Janne Niinimaa Rocks!!!
   
A page devoted to the sexiest hocket player ever!!!
 
Hello. My name is Stacey, and as you may know this
is a web page about the very sexy, Janne Niinimaa.
Janne plays for the Edmonton Oilers (They Kick Butt)
and he was also a member of the Philly Flyers and \
Finland's olympic team. This boy gets around! I hope
that on this page I will have his stats, and a bunch
of other really cool stuff.
 
A diary by Janne:


Thursday, August 21st

Golf round at Sankivaara course at Oulu went to the toilet when I heard the news: Mikael Renberg
has been sold to Tampa. Shit happens! Micce [Nickname for Renberg] was my best friend in
Philadelphia When I moved to the States a year ago Micce helped me with everything to get started.
Micce even came to Oulu a month ago. He then told me that the Flyers are making a deal of him. I
tried to assure him that he was just imagining things.



Thursday, September 4th

A flight from Helsinki via London to Philadelphia. My apartment was OK because my landlord Ilkka
Sinisalo lived here for a month during the summer. The 70 years old widow next door came to the
yard to say hi and ask how things are going.

At the plane over I thought that this time it was much easier to leave Finland than a year ago. I'm
mentally stronger now and have more self confidence and experience. At the same time the
pressures have grown. I know that the team expect a lot from me.



Tuesday, September 30th

Three week long training camp is over and the season finally starts tomorrow. TC went well: in the
tests I was in the top of our team. In the physical test we had exercise bike, chinups, jump test, and
working with weights. I'm with high spirits. Each day we were only once on ice because the rules
don't allow more. The toughest thing I quess was the several hour medical exam, in which our heart,
brains and coordination was examined. Of course everybody's fat percentage was taken too. Pat
Falloon was the only one who was told to go on a diet. Pat's percentage was 15 mine was 10.

We have a new coach Wayne Cashman. The man is over fifty but still he's the head coach for the
first time. He seems to be a clever man, he talks a lot but he also badmouths when need be. That's
good - last years coach Terry Murray was otherwise OK, but communication with the players was
zero.

Tomorrow at 7.30 p.m. the long task begins: 82 games, the Olympics and the playoffs. It will be a
hard season but I'm looking forward to that with high expectations. Now I have to go to bed, its
almost midnight.



Saturday October 18th

I'm tired. We were ten days on the road, in
Montreal, San Jose and Los Angeles. During the
days off we visited Disneyworld, Hollywood and
Beverly Hills. We didn't catch anybody famous but
the scenery was nice. I tried to contact Teemu
[Selanne] at Anaheim but he didn't have time to
meet me because he had so many visitors.

When the game is not working. I've been down.
Its even in the newspapers that I should play
better.

My game is not working. Something's wrong. My
blood has been tested, I've lifted weights and used
the exercise bike but my feet are jammed all the
time. I'm not panicking, because I know that I'm in
shape. But this surely tests my self confidence. I can only look in the mirror and try harder.

A year ago Paul Coffey used to give me advice. Paul is one of the all time best defensemen. Now he
doesn't come to talk to me the same way. And I haven't got the nerve to ask him anything. Maybe
Paul thinks that he can't give any advice because things are not going well for him either.

My girlfriend Nina doesn't come here before December. Now there's nothing else to do besides
hockey than go to the movies or out to eat with teammates. A couple of times I've gone out with the
bachelors in our team.

The best way to get hockey out of my mind is hunting. In Finland I hunt with a gun but here I have
the permission to shoot deers with a bow and arrow. The guys in the team tease me because to them
its a "redneck" hobby. It was the same in Jokerit, the same jokes, but everybody knows I won't get
mad.



Saturday October 25.

Hangover... Yesterday was the teams Halloween-party. It was the best party I've ever been at! One
bar was reserved for us players and our girlfriends. Everybody had a costume (I was a gangster).
Paul Coffey was the best, he was dressed as Elvis, and he played Elvis's songs with a quitar. Eric
Lindros was in a Men in Black outfit. Then there were nuns, monks. Guys were like little kids when
they were kidding around and having fun.

