Timonen Retires a Champion
- AlwaysHockey Staff
- Aug 25, 2015
- 2 min read
Photo Credit - Mel Boysen (Flickr)
Life is a serious of events good and bad that shape our lives. Being a tenth round pick to a team he would never play for (the LA Kings), began a career that would span 16 seasons and 3 NHL clubs. This is the story of Stanley Cup champion Kimmo Timonen and his quest to the the top.
Born in Kuopio Finland on March 18 1975. The Finnish native would be drafted 250th overall by the Kings in 1993. But never play and NHL game for 5 more years until Timonen played on the bronze medal-winning Finnish Olympic team in Nagano. Shortly after the Olympics, the Kings traded him, along with Jan Vopat, to the Nashville Predators organization (the team not yet having begun play) in agreement that Nashville would not select Garry Galley in the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft. Timonen would become arguably the most integral part of that team for the next 8 seasons as captain and assistant captain. Until 2006-07 when he was dealt to Philly. He would reach the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 2009-10 with the Flyers against the team he would soon come to love his beloved Blackhawks, but was unsuccessful.
In preparation for the upcoming season, Timonen was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and leg, which kept him out for the next 8 months.
Many doctors had been trying to persuade him to retire. But he was determine to find a safe way to play one more season and take a shot a lord Stanley’s hardware that allusive last time.
“Doctors have their own opinion and they were probably right,” Timonen said. “But my desire was so deep. If there was a chance I could come back I would do it.”
So on February 27 2015 Timonen was dealt to the Blackhawks after missing 62 games for a second pick and a 2016 conditional 4th round pick. He left the Flyers as the 3rd most productive defenseman in franchise history.
On March 5 Kimmo announced he would retire after the seasons end no matter the outcome. But little did he know that soon enough he would be skating around with the Chicago teammates hoisting the Stanley Cup.
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