| Born: | July 3, 1968 | Draft: | 1986 Jets, 29th Overall |
| Hometown: | Tampere, Finland | Position: | Defenseman |
| Known For: | IIHF Hall of Fame | Shoots: | Right |
| National Team: | Finland | Current Status: | Retired |
Teppo Numminen (born July 3, 1968) is a retired Finnish ice hockey player, having played his final year in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2008-09 season. Drafted 29th overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1986 entry draft, Numminen was slated as a future cornerstone piece to their blue line before the team’s eventual relocation to Phoenix. Ahead of his NHL debut, Numminen helped Tappara of the SM-Liiga to three consecutive SM-Liiga championships. He joined the Jets for the 1988-89 season and quickly became one of the league’s best defenseman, representing the organization at the 1999, 2000, and 2001 NHL All-Star Games.
After 15 seasons with the Jets and Coyotes, including eight seasons as an alternative captain and two seasons as captain, Numminen was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Mike Sillinger. He played in one season with Dallas, amassing 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists) in 63 games. He joined the Sabres in 2005, becoming one of the team’s alternate captains and backing the team to two consecutive playoff appearances. Upon signing a one-year contract for the 2007-08 season, he required heart surgery to repair a fault valve and, as such, was suspended by the team for being unfit to play.
Numminen’s NHL career came to an end at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season, and he retired with the most amount of games played by a European-born player at any position, a feat that was later claimed by Detroit Red Wings‘ Nicklas Lidstrom. Internationally, he represented Finland on 14 occasions, two silver medals and one bronze medal at the Olympic level, while adding a gold medal at the 1986 European Junior Championships.
Teppo Numminen Statistics
Deeper Dive
Staff History
- Finland, Olympic Games (Scout) 2009-2010
- Finland, World Championship (Scout) 2010-2011
- Buffalo Sabres (Assistant Coach) 2011-2014
- Finland, World Cup (Assistant Coach) 2016-2017
Achievements
- 3x SM-liiga Champion (1986, 1987, 1988)
- U18 EJC Gold Medal (1986)
- Olympic Silver Medal (1988)
- U20 WJC All-Star Team (1988)
- U20 WJC Best Defenseman (1988)
- U20 WJC Bronze Medal (1988)
- World Championship All-Star Team (1997)
- Olympic Bronze Medal (1998)
- 3x NHL All-Star Game (1999, 2000, 2001)
- World Cup Runner Up (2005)
- Olympic Silver Medal (2006)
- Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame (Jääkiekkoleijona) (#202) (2010)
- IIHF Hall of Fame (2013)
- World Championship Gold Medal, Scout (2011)