Otherwise I've been lonely, Nina being in Finland and all. When I don't play well I've been down.
Even the newspapers have written that I should play better. I think I play reasonable well though. On
Tuesday against Tampa I scored a goal and got two assists. I get the feeling things will get better.



Friday November 7th

Tonight we go to Ottawa. Usually we travel by renting a plane. The rock group U2 uses by the way
the same plane.

Traveling is really quite simple for us: we never have to go through check-in. We just drive to the
airport and park near the plane and hop in. The plane is quite classy: leather seats and tables full of
food. A bus waits for us after the flight and takes us to a hotel. Our room keys are ready at the
reception. You can't complain.

On Sunday I'll call my dad because its Father's Day [in Finland].

Tuesday at Philadelphia my favorite band will perform: Metallica. I'm sad that it's a game day. The
concert starts at three so I don't know if I dare to go and see it. It could well be that I miss the show.



Wednesday Nov. 12th

I'm so down! Yesterday was unbelievable: I was in all the news..

What happened? Well in the morning the coach said that I'll be resting the night's game. He thinks
I've played quite all right, but not as well as I'm capable of. Coach said that an awakening is in order
and that my place will be taken by Kjell Samuelsson in tonight's game.

I decided that if that's the case, I'd go and see Metallica. There were 50,000 people at the concert. I
thought I'd sneak in quietly behind the stage but the PR-guys in Flyers knew that I'm a big fan of
Metallica so they forced me to give my game shirt to the band. I thought that it would be done
quietly but to my surprise there were a bunch of journalists and photographs backstage. And
perkele it turned out so that it says in all today's papers that I got benched because I went to the
concert.

It takes a couple of days before I can laugh at this. It was a good lesson to be benched. I must not
take the easy way out and must try harder.



Friday Nov. 21st

Today I went to the airport to pick up a good
friend of mine since childhood Markku Ojala.
Tonight we'll go out in Philly and a couple of
teammates will join us. The policedog on our
team Brantt Myhres is a bachelor so at least
he'll come. Tomorrow we'll take a limo and
drive to Atlantic City to see George Foreman
fight and play at the casino. Markku will be
staying for nine days. It's nice when friends
come over to visit. Last spring when Nina had
already left for Finland the Jarvenpaa-brothers
from Kiiminki showed up. They gave me company for a month.



Sunday Nov. 23rd

I got home from Atlantic City way past midnight. It was a good trip. A lot of the guys from the team
were with us. I saw my first ever fight from ringside seats at Taj Mahal Casino. After the fight we
were at the same party as Donald Trump and Larry Holmes.



Saturday Dec. 6th

Nina arrives today! I have a surprise for her: in the evening we'll go to New York to see Metallica
perform in the famous Saturday Night Live TV-show! I got the invitation when the band's manager
heard what happened to me when l saw the band the last time.



Saturday Dec. 13th

First game! A really big deer. A couple of minute's drive from my home there are great hunting
grounds. There's a deer stand beside a clearing.

Sun was shining but still it was damned cold. The tree was waving in the wind and I was freezing, but
after two hours of waiting things started to happen.

A deer came from the left side of the area. It slowly came towards me; I think it could smell me. I
could have shot it in it's side but I waited it to come closer. When the deer was under the tree I shot
it. The arrow went straight through it's spine and split it's heart. After the blood and guts were taken
out I took the deer to a slaughter house.



Sunday Dec. 14th

Now we have been playing almost every day. But I don't feel a thing -
because I'm playing very well at the moment. It all depends on how
you play. If things go well, all the problems seem minor.

Things are nice otherwise too. In two days my parents will be here and
Nina's parents the day after.



Monday Dec. 15.

