Untitled Page

Olli Jokinen News & Rumors

Jokinen OK with pace Flames take to talk contract
February 9
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen makes no bones about his desire to remain with the Calgary Flames beyond this season, which would require a new contract. However, Jokinen, who is due to be an unrestricted free agent July 1, isn't stressing about inking a new pact before the Feb. 27 trade deadline or even the Canada Day opening of free agency. "If they decide a deal today, I'm OK. If they decide a deal at the end of June, I'm OK. If they decide a deal July 1, I'm OK. Whatever (the Flames) think is best for them, they will do," he said. "Some guys don't want to think about a deal, but I've been around enough to know my job is to play my best every day. It's not a distraction to me. For some guys, it could be a"
Jokinen scores hat-trick as Flames beat Sharks
February 9
Calgary Sun
 
"Miikka Kiprusoff recorded the milestone win, against his former team no less. Olli Jokinen was the hero. Kiprusoff became just the 27th member of the NHL's 300-win club, but his Finnish countryman led the way with three goals and four points to pace the Calgary Flames to Wednesday night's entertaining 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. Jokinen's seventh career hat-trick included the game winner. "He was making sure Kipper had a big night," said Jarome Iginla, Calgary's other marksman. "Olli was great. He's been playing well for a while and you can see him start to feel it." The Flames improve to 25-22-7 to move one point back of the Minnesota Wild for the eighth and final playoff spot."
Fast fuel for Jokinen
February 4
Calgary Sun
 
"There are heavy shots, and there are those fueled by fast food. Olli Jokinen's first-period blast from the top of the circle qualified as both. The big Finn got all of his slapper, which ricocheted back out of the net so fast only Jokinen knew he scored to snap his goal-scoring slump of 15 games. Turns out there was a reason. "Four years ago, when I was in Phoenix and went through a similar slump, Gretzky told me to go have a burger, relax, don't think about hockey …" Jokinen told TSN's Jermain Franklin during the first intermission. "I did the same thing last night. I had a Big Mac meal from McDonald's, and maybe that was the key to score. "If the Great One tells you to go have a burger,"
NHL career took upswing after Jokinen quit alcohol
January 24
Calgary Sun
 
"In the back of Olli Jokinen's mind, he knew for years the drinking would have to stop. He knew the toll his binge boozing was taking on his body and, ultimately, on his career. Happy to tie one on with his teammates when the opportunity presented itself, those nights out with the boys no longer seemed worth it the next day or two when hobbled by debilitating hangovers. Both the throbbing in his head and the weakness that stems from being dehydrated were cheating him, his teammates, his coach and his organization out of what he knew he could bring on night's the game had his full attention. The Tylenol intake mounted, as did the guilt. So he quit."
Jokinen a common denominator in sparking Flames
January 24
Calgary Herald
 
"Meet No. 13, this season's lucky charm. When Curtis Glencross is playing the best hockey of his life, Olli Jokinen is there. When Jarome Iginla needs to get on track, when he wheels in his 500th goal, Jokinen is there. When Blake Comeau and Lee Stempniak break loose in tandem in Edmonton, Jokinen is there. Simply put — when the Calgary Flames' wingers are producing, the big centre is the common denominator. Deeming it a coincidence would be a disservice. He's more than a 210-pound rabbit's foot. No matter who is working the flanks, Jokinen's line is a factor."
Jokinen wants to stay with Flames
January 22
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen wants to retire with the Calgary Flames. And with that in mind, his agent recently flew into Calgary and met with Flames GM Jay Feaster to start the ball rolling on trying to extend his NHL contract. While the notion of re-upping the 33-year-old centre would have been pure folly when he was brought back here two summers ago, his leadership and inspired play this season have essentially put the Flames in a position where they can't afford not to re-sign the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Without him, the Flames could theoretically start next season with Mikael Backlund, Blair Jones, Roman Horak and Matt Stajan as the club's starting middlemen. Jokinen, 36-year-old Brendan"
Banning booze big boost for Flames' Jokinen
January 22
Calgary Sun
 
