After a long and fruitful career that was nearly cut short by an alarming and serious medical situation, Blackhawks defenseman Kimmo Timonen was finally able to write his own storybook ending, concluding his 16-year career as a Stanley Cup champion.
The 40-year-old Timonen was drafted way back in 1993 by the Los Angeles Kings, 250th overall, but would go on to have arguably the greatest career of any player drafted outside the first round that season. However, the start of his time in the NHL and his quest for a Stanley Cup began in the 1998-99 season in Nashville, where he would emerge as a top-flight offensive player on the blueline for the Predators.
Despite posting double-digits in goals five times as a Predator and posting 40+ points for five consecutive years (including a sizzling 55 points in a 2006-07 season that would see Timonen finish 5th in Norris voting), team success eluded both Timonen and the Predators in the early years of the franchise, as he saw the first round of the post-season only thrice, never advancing to the second round.
At the draft in 2007, Timonen was traded along with teammate Scott Hartnell to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he would come one step closer to winning that elusive Cup. Timonen would bring his strong offensive game with him to the East, scoring between 29 and 44 points in seven season with the Flyers. Philadelphia would make the Eastern Conference Final his first year in orange, though a foot injury in the playoffs would keep him off the ice, and the Flyers were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, it was an impressive season for both him and the club, and a sign of things to come.
In the 2009-10 season, the Flyers were once again rolling. They had just dispatched the Montreal Canadiens in five games to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1997 – for Timonen, it was his first ever. However, they had the unenviable task of locking horns with a young, up-and-coming team led by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and a host of other names we have become familiar with. Yes, this was the baby Hawks, on their way to their first Stanley Cup since 1961, and it came at the expense of Timonen and the Flyers. Kane’s elation after scoring the overtime winner in Game Six was nothing short of heartbreak for Timonen.
After this season, the Flyers regressed, making the second round in consecutive years before missing the playoffs entirely in 2012-13. Timonen was still producing offensively, but the Flyers were undone by poor goaltending, and a host of other issues, and it looked at though Timonen might have missed his chance at glory, until an even worse turn of events reared its ugly head.
While preparing for the 2014-15 season, Timonen was diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs, and in his right leg. The news shocked the hockey world, as it was assumed the health issue would end his career. However, Timonen was actually on a long road to recovery, and by December there were thoughts that his career might be able to resume.
“Where I left in August and I’m standing here, it’s crazy. It’s crazy what I went through. There’s a risk involved obviously, but I wanted to do it. It was totally up to me and I wanted to take that chance, to have one more chance.” – Timonen reflecting on his career-threatening injury after winning the Stanley Cup.
Timonen would be traded to the Blackhawks at the 2015 NHL trade deadline and the rest is history. Well, not quite, as Chicago still had a long road to travel to get back to the top of the mountain, but Timonen was happy to be along for the ride and healthy enough to play NHL minutes again. To say he didn’t have the impact on the scoresheet would be an understatement, as he didn’t record a point in 33 combined regular season and post-season games with the Blackhawks and averaged less than nine minutes of ice time per game in the playoffs, but he was back on the ice, and that was the only thing that mattered.
“I just try to be part of the team and be positive. If guys make a good play, say ‘Good job’ and that kind of stuff. It is a great team sport and I’m part of the team.” – Timonen on his role with the Blackhawks.
Timonen was, however, more than just a cheerleader. He played a vital role in mentoring fellow Finn Teuvo Teravainen. The rookie forward would chip in 10 points in 18 post-season games and provide crucial secondary offense.
“He’s been like a second dad for me right now because my real dad is far, far in Finland… Just helping with some little things. Just a lot of experience, just great to have him here.” – Teravainen on Timonen’s mentorship.
Finally it was time, and once again it was Kane to bring Timonen to tears. After the sniper potted his first of the series to make the score 2-0 Chicago late in the third, Timonen knew what was coming and broke down on the bench. A lifetime of effort, countless hours of training, and the mental fatigue of losing in the Stanley Cup Final before, not to mention also losing in the Olympic Final, the IIHF World Championship Final, and even the World Cup of Hockey Final, were about to be washed away in one glorious moment.
Kimmo Timonen said he started crying when Patrick Kane scored to make it 2-0.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) June 16, 2015
“There were tears coming out of my eyes because I knew that it was going to be … two goals against this team, it was going to be hard to score. I knew we had a really good chance to win it.” – Timonen on counting down the final minutes of Game Six.
Time expired, and the Blackhawks had won their third championship in six years. After the formalities of Keith taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman handing the Stanley Cup off to Toews, all eyes turned to Timonen. Toews had told Timonen on Monday morning that he would receive the Cup first, and the captain was true to his word. Nearly 22 years after being drafted into the NHL, Kimmo Timonen finally raised the Stanley Cup over his head.
“I didn’t know what to do with it… I didn’t know you could go around the rink with it. It was my first time. I played this game a long time and battled hard for years. I’ve been on the losing side of the story so many times that I know guys realize that. They know that I’m going to retire. This was my last game, my last time with skates on. The respect level goes both ways.” – Timonen on raising the Stanley Cup.
It was a perfect end to an impressive career by one of the best offensive defensemen of his generation. To come from the fear of a major health scare last summer to sitting on top of the world with a Stanley Cup on his mantle, few could have written a better ending for Timonen.
Timonen: “I leave this game as a Stanley Cup Champion. I can’t ask for anything more than that.”
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 16, 2015
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