On the road at Montreal. We played well as hell and beat Saku's [Koivu] gang. I happened to be on
the ice at the same time as Saku when a big fight began. Saku attacked one of our guys from behind
when I pulled him to the ice. Saku didn't notice that it was me so we had a little wrestling match. We
were both kind of nervous but it happens. I quess we still are friends.



Monday dec. 22nd

On Saturday we beat Florida and after that we all went to Paul Coffey's house. We went in suits and
drunk seriously the whole gang. The girls from the caterer served salmon, meat and caviar.

Coffey's house is fantastic, three stories by the hill. In one room downstairs there are things from
Paul's career. Paul showed them to us and told us funny stories cheerfully drunk. Guys have been
doing other things too, besides playing hockey!

On Sunday we once again went to Atlantic City. Limo picked me up and took us to the casino
where a suite was reserved for us. I already know the bosses at the casino so everything was
provided by the casino. Well we did play a little for money too.

One more game before Christmas. I've sent a bunch of cards and faxes to Finland and called at
friends. During the Christmas I miss Kiiminki the most. It's beautiful at the moment when there's
snow. All my friends are back there for the holidays as well.



Thursday Dec. 25

Christmas was as Finnish as it can be over here, carols and all. Mother brought traditional Finnish
food and gifts from Finland and I got a ham from a German slaughter house. Something was missing
though when it was 20 degrees (Celsius) outside. At least I had a couple of days off.



Friday Jan. 2

Now we have traveled for over a week. Today we flew to Ottawa. In Canada people see hockey
quite differently from the States. Here the newspapers and the TV are full of hockey all the time.
People know the players - if i.e. you go to a bar in the evening, everybody knows you.

New years eve went by calling up my friends in Finland. The guys had taken rooms from Hotel
Vaakuna at Oulu. It sounded like they had a quite fine party going on. I sadly listened to it all.

The same night we beat Vancouver 8 - 0. They were no good. I didn't have a chance to talk to Jyrki
[Lumme] but I quess he must have been on a bad mood anyway. Usually after a game we have to
hurry to catch the plane but this time we stayed in a night club in Vancouver. We went out with a
permission and partyed, sang and drank. We had to leave early but the guys are used to having a
little sleep.

Latvian Dainius Zubrus is the only one who never even takes one beer. He always hangs around in
parties but orders juice. All the guys respect Zubrus's decision.



Saturday Jan. 3rd

We beat Ottawa but I had it worse: I got a slapshot straight to my head. Teeth went through my lip,
a piece of tooth cracked off and I got 15 stitches in the lower lip. The lip was like a balloon, but I
went back on the ice in the second period.



Monday Jan. 5th

The club organized a fan club dinner today. It's once a year and tickets are sold to fans. There'll be
one player in each table. We had a similar event in Jokerit.

After the road trips you have to hurry to take care of business. There are investments and bills to be
taken care of. Now I have to negotiate a sportswear endorsement deal.



Saturday Jan. 10

At Tampa airport Eric Lindros announced that he'll buy steaks for the whole gang. It's about time:
Eric made a 16 million dollar deal with the Flyers a month ago. Guys gave him the lip accusing him to
be cheap when he buys the round in the evening before the game...

I think we deal with alcohol much less than before. There are strict rules during road trips: you have
to be in your hotel room by eleven. Nobody dares to fool around. So much money is at stake.

We talk very little about money with the guys. I think it's fair that the salaries are there in the open, so
you don't have to guess what the other guys are making. It's the last year of my contract. We haven't
discussed about the future yet.

These kind of money we make can easily make your head spin. When Dainius Zubrus last year came
to the NHL he immediately bought a BMW sportscar and lots of expensive suits. The quy is only
19.

Guys are very strict about what they wear. If it's anything other than Versace of Boss you'll here
from it right away. Otherwise you have to have a number of suits. The rule is that you have to dress
properly during traveling. I have six different suits and that must cover it.



Monday, Jan 19th

To Florida with Nina! We had four days off because of the All Star game. I wasn't chosen yet so we
traveled south. It was great to empty your mind. Now my batteries are full again. Everyday during
the trip I used the exercise bike and lifted weights. You can't ease before the Olympics.

