. On the ice it was different too. In Finland I played 40 games in a season. Here in the NHL I played 80. The game was tougher in the NHL because of the travel. I had to adjust to the different size of the ice surface. The NHL had smaller ice surfaces while in Finland, like all over Europe, the ice surfaces were Olympic size and much bigger.”
Despite his age, Numminen continues to survive in a younger and faster man’s game. How does he do it?
“I think you have to be aware more of things around you,” stated Numminen. “You don’t recover as quickly as you did when you were younger, so you have to make sure that you eat well and get your rest. You have to be aware of how you are playing during the game too. If you are not on top of your game on a particular night, then you have to keep it simple. I just have to stay aware of myself and what’s going on around me.”
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff appreciates having a player like Numminen on the blue line.
“We look to Teppo for a lot of things,” Ruff said. “He is steady back on defense. He can kill penalties and quarterback the power play if needed. It just seems as if he’s in the right place at the right time all the time.”
Numminen is glad to serve as a role model for younger Europeans.
Marty Biron, a Sabres goaltender, explained the importance of Numminen on and off the ice.
“Teppo just seems to keep things simple,” explained Biron. “He isn’t fancy on the ice. And he can calm things down if they seem to be getting out of control. He also keeps our guys smiling and laughing when it is needed. He has a great sense of humor, but can also be serious too. He is a leader on and off the ice, a guy a lot of the younger players look to.”
Does Numminen feel that he is a role model for younger Europeans today?
“Yes and I’m proud of it,” responded Numminen. “Hopefully I carried myself well both on and off the ice has helped other European players to be accepted better. I think how long I’ve been here has hopefully helped European players and the old NHL hockey people to look differently towards Europeans. When I started in the NHL, there was a tag on European players. Maybe we weren’t tough enough. We really had to prove ourselves in the NHL. Scouts looked at where you were from first before they knew if you could play over here or not.
“I think it’s all changed now. It doesn’t matter where you were born. If you can play in the NHL you play.”
When the day comes for the great defenseman to retire, how would Numminen like to be remembered as a player? In typical fashion, Numminen sat and thought for a moment before responding.
“I think I would like to be remembered as a guy who respected the game, played hard and played for his teammates. I think that’s something that I always tried to be.”
Nobody would argue about that.
source ([Only registered and activated users can see links])
Randy Schultz | NHL.com correspondent Nov 13, 2006, 10:21 AM EST
Teppo Numminen will set the record for most regular-season games played by a European player tonight.
Until 10 days ago, Teppo Numminen had not even given any thought to the NHL record he is about to break.
When Numminen steps on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres when they face the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, he will have played in 1,252 regular-season contests. That will surpass the record established by fellow Finn Jari Kurri for the most games played by European player in the NHL.
“Over the past few days, I’ve heard people bringing it up,” said Numminen, a defenseman with the Sabres, now in his 18th season in the NHL. “Up to that point, I hadn’t really thought about it. For me, it’s a great honor to be mentioned in the same breath with Jari Kurri and other legendary players like Borj Salming.”
Numminen, a native of Tampere, Finland really didn’t plan on playing that long in the NHL when he first joined the Winnipeg Jets for the 1988-89 season.
“I really didn’t plan to stay here that long,” recalled the 38 year-old Numminen. “I was planning on coming over here to see how it would go. I figured on staying for a year or two at the most, and if it didn’t work out I would go back and play for my home team back in Finland. That was my dream growing up was to play for my home team (Tampere). I would have been very happy with that. I guess things worked out otherwise.”
Related Links:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Insider archive
More NHL.com features
2006-07 Sabres stats
Buy Sabres merchandise
Numminen, who has never played on a Stanley Cup-winning team, admits that it took several seasons before he felt like he was being accepted into the NHL.
“I think it took five years to really feel safe,” joked a smiling Numminen. “It was at that time that I felt that I might be able to stay a couple of more years and hopefully keep the NHL career going. The game was much different in many different ways than it is today. I just took it one year at a time. But then again, that’s how I’ve handled it every year of my career. I simply took it one year at a time. Over the summer I would review what I had done that past year. I would see how everything had went. What was good and what was bad. What would I have to change? Only then would I begin planning ahead to the next season. That has been the way I approached my career and I’ve been very comfortable with that.”
What was the biggest adjustment that Numminen had to overcome when he first began play in the NHL?
“I was 20 and leaving home for the first time,” said Numminen, who has played for the Sabres, Jets, Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars. “I missed my parents, family and friends. On the ice it was different too. In Finland I played 40 games in a season. Here in the NHL I played 80. The game was tougher in the NHL because of the travel. I had to adjust to the different size of the ice surface. The NHL had smaller ice surfaces while in Finland, like all over Europe, the ice surfaces were Olympic size and much bigger.”
Despite his age, Numminen continues to survive in a younger and faster man’s game. How does he do it?
“I think you have to be aware more of things around you,” stated Numminen. “You don’t recover as quickly as you did when you were younger, so you have to make sure that you eat well and get your rest. You have to be aware of how you are playing during the game too. If you are not on top of your game on a particular night, then you have to keep it simple. I just have to stay aware of myself and what’s going on around me.”
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff appreciates having a player like Numminen on the blue line.
“We look to Teppo for a lot of things,” Ruff said. “He is steady back on defense. He can kill penalties and quarterback the power play if needed. It just seems as if he’s in the right place at the right time all the time.”
Numminen is glad to serve as a role model for younger Europeans.
Marty Biron, a Sabres goaltender, explained the importance of Numminen on and off the ice.
“Teppo just seems to keep things simple,” explained Biron. “He isn’t fancy on the ice. And he can calm things down if they seem to be getting out of control. He also keeps our guys smiling and laughing when it is needed. He has a great sense of humor, but can also be serious too. He is a leader on and off the ice, a guy a lot of the younger players look to.”
Does Numminen feel that he is a role model for younger Europeans today?
“Yes and I’m proud of it,” responded Numminen. “Hopefully I carried myself well both on and off the ice has helped other European players to be accepted better. I think how long I’ve been here has hopefully helped European players and the old NHL hockey people to look differently towards Europeans. When I started in the NHL, there was a tag on European players. Maybe we weren’t tough enough. We really had to prove ourselves in the NHL. Scouts looked at where you were from first before they knew if you could play over here or not.
“I think it’s all changed now. It doesn’t matter where you were born. If you can play in the NHL you play.”
When the day comes for the great defenseman to retire, how would Numminen like to be remembered as a player? In typical fashion, Numminen sat and thought for a moment before responding.
“I think I would like to be remembered as a guy who respected the game, played hard and played for his teammates. I think that’s something that I always tried to be.”
Nobody would argue about that.
source ([Only registered and activated users can see links])