CrashingTheGoalie

There have been a number of Canucks Killers – players who have played well against the nucks and padded their stats at Vancouver’s expense. Some padded their plus/minus stats.

courtesy of robdumoart.com

The player that I remember the most – besides Gretz – was Teppo Numminen who played against Vancouver first as a Jet and later as a Coyote.

He finished his career as a Buffalo Sabre, but thank goodness for the Canucks he was playing in the Eastern conference.

“Teppo Numminen did more than go into a “zone” before games to gain focus. He entered a “zombie zone.” Others joked; he remained stone-faced.

Numminen, who recently retired from the Buffalo Sabres, played 15 of his 20 seasons with the Jets-Coyotes franchise, setting records for seasons played and games played (1,098).

On game nights, he did whatever it took to focus. An insider at many of those pre-game rituals said the Finn went into a “zombie-like state.” Numminen said he had to approach things that way.

“I was kind of a dreamer,” he said. “I think a lot, so I had to really work on my concentration to be focused for 60 minutes and just clear my mind of all the other thoughts and things.

“From the start, it was really difficult for me to get there. As I got older and played more, I’d find ways to get to that zone. It’s tough for me to concentrate, so I had to work extra hard to get to that zone. If I didn’t get there, I was terrible. That was a big part of my game.”

He played only the final game of the 2007-08 season with the Sabres after open-heart surgery, but the defenseman bounced back last year to play in 57 games, averaging 17:30 of ice time.

Numminen, 41, said he felt it was the right time to retire.

“With the stuff (surgery) I had, I was able to come back and play regular in the NHL again, so it was another dream come true.”

He brought a lot to the table, and it was due to his preparation.

“I think my plan was a year at a game from the beginning,” he said. “Don’t look ahead, don’t look back. I took a month off then trained again in the summer time.

“I really worked hard, didn’t want to risk my season. I guess it starts from there, and when you come to camp you start putting the pieces together. It was a challenge.”

The biggest contribution he made?

“I think it was my style of play,” he said. “I could play defense. I could create some offense, and I think I was kind of an all-around player. I could be put in any kind of situation, whatever the team needed.”

Numminen said he loved his tenure with the Jets-Coyotes franchise.

“It (Winnipeg) was a great place to start a career, and then moved to Phoenix, where I enjoyed myself in the Valley,” he said. “I felt very comfortable with both squads.”

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