In Miami we went to see houses of the famous people by boat and coincidentally 50 Finnish tourists
took the same trip. I quess there were no hockey fans in the group because nobody bothered me.

Matti Vesa, a friend from Kiiminki studies at Miami. On Saturday we went to see the nightlife
together. We dreamed of Kiiminki...



Wednesday Jan. 21

I kill time at a hotel in New York. Homesickness won't let go no matter what I do.

In the States everything is as good as it gets. We travel with private jets, stay at fancy hotels, have
long coats and run from place to plays in fancy suits. We get paid enormous sums of money and I
know that I should be happy - so many players want to play in the NHL. Sometimes I feel unreal
meeting the guys from Metallica and becoming a sort of friends with them. Sometimes I think that I
wish somebody would be here to see in which circles this country boy is hanging around.

But still I miss to go back to Kiiminki. To fish by the river, to hunt and meet all the friends. I almost
get misty-eyed reminiscing what I did last summer.

In Kiiminki we have a tight bunch of friends. I miss those quys from Jaali even though Nina is here.
The name of the game is that in here I do everything as well as I can, but the home is in Kiiminki in
the village of Jaali . I won't stay in Helsinki in the summer. Well, a couple of times I must go there to
see my friends.



Sunday Jan. 25th

I'm pissed as hell. Yesterday we bitterly lost to Detroit. The only goal they scored came three minute
before the end from my mistake.

Only few understands how hard playing sometime is. Already during the regular season we have 82
games and you have to succeed all the time or you'll get attacked by the coaches, fans and the
media. This winter I have had to fight a lot with myself. I have so many huge goals that the pressure
has had to build up.

Czech Peter Svoboda advised me that you must keep you head cool, you mustn't get too high or go
too low. You have to forget the excuses and concentrate on playing even though all the little things
circle in your mind.

I talk about these things to Nina, but she can't understand everything. Every now and then I call to
Helsinki to Antti Tormanen who has played in NHL for one year and knows what this is like. I can
also talk to my old friends. Guys will be my friends no matter what happens.

Luckily we are busy tonight so that I don't have to think the game through at home. The gang will be
watching the Super Bowl at Eric Lindros' house. Everybody pitched in 200 bucks with which we
bought a 60" television. The one who correctly quesses the result of the game gets the TV. I would
like to win that.

It's a kind of must to always be in the teams partys. If you stay away you'll get unfriendly looks. In
Finland we only had sauna-evenings. Well nothing can beat those!



Monday Jan. 26.

I had a little accident with the car. The mechanical system which opens the garage door, fell on top
of my car. Perkele! Luckily I got help to lift it away from a neighbor who happened to be there. I
nearly missed practice. If you totally miss the practice you'll get fined a days salary.

The games are going lousy for the whole team. We just closed the door after a game and had a
meeting. Not even the coach was let in. There was a lot of shouting but it did some good. We have a
couple of guys who play too much for themselves.

Eric Lindros is the captain of the gang but he doesn't make much noise in the dressing room. I also
stay quiet - you don't have much authority to criticize others when you play your second year in the
NHL. Petr Svoboda talks a lot and he also says what he thinks straight to your face. In Finland only
few players have the nerve to do like that.

The coach is of very little help at this situation. Wayne promised ages ago that he'll have man-to-man
talks with everybody but nothing has happened. I told him that at least I need help. I must know
which things I can do better.



Wednesday Jan. 28.

There hasn't been so many trades so far even
though there has been a lot of rumors. During the
last weekend Alexander Daigle from Ottawa
joined us and to Ottawa went Pat Falloon and
Vaclav Prospal. It is kind of blunt business -
Prospal didn't have a clue that he would be sold
elsewhere. There came a reminder to us all that
you'd better play well and fit in.