"In the back of Olli Jokinen's mind, he knew for years the drinking would have to stop. He knew the toll his binge boozing was taking on his body and, ultimately, on his career. Happy to tie one on with his teammates when the opportunity presented itself, those nights out with the boys no longer seemed worth it the next day or two when hobbled by debilitating hangovers. Both the throbbing in his head and the weakness that stems from being dehydrated were cheating him, his teammates, his coach and his organization out of what he knew he could bring on night's the game had his full attention. The Tylenol intake mounted, as did the guilt. So he quit."
1,000 games no big deal for Flames' Jokinen
January 1
Calgary Herald
 
"Olli Jokinen is a man who clearly wants to live in the moment. His world is now — not yesterday, not tomorrow. So, sorry, details from his first appearance in the National Hockey League are not forthcoming. That was too long ago. Things are too hazy. And his upcoming 1,000th game? Well, that doesn't really resonate either. Its mention the other day barely rates a shrug. "I've been able to play and stay in the game," says the Calgary Flames centre, who, when he touches the ice Sunday evening, will officially earn his silver stick — the 268th player to reach the 1,000-game benchmark. "I think I still have a lot of years ahead of me. But the biggest thing this year — I'm not going to lose my"
Iggy and Olli show powers Flames to win over Wings
November 4
Calgary Herald
 
"To some of the bewildered folks back home, Brent Sutter required a sobriety test Thursday for his pronouncements after the morning skate. Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla on the same line? Again? Didn't some wise soul tell us a long time ago that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result? No matter. Iginla and Jokinen indeed played together in Detroit, and the Flames defeated the faltering Red Wings 4-1 at Joe Louis Arena. So is Sutter a clairvoyant of sorts? How else to explain a move that, from the outside, appeared nonsensical?"
Flames' Jokinen haunted by heavy metal
October 23
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen should have been the hero the last couple of games. Instead, he's being haunted by the sound of rubber meeting metal. The Calgary Flames centre smacked a potential game-winner off the crossbar during Thursday's overtime loss to the New York Rangers. Jokinen was staring at an empty net and a diving Nashville Predators defender with the Flames down by a goal Saturday afternoon, and again was rejected by the iron when his shot careened off the post and then Jonathan Blum's stick and out of danger. There might not have been a better opportunity on the afternoon to beat Preds goalie Pekka Rinne during the 2-0 loss. "I don't know if it hit the defenceman's stick or the post," said"
Jokinen growing into shutdown role
October 2
Calgary Herald
 
"For Olli Jokinen the turnaround in his game came about due to a change in his personal GPS. No more east to west movement. Under orders from Calgary Flames head coach Brent Sutter, the Finnish centre shifted his on-ice compass last November to north and south. "I told him, 'Olli, this is the way I want you to be,' " said Sutter, recalling the informal summit that marked a turnaround for No. 13. " 'You're going to play against the other team's top players. I expect you to shut them down. I expect you to be more responsible defensively. I want you to be a straight line-guy. " 'No more of the swooping and looping all over.' ""
Jokinen lovin' life in Calgary
September 21
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen is hoping his is not a case of hair today, gone tomorrow. With just one year left on his two-year deal, the 32-year-old Flames centre says he'd like nothing more than to sign another deal to extend his stay in Calgary. And he's willing to talk contract as soon as the Flames are. "Absolutely," said Jokinen, who will make US$3 million this season. "My kids and wife love it here. The school system is great. People are really nice and hockey matters. A lot of times you try to go somewhere else and think it might be better but it isn't always true. I know that. Hopefully, I have a lot of years left here." A year ago those words would have scared most fans."
Jokinen shrugs off his own improved season
April 13
Calgary Herald
 
"The relationship between Olli Jokinen and the city of Calgary can only be described as tumultuous. At one point or another during his tenure, the big Finn has been blamed for everything from the Flames missing the playoffs to the proliferation of high gas prices to the slow patching of ghastly potholes. No matter. The Calgary Flames centre is in Florida this week with his wife, who is due to give birth to the couple's third child at any moment. From there, the family will jet back to Calgary. Yes, it's true. The Jokinens have chosen the Alberta chill over the Florida sun. "This is home," Jokinen said before packing up his gear to end another NHL season. "We love it here. It's a great place"
Jokinen hot on (and off) the ice
March 25
Calgary Herald
 
