Matti Hagman

Matti Hagman
Hakki
Born	September 21, 1955 (1955-09-21) (age 56) Helsinki, FIN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position	Forward
Shot	Left
Played for	SM-liiga HIFK Reipas NHL Boston Bruins Quebec Nordiques Edmonton Oilers Bundesliga Landshut Cannibals
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	104th overall, 1975 Boston Bruins
Playing career	1972–1992

Matti Risto Tapio "Hakki" Hagman (born September 21, 1955 in Helsinki) is a former Finnish ice hockey professional.^[1] Hagman was the first Finnish-born and Finnish trained player to play an NHL game and the first to play in a Stanley Cup final. First Finnish-born player in NHL was actually Pentti Lund, who actually never played hockey in Finland, having moved to Canada at the age of six.

NHL & WHA Career

Boston Bruins (1976-77)

Hagman played 237 NHL games over seven seasons. He debuted for the Boston Bruins on October 7, 1976 as they hosted the Minnesota North Stars. During his time in Boston, Hagman was coached by famous Canadian Head Coach Don Cherry. During his time with the Bruins, Hagman did not got much time on ice but Hagman did score well. During his first NHL season, Matti Hagman scored 28 points in 75 games though being played on 3rd and 4th lines who do not have much offensive time on ice.

Quebec Nordiques (1977-78)

Hagman joined the WHA Quebec Nordiques in 1977 after they purchased him from Boston. Despite scoring 3 assists in his first Nordiqes game, Hagman returned to Finland in 1978 unhappy with playing abroad. He joined Helsinki IFK and went on to lead the Finnish league in points in 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85. Hagman played 3 Canada Cups, as Finland finished sixth in each tournament (1976, 1981, and 1987). He also played on the fourth-place Finnish team in the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Edmonton Oilers (1980-82)

Hagman was more prominent a player on the Edmonton Oilers as they made the transition from WHA to NHL play. Though being originally a Center, Hagman played left wing on the line with all stars Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson during the 1980–81 campaign. Hagman moved from center to left wing because the Oilers had two top centers; Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. An injury in training camp the next year limited Hagman to just a few games and spelt the end to his NHL career.

After Retirement

Hagman was named Martigny (Switzerland) head coach in 2004. Hagman also has coached numerous Finnish Ice Hockey teams.

Personal life

He is the father of NHLer Niklas Hagman of the Calgary Flames. Matti is also the brother-in-law of former indoor soccer star Kai Haaskivi.

Matti Hagman's sister Riitta Salin won the European Championship (athletics) in 400 m in Rome in 1974.

References

1. ^ Matti Hagman's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

External links

• hockeydraftcentral profile of 1975 NHL Draft pick Hagman, No. 104 overall
• Matti Hagman's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Jukka Alkula	Winner of the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy 1973–74	Succeeded by Markus Mattsson
Preceded by Kari Makkonen	Winner of the Aarne Honkavaara trophy 1979–80	Succeeded by Arto Javanainen
Preceded by Veli-Pekka Ketola	Winner of the Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy 1979–80	Succeeded by Reijo Leppänen
Preceded by Reijo Leppänen	Winner of the Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85	Succeeded by Arto Javanainen
Preceded by Heikki Riihiranta	Captain of HIFK 1983–85	Succeeded by Pekka Rautakallio
Preceded by Pekka Rautakallio	Captain of HIFK 1987–89	Succeeded by Simo Saarinen

Persondata
Name	Hagman, Matti
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 21, 1955
Place of birth	Helsinki, FIN
Date of death
Place of death