Jarkko Ruutu

Infobox Ice Hockey Player

---

image_size=250px
team=Ottawa Senators
former_teams= Vancouver Canucks
Pittsburgh Penguins
SM-liiga
HIFK
league = NHL
position = Right Wing
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 200
nationality = FIN
birth_date = Birth date and age|1975|8|23|mf=y
birth_place = Vantaa, FIN
draft = 68th overall
draft_year = 1998
draft_team = Vancouver Canucks
career_start = 1996MedalTop

Jarkko Ruutu (born August 23, 1975 in Vantaa, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Ruutu started his pro hockey career with HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga in the 1996–97 season. He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks as their third round pick, #68 overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Ruutu played for his hometown team HIFK, and set a new SM-liiga record for penalty minutes during the regular season, since broken by Matt Nickerson.

Ruutu earned a reputation for being one of the Pens' and even one of the NHL's biggest "pests" or "agitators", which also made him one of the most penalized. He had his best NHL season to date in the 2005–2006 season, scoring 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points in 82 games, while amassing 142 penalty minutes.

He won a Silver Medal as part of the Finnish national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy During the Olympic tournament Ruutu gained notoriety when he checked Czech Republic winger Jaromir Jagr to the boards while Jagr was crouching. Ruutu received a double minor for boarding from the incident.

In July 2006, Ruutu signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he become a fan favorite. He notched his first three point game in the NHL on March 27, 2008 against the New York Islanders [ [http://cbs.sportsline.com/nhl/gamecenter/recap/NHL_20080327_NYI@PIT Crosby returns; Penguins handle Islanders, take over first in East - NHL - CBSSports.com ] ] . In July 2008, Ruutu signed with the Ottawa Senators for a 3 year, $3.9 million contract.

He is the older brother of Mikko and Tuomo Ruutu.

In an interview on May 15, 2008, he said that he served his mandatory service in the Finnish Army stationed at Helsinki Airport as part of an anti-aircraft unit.

Career statistics

International play

* Played for Team Finland in several Ice Hockey World Championships
* Played for Team Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
*Won a silver medal with Team Finland at the 2006 Winter Olympics

International statistics

Transactions

*Signed as a free agent by HIFK Helsinki (Finland), September 23, 2004.
*Signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh Penguins, July 4, 2006.
*Signed as a free agent by Ottawa Senators, July 2, 2008.

ee also

*Notable families in the NHL
*List of NHL players
*List of NHL seasons
*List of AHL seasons

References

External links

*nhlprofile|8467393
* [http://www.nhlfinns.com/players.aspx?pid=77 Jarkko Ruutu] on nhlfinns.com
* [http://www.geocities.com/jarkkocanuck37 Jarkko Canuck] Fan Page
*hockeydb|27832