Sunday February 1st

We raised over 1,000,000 dollars for charity! Once a year the players wives arrange an event where
we sell stuff and give autographs. I must have written a couple of thousand autographs. Ara [Hannu
Aravirta, Finland's national team's head coach] called. We both had a good feeling about the
Olympics. I think that Finland has a chance to go all the way.



Wednesday Feb. 4th

Yesterday to Dallas. At the hotel there was a message from Juha [Lind] and Jere [Lehtinen]. The
guys were at a nearby boat-show. We checked some boats and afterwards we went to Jere's place
to eat, sauna and yacucci. Guys live in a neighbourhood where there live a lot of Finnish people
working for Nokia [a Finnish telecommunication company]. There's a sauna for all the inhabitants to
use and you had to try it.



Sunday Feb. 8th

The Olympic feeling is on the rise. Yesterday at Denver Colorado after the game all the players
going to the Olympics were introduced carrying flags of their home country. The crowd was
obviously exited.

After the game I went to to LA with Peter Svoboda. In the evening we went out for a little "buzz." A
while ago I read a book about Jim Morrison so now we had to check all Jim's regulars like Billboard
Live, Whiskey-A-Go-Go.. Svoboda`s manager arranged us past lines to VIP-quarters. We only
took a couple of beers because today we fly to Tokyo.



Tuesday Feb. 9

Here we are at Tokyo. My roommates are Jari [Kurri], Esa
[Tikkanen] and Teppo [Numminen]. The room is for four and it
doesn't even have a TV. NHLPA at least got as mobile phones to
use.

I wonder if Esa had slept a wink the first night? In the morning I
woke at seven when Esa pointed a flashlight in my eyes and
announced that now we go to check the Olympic village. No can
do you had to go. Esa has started his Show already. Immediately
when someone has a sour face Esa is there to cheer him up.

I think that it's nice as hell to speak Finnish with your teammates.
We have a great team spirit. Ara has exact plans for everything.
Every night there is a meeting where we discuss the opponent's
game and our own game.



Monday Feb. 16th

At a party with Mara [Mr Martti Ahtisaari, the president of Finland]. Finland's Japanese ambassador
arranged the party. Also the girlfriends were invited.

There's not much to do in Nagano except play cards and walk around the Olympic Village. I think
it's fun just to talk with these guys. It's nice to here what has happened behind the scenes. Jari has
been one of my biggest idols.

I haven't had much time to see Nina and most of the events you have only seen on TV. On location
we saw the final in Moguls. An army friend of mine Janne Lahtela got a silver medal. A great
moment.



Friday January 20th

This night is one of the worst night of my life. We recently lost to Russia 7-4. I made a huge mistake.
The f----g puck bounced over my stick and Pavel Bure got away to score a goal.

I'm as beaten as a man can be. Only after 16 hours there'll be a game for the bronze against Canada.
F....k, how do we get up from here...

It would be easy to give up now. I made a terrible mistake. But god damn my skills couldn't have
vanished overnight.

In a meeting we talked and agreed we'd take the bronze. Tiki and Saku mainly did the speaking but
I was shut up. After the meeting I went into my room and closed the door, took the phone of the
hook and started to read Onni Palaste`s war novel "The Guerrillas of Rukajarvi". Jari came by to see
how I was doing and tried to cheer me up.



Sunday Feb. 22nd

And Perkele we got the bronze! Yesterday we beat Canada 3-2. It was the most important game of
my career - that deep I went.

We sprayed Champagne for a while in the dressing room and after that we continued at the
ambassadors party to eat and drink. The party picked up speed when Juha Lind and Teemu
(Selanne) fooled around by imitating people. I was told that a person from the Emperor of Japan's
staff came to announce that the Emperor can't sleep because we made so much noise, but I didn't
see the incident.

What I remember most about Japan is that everybody were so unbelievable friendly. Everything was
so small, people and things.

27 games left of the regular season.



