Finland's greatest hockey player — Gretzky's right wing and five-time Stanley Cup champion.
Jari Pekka Kurri was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1960. Edmonton Oilers selected him 69th overall in the 1980 NHL Draft — an extraordinary value pick. He spent the first decade of his career as Wayne Gretzky's primary right winger, winning five Stanley Cup championships (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990). He scored 601 career goals — the most by a European-born player at the time of his retirement. He scored 52 goals in 1984-85, 68 goals in 1985-86 and 54 goals in 1986-87. He won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship in 1985. He was induced into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He is the most successful Finnish player in NHL history and the prototype for the skilled European forward who could thrive in the most offensively dominant team in the history of the game. His combination with Gretzky produced the most productive individual pairing in hockey history.
Stanley Cup 5x (1984,1985,1987,1988,1990)
Career Honours
- Stanley Cup 5x (1984,1985,1987,1988,1990)
- Lady Byng Trophy
- Hall of Fame (2001)
- NHL 100 Greatest Players