Olli Veli Pekka Jokinen (born December 5, 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings third overall in the 1997 NHL entry draft, with whom he made his NHL debut. He has also played for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues. He began his professional career with KalPa and then HIFK of the Finnish SM-liiga. Additionally, he played for EHC Kloten of Switzerland's National League A and Södertälje SK of Sweden's Elitserien. He previously held the franchise records for most goals, assists, and points for the Florida Panthers.
Jokinen began his professional career in his native Finland in 1996 and in 1997 won the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy as SM-liiga rookie of the year. He won the Matti Keinonen and Jari Kurri trophies in 1998 as the most effective player of the regular season and most valuable player of the playoffs, respectively. He moved to the NHL full-time in 1998–99 and played his best seasons with the Florida Panthers, with whom he served as captain from 2003 to 2008 and played in the 2003 All-Star Game. Jokinen played an NHL record 799 games before making his first and only Stanley Cup playoff appearance in 2009 with the Flames (Since broken by Ron Hainsey in 2017 with 907 Games played). In 2012, he played his 1,000th career NHL game.
Internationally, Jokinen has played for Finland on numerous occasions. He was an all-star and named best forward of the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, leading his nation to the gold medal. He is a four-time Olympian, winning a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and bronze at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi, respectively. He has also won two silver and three bronze medals at the World Championships and played for the Finnish team that finished second to Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Jokinen began with his hometown team, KalPa, playing for the squad's under-18 and junior teams between 1994 and 1996. He made his debut with the senior team in the SM-liiga in 1995–96, appearing in 15 games, scoring one goal and one assist. He moved onto HIFK in 1996–97, where he played full-time with the senior squad. He was the youngest player on the team, and in 50 games, scored 14 goals and 41 points. He was recognized as the SM-liiga's rookie of the year, and was presented with the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy.
The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau rated Jokinen as the top European prospect for the 1997 NHL entry draft. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the third overall selection, after Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Jokinen began the 1997–98 season with the Kings, making his NHL debut on October 1, 1997, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was held pointless in eight games, however, and the Kings chose to return him to HIFK to complete the season.
Jokinen played 30 games with HIFK, scoring 39 points. He added another nine points in nine playoff games as the team won the SM-liiga championship. He won the Matti Keinonen and Jari Kurri trophies in 1998 as the most effective player of the regular season and most valuable player of the playoffs, respectively. He also scored the game-winning goal in game 3 in overtime vs Ilves to secure the championship for his team.
Los Angeles and the New York Islanders
Returning to North America, Jokinen began the 1998–99 season with the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. He earned a recall to Los Angeles after nine games, in which he scored nine points. He recorded his first NHL point on November 5, 1998, with an assist in a game against the St. Louis Blues, then scored his first NHL goal five nights later against the Calgary Flames. Jokinen was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for November, scoring eight points in 11 games. He finished the season with 21 points in 66 games played. Following the conclusion of the season, on June 20, 1999, Jokinen was traded to the New York Islanders, along with Josh Green, Mathieu Biron, and a first-round selection at that year's draft, in exchange for Žigmund Pálffy, Bryan Smolinski, Marcel Cousineau, and a fourth-round selection. Jokinen was considered the central piece of the deal from New York's perspective, as they gave up their top player in Pálffy.
Jokinen played only one season on Long Island. He appeared in all 82 games for the Islanders, scoring 21 points. However, he was included in a trade at the 2000 NHL entry draft, as he was packaged with goaltender Roberto Luongo and sent to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha on June 24, 2000.
In Florida, Jokinen initially did not get along with head coach Terry Murray, as the Panthers' bench boss criticized his play while leaving him out of the lineup for several December games during the 2000–01 season. Though he appeared in 78 games for the Panthers, Jokinen's offensive totals fell to a career-low 16 points. He showed a modest improvement to 29 points in 80 games in 2001–02, but Jokinen was increasingly being criticized as a bust. His confidence reached a low point during that season, at one point he contemplated leaving the NHL and returning to Finland.
The 2002–03 season proved to be Jokinen's breakout year. Playing under new head coach Mike Keenan and described by general manager Rick Dudley as skating "every shift like it was his last," he scored 11 points in his first 12 games of the season. He equaled his previous career high of 29 points in the 26th game of the season, and finished with a team-leading 36 goals and 65 points. Additionally, he played in his first NHL All-Star Game. Jokinen credited his turnaround to Keenan, who launched into a tirade against the player's commitment during the first intermission of a game mere days after he was hired as a mid-season replacement for Terry Murray.
Jokinen was named an alternate captain of the Panthers prior to the 2002–03 season, and was elevated to captain to begin 2003–04. He again led the team in goals (26) and points (58) and scored his 200th career point on March 10, 2004, with an assist against the Buffalo Sabres. When the 2004–05 season was cancelled due to a labour dispute, Jokinen played for several European teams: first EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League A, then Södertälje SK of the Swedish Elitserien and finally HIFK back in Finland. Returning to the NHL in 2005–06, Jokinen reached new career highs with 38 goals, 51 assists and 89 points. He played his 500th NHL game on November 19, 2005, against the New York Islanders, and recorded his first NHL hat-trick on November 25 against Pittsburgh.
Appearing in all 82 games for the Panthers in 2006–07, Jokinen again set personal bests with 39 goals, 52 assists and 91 points. He fell back to 34 goals and 71 points in 2007–08, but led the Panthers offensively for the fifth consecutive season. He was involved in a frightening accident during a February 10, 2008, game against the Buffalo Sabres. Jokinen was checked by Buffalo forward Clarke MacArthur and as he fell to the ice, his skate came up and struck teammate Richard Zedník in the throat, seriously injuring him. Zedník was nearly killed by the cut and missed the remainder of the season, though he recovered and was able to resume his career.
Jokinen was the subject of trade rumours throughout the season as the Panthers, who had failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, looked at ways of improving their club. Florida ultimately traded Jokinen at the 2008 NHL entry draft; he was sent to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton and a second-round draft pick. Jokinen left the Panthers as the franchise's all-time leader in goals (188), assists (231) and points (419).
Phoenix, Calgary and the New York Rangers
The 2008–09 season began well for Jokinen, as he recorded 18 points in his first 21 games with the Coyotes. A shoulder injury suffered in November 2008, however, caused him to miss a game for the first time since 2002–03, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 397. He appeared in 57 games for the Coyotes but did not finish the season in Phoenix; the Calgary Flames acquired him, along with a third-round draft pick, on March 4, 2009, in exchange for Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and Calgary's first-round selection at the 2010 NHL entry draft.