1. Overview
Janne Kristian Laukkanen is a former Finnish professional ice hockey player who primarily played as a center. He had a notable career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Laukkanen also played in various European leagues, including those in Finland and the Czech Republic. Internationally, he represented the Finnish national team, earning two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics (1994 and 1998) and three silver medals at the Ice Hockey World Championships.
2. Personal Background
2.1. Birth and Early Life
Janne Kristian Laukkanen was born on March 19, 1970. He is a native of Finland.
2.2. Position
Throughout his professional ice hockey career, Laukkanen played as a center.
3. Playing Career
Janne Laukkanen's professional ice hockey career spanned both European and North American leagues, in addition to significant contributions to the Finnish national team in international competitions.
3.1. European Leagues
Laukkanen began his professional career in his native Finland. He played for teams such as Kiekkoreipas and Hockey Reipas in the Finnish second-tier league, I-Divisioona, and later for HPK in the top-tier SM-liiga. During the 1993-94 season, he also had a stint in the Czech Extraliga with HC České Budějovice.
3.2. North American Career
3.2.1. NHL Career
Laukkanen played a total of 407 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL), scoring 22 goals and 121 points, along with 335 penalty minutes. He also participated in 59 playoff games, where he recorded 7 goals and 16 points. His NHL career included tenures with several franchises:
- Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche**: Laukkanen made his NHL debut with the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994-95 season. He later played for the Colorado Avalanche after the team relocated.
- Ottawa Senators**: He spent a significant portion of his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators, playing from the 1995-96 season through the 1999-2000 season.
- Pittsburgh Penguins**: Laukkanen joined the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1999-2000 season and played for them until the 2002-03 season.
- Tampa Bay Lightning**: He concluded his NHL career with a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2002-03 season.
3.2.2. AHL Career
In addition to his time in the NHL, Laukkanen also played in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played for the Cornwall Aces during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons, and later for the Hartford Wolf Pack during the 2002-03 season. His time in the AHL often served as a developmental or transitional period between his NHL assignments.
3.3. International Competitions
Janne Laukkanen was a prominent member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, representing his country in numerous major international tournaments. He earned two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics and three silver medals at the Ice Hockey World Championships.
His international appearances include:
- World Junior Championships**: 1990 (4th place)
- Canada Cup**: 1991 (Semifinals)
- Winter Olympics**:
- 1992 Albertville (7th place)
- 1994 Lillehammer (Bronze medal)
- 1998 Nagano (Bronze medal)
- World Championships**:
- 1992 Prague (Silver medal)
- 1993 (7th place)
- 1994 Milan (Silver medal)
- 1998 Switzerland (Silver medal)
- World Cup of Hockey**: 1996 (Quarterfinals)
4. Statistics and Awards
This section provides detailed statistical data for Janne Laukkanen's professional career in both regular season and playoff games, as well as his international appearances and the medals he earned.
4.1. Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1987-88 | Kiekkoreipas | FIN.2 U20 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1988-89 | Kiekkoreipas | FIN.2 U20 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 85 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1988-89 | Kiekkoreipas | FIN.2 | 33 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989-90 | Hockey Reipas | FIN.2 | 44 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 60 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1990-91 | Hockey Reipas | SM-l | 44 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 54 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1991-92 | HPK | SM-l | 43 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 62 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1992-93 | HPK | SM-l | 47 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 76 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 1993-94 | HPK | SM-l | 48 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 46 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1993-94 | HC České Budějovice | ELH | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1994-95 | Cornwall Aces | AHL | 55 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 41 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994-95 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1995-96 | Cornwall Aces | AHL | 35 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 60 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995-96 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995-96 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996-97 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 76 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 76 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1997-98 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 60 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 64 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1998-99 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 50 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1999-2000 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 60 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 55 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1999-2000 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 2000-01 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 50 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 34 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 2001-02 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 47 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 28 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 17 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002-03 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| SM-l totals | 182 | 26 | 72 | 98 | 238 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | ||||
| NHL totals | 407 | 22 | 99 | 121 | 335 | 59 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 46 | ||||
4.2. International Statistics and Medals
Laukkanen earned several medals representing Finland:
- Winter Olympics**:
- Bronze medal: 1994 Lillehammer
- Bronze medal: 1998 Nagano
- World Championships**:
- Silver medal: 1992 Prague
- Silver medal: 1994 Milan
- Silver medal: 1998 Switzerland
Below are his international statistics:
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 1990 Finland WJC 4th 7 0 1 1 4 1991 Finland CC SF 6 1 2 3 2 1992 Finland OG 7th 8 0 1 1 6 1992 Finland WC Silver 8 2 2 4 12 1993 Finland WC 7th 6 1 0 1 10 1994 Finland OG Bronze 8 0 2 2 12 1994 Finland WC Silver 8 1 2 3 6 1996 Finland WCH QF 4 0 0 0 4 1998 Finland OG Bronze 6 0 0 0 4 1998 Finland WC Silver 1 0 0 0 0 Junior totals 7 0 1 1 4 Senior totals 46 6 9 15 43
5. Post-Career
5.1. Activities and Involvement
After retiring from professional play, Janne Laukkanen remained involved in ice hockey. He currently works with Karhu-Kissat, a minor hockey league team located in his native Finland. His son, Matias, is also a member of this team.
6. External links
- [https://www.icehockeystats.com/player/legends/10904 Janne Laukkanen career statistics at IceHockeyStats.com]
- [https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3001 Janne Laukkanen career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database]
- [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/2662/janne-laukkanen Janne Laukkanen career statistics at EliteProspects.com]
- [https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/89457 Janne Laukkanen at Olympedia]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20171101000000/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/janne-laukkanen-1.html Janne Laukkanen at Sports Reference (archived)]