Petri Skriko

Petri Skriko
Born (1962-03-13) March 13, 1962
Lappeenranta, FIN
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Vancouver Canucks
Boston Bruins
Winnipeg Jets
San Jose Sharks
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 157th overall, 1981
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1979–1999

Petri Kalevi Skriko (born March 13, 1962 in Lappeenranta, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey player, best remembered for his seasons starring in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s. He is currently a scout for the Washington Capitals.[1]

Playing career

Skriko was a teenage phenom in Finland for his hometown club SaiPa Lappeenranta as he emerged as a star at the age of 18 and was named the SM-Liiga Rookie of the Year in 1981. That summer, he was drafted into the NHL by the Vancouver Canucks as the 157th pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

In ensuing seasons, his stock continued to rise as he developed into one of the top players in Finland. He dominated the 1982 World Junior Championships - earning top forward honours with 15 points in 7 games - and turned in stellar performances at the 1983 World Championships and the 1984 Olympics. In 1983–84, he was named to the SM-Liiga All-star team.

For the 1984–85 season, Skriko signed with the Canucks and went to North America. He enjoyed a solid rookie season, finishing with 21 goals and 35 points in 72 games, good for eighth on the team in scoring.

In 1985–86, Skriko emerged as a star for the Canucks, leading the team with 78 points. From 1985–89, he recorded four consecutive 30-goal seasons, and twice led the Canucks in scoring. In November 1986, he recorded three hat tricks in eight days, and became the first-ever Canuck named NHL Player of the Month.

In 1989–90, however, his totals fell to 15 goals and 48 points. After a slow start to the 1990–91 season, Skriko was dealt to the Boston Bruins for a draft pick. His play picked up somewhat in Boston, as he recorded 19 points in 28 games for the Bruins, and added eight more points in the playoffs en route to the conference finals.

In 1991–92 he was traded again, to the Winnipeg Jets, finishing the season with three goals in 24 games. He signed with the San Jose Sharks for 1992–93, but was released two months into the season and returned to Europe.

After a brief stint back in the SM-Liiga, Skriko moved to the Danish league with Herning IK in 1993. He would be one of the best players ever to play in Denmark, helping his team to four championships and earning two Player of the Year honours. He would retire in 1999, but continue on as the team's head coach, winning another title in that capacity in 2001. He would then return to Finland to coach SaiPa for three seasons.

In nine seasons in the NHL, Skriko recorded 183 goals and 222 assists for 405 points in 541 games, along with 246 penalty minutes. Including his time in Europe, he would spend 20 seasons as a pro, recording over 1200 points in 1000+ games.

International career

Petri Skriko
Medal record
World Junior Championships
1981 Finland
1982 Finland

Skriko is one of the most decorated players in Finnish international hockey history. He would help Team Finland to a Silver medal at the 1981 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, and a Bronze at the 1982 World Juniors, where he was named the tournament's top forward. He represented Finland at the 1984 Winter Olympics - again leading the team in scoring - and the 1992 Winter Olympics. He would also play in the 1983, 1985, and 1987 World Championships, and the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups. Altogether, he appeared in 55 senior international games for Finland, recording 17 goals and 33 points.

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1979–80 SaiPa Finnish 1st div. 36 25 20 45 8 — — — — —
1980–81 SaiPa SM-liiga 36 20 13 33 14 — — — — —
1981–82 SaiPa SM-liiga 33 19 27 46 26 — — — — —
1982–83 SaiPa SM-liiga 36 23 12 35 — — — — — —
1983–84 SaiPa SM-liiga 35 25 26 51 13 2 0 0 0 2
1984–85 Vancouver Canucks NHL 72 21 14 35 10 — — — — —
1985–86 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 38 40 78 34 3 0 0 0 0
1986–87 Vancouver Canucks NHL 76 33 41 74 44 — — — — —
1987–88 Vancouver Canucks NHL 73 30 34 64 32 — — — — —
1988–89 Vancouver Canucks NHL 74 30 36 66 57 7 1 5 6 0
1989–90 Vancouver Canucks NHL 77 15 33 48 36 — — — — —
1990–91 Vancouver Canucks NHL 20 4 4 8 8 — — — — —
1990–91 Boston Bruins NHL 28 5 14 19 9 18 4 4 8 4
1991–92 Boston Bruins NHL 9 1 0 1 6 — — — — —
1991–92 Winnipeg Jets NHL 15 2 3 5 4 — — — — —
1992–93 San Jose Sharks NHL 17 4 3 7 6 — — — — —
1992–93 Kiekko-Espoo SM-liiga 18 5 4 9 8 — — — — —
1993–94 Herning IK Denmark 28 30 39 69 — — — — — —
1994–95 Herning IK Denmark 35 34 49 83 — 7 7 1 8 —
1995–96 Herning IK Denmark 39 40 55 95 30 — — — — —
1996–97 Herning IK Denmark 48 49 60 109 57 — — — — —
1997–98 Herning IK Denmark 48 38 58 96 — — — — — —
1998–99 Herning IK Denmark 42 26 43 69 — — — — — —
NHL totals 541 183 222 405 246 28 5 9 14 4
SM-liiga totals 162 93 83 176 71 2 0 0 0 2
Finnish Division totals 36 25 20 45 8 — — — — —
Denmark totals 240 217 304 521 87 7 7 1 8 —

International career stats

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1980 Finland-18 EJC 5 3 1 4 15
1981 Finland-20 WJC 5 3 3 6 10
1982 Finland-20 WJC 7 8 7 15 4
1983 Finland WC 10 4 2 6 6
1984 Finland Olympics 6 6 4 10 8
1985 Finland WC 10 2 2 4 0
1987 Finland WC 10 1 1 2 2
1987 Finland Canada Cup 5 0 1 1 2
1991 Finland Canada Cup 6 3 2 5 4
1992 Finland Olympics 8 1 4 5 4

References

  1. ↑ "Washington Capitals: Team". NHL.com. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  2. ↑ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009-10, p.514, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.