Teppo Numminen, who played 20 years in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres has announced his retirement from the game.
Numminen, 41, a three-time NHL All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001) appeared in a total of 1,372 NHL games and recorded 117 goals and 520 assists for 637 points in his career.
"I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to play with and against the best players in the world for so many years," said Numminen. "Playing hockey in the NHL and also for my country, Finland, was very enjoyable. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, fans, and the media for all the great years."
Drafted 29th overall in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, Numminen made his debut in the 1988-89 season with the Jets. The Finnish blueliner helped lead the club to nine playoff berths in his 15 seasons with the franchise.
The native of Tampere, Finland enjoyed the best offensive output of his NHL career in the 1995-96 season with the Jets, scoring 11 goals and 43 assists for a personal best 54 points. From 2001-03, he served as the second captain in Coyotes history.
In 2003, Numminen was traded to the Stars where he spent the 2003-04 season and helped lead the Stars to the playoffs. Following his lone season in Dallas, Numminen signed with Buffalo. In each of his first two seasons with the Sabres, Numminen helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Final and was also a key contributing member of the 2006-07 Sabres team that won the Presidents Trophy.
Following open heart surgery in September of 2007, Numminen returned to the Sabres lineup for the final game of the 2007-08 season. In 2008-09, his last season in the NHL, Numminen scored 17 points in 57 games.
Numminen also represented Finland in four Olympics (1988, 1998, 2002, 2006), the World Junior Championship (1988), five World Championships (1987, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997) and two World Cups of Hockey (1996, 2004). Numminen accumulated six medals in total in his international hockey career with Finland, earning silver medals in the 2006 and 1988 Olympics, 2004 World Cup of Hockey and 1994 World Championship, to go along with bronze medals in the 1998 Olympics and 1988 World Junior Championship.