Sunday March 1st

Yesterday we beat New York Rangers away. After the game the team had a dinner together. At the
bar I watched basketball from the TV when I noticed that by golly there played an old friend from
school Hanno Mottola. [Plays for Utah. Got to the NCAA finals this season]



Tuesday March 3rd

The coach said after the Olympics that I played a good tournament in Nagano. Two of my last
games went well and I got a lot of ice-time. Today he benched me again and told me that he expect
better performance from me. He says that I have to be the best defenseman in the team in every
game. The game against the Islanders wasn't fun to watch. We played poorly and lost.



Saturday March 7th

Nina's friend cam over to visit us which
is nice. My relationship with Nina is
special because everything is dictated by
ice hockey. The team travels a lot so
Nina has to be alone a lot. She studies,
exercises and travels but I think she
sometimes gets bored. Nina says though
that she enjoys herself. We both knew
what this would be like but I must admit
I miss her a lot when we are on a long
road trips.



Monday March 9th

Today was supposed to be a day off. Yesterday evening I received a phone call at home that there'll
be a meeting at the rink. In the morning the president Bobby Clarke told that Wayne is no longer a
head coach. Weird thing because he did stay as an assisting coach. All the players are amazed of
what would become out of this.

The new coach is an old pro Roger Neilson. He's known by the nickname Captain Video. The guy
watches day in day out game videos and looks for errors and positive stuff. Seemed like a capable
man.



Wednesday March 18th

Wayne is different now when he's the second coach. He jokes with the players and clearly enjoys
himself. He does a shitty job every now and then. Wayne's responsibility is to organize how the
defense is played and who plays and every now and then I get the feeling he don't even remember
who just came in to the bench. Icetime varies ridiculously because of that. In some games I've played
16 minutes and in the next twice as much. Other defensemen are irritated as well.



Monday March 23rd

Tomorrow is the last chance for teams to make deals for new players. There are a lot of rumors.
Today the New York Post wrote that New York Islanders wants Niinimaa. Clarke has been saying
all the time that he won't sell me or Zubrus. [yeah, right]



Wednesday, March 25th

I've been sold! F....g Clarke what he did.

Yesterday I was still with Flyers in New
Jersey, but today I'm already in Edmonton. I
barely had time to visit home and to calm Nina
down. Shit what a mess...

Yesterday after the morning practice we joked
with guys that have a nice rest of the season if
we don't see in tonight's game. Deadline for
deals was at 3 p.m. My roommate Colin Forbes an I were just planning to take a nap when the
phone rang. The time was a quarter past two. We both kind of freaked out that now it happened.
Colin answered and then he gave the phone to me. It was the coach saying that he needs to see me
in his office. I knew then I had been sold.

I was in total shock. I went to Neilsons office where he told me that I've been sold to Edmonton. I
was so mixed up I couldn't say a word. I wished him good luck in the future and went to pack my
things. I can't recall a time when I had been so wasted.

I had to get my things from the rink. I left a good-bye message on the chalkboard in the dressing
room. In the end I wrote Ps. Voi perkele! Guys know what that means.

Flyers had called for a car and a driver to take me home. That's good because I was in no driving
state of mind.

Clarke called though that wasn't a very long call. I felt like saying everything straight to him. He just
let me know that in his opinion he made a move which would help the team. I said "Right." and hung
up.

At home Nina was all mixed up. Above all things
Edmonton's president Glen Sather called and told me to
guickly to go there. Oilers had an important game the next
day. I had two hours to pack my things and to catch a
plane to Toronto. I arrived at a hotel in Toronto 2 a.m.
and had to get up at 7 a.m. to catch a plane to Edmonton.

In the morning I went straight to the rink in Edmonton, I
met the players, the coaches and a bunch of journalists. In
the evening was my first game. We beat Washington 3 -
1. I tried to play safe and sound. I think everything went great.

I must say though that I'm mad as hell. Flyers is one of
 
Where to write to him:
Janne Niinimaa c/o The Edmonton Oilers
11230 - 110 STREET
EDMONTON, ALBERTA
T5G 3G8
 
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Email me at:
[email protected]

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