"Trust Olli Jokinen to deliver. Ask a question, get an answer. Sometimes the replies are wacky. But most often, he comes across as candid. Confrontational at times. Typically blunt. And when Jokinen does swerve off course? He's trying to make a point, convey a message. Take this recent exchange with the gangly pivot. The topic is the Calgary Flames veteran's relatively robust play in recent weeks, months even. "I think I've proved in the last 40-plus games," he deadpans, "that I can still be an average player in this league." Pause. Looks all around. Shuffling of feet. Olli, you don't really mean "average," do you? You mean good, right? "Well, in your books, probably average." OK, there it"
Jokinen steps up
March 25
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen a two-way centre? Is that what the Calgary Flames were expecting when he was acquired? That's what he's become, and although the fans may have been hoping for more, the Flames are thankful these days. Consider the impact of all the developments among Calgary's centres. When Craig Conroy was put on waivers and opted to retire, the Flames believed they still had enough depth down the middle. However, with Brendan Morrison (knee) and David Moss (ankle) joining Daymond Langkow (neck) on the sidelines, the Flames have been left with an under-manned crew."
Jokinen line strikes again in crucial victory
February 17
Calgary Herald
 
"Cory Sarich believes in the old football adage of acting like you've been there before. So he scored the game-winning goal in a crucial 4-2 Calgary Flames victory over the Dallas Stars? So his wobbler of a snapshot — a change-up, according to Mark Giordano — fluttered top corner over Kari Lehtonen to seal the win? Ho hum. Another day at the office. Or not. "Feels good," the stay-at-home defenceman said with a wry grin. "I've had a couple before in my career." More than a couple actually, Sarich only has 18 goals in his entire National Hockey League career, but six of them are game-winners. "They don't come very often," Sarich said. "Nice when it happens. "Nice to chip in again." He's not"
Just Jokinen: Improved play has Olli in jovial mood
December 18
Calgary Herald
 columnist Vicki Hall
"Turns out Olli was only Jokinen. In a display of witty repartee, the Calgary Flames centre listened intently Friday to a rather lengthy question posed by Jermain Franklin. The TSN reporter wanted to know if the big Finn was motivated, in recent times, by fear of spending a night or two in the press box (like David Moss, Mikael Backlund, Matt Stajan or Curtis Glencross.) "No" Jokinen said, with perfect deadpan delivery. "I heard they're going to put you on TSN 2 though. "That's the only rumour I've heard." Touche. After everyone in earshot stopped laughing, Jokinen (trying to stifle an infectious case of the giggles) openly discussed the latest motivational technique deployed by Brent"
Jokinen checks back into Flames lineup
November 24
Calgary Sun
 
"As cities go, Newark, N.J., doesn't quite rate up there with the Big Apple. However, Olli Jokinen was happy to reach the other side of the Hudson River. After all, it means his three-game suspension is complete. "It's a good thing we played three games in four nights — that way the games go by fast," said Jokinen, who was banished by the NHL for a cross-check to the head of Phoenix Coyotes forward Wojtek Wolski. "It's a tough pill to swallow to watch the team play from the press-box." Jokinen's return likely couldn't come at a better time for the Flames, who face the host New Jersey Devils Wednesday night. The status of fellow centre Matt Stajan would seem up in the air after he was"
Olli Jokinen facing discipline for crosscheck
November 18
TSN.ca
 
"Olli Jokinen could be facing a suspension. The Calgary Flames forward has an 11:30am disciplinary conference call with the league for his crosscheck to face of Phoenix Coyotes forward Wojtek Wolski in the third period of the Flames 3-1 loss on Wednesday night."
Jokinen's goal was karma
October 30
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen said he doesn't believe in karma. Still, it seemed the age-old belief a person's actions affect their future, came into play when the Calgary Flames centre recorded his first goal of the season. Jokinen was credited with Calgary's first goal in Thursday's 6-5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but immediately told the officials he didn't touch the puck shot by Niklas Hagman. It was quickly awarded to Hagman. By the end of the second period, though, Jokinen finally lit the lamp."
Jokinen's redemption song
October 6
Calgary Herald
 
"Clutching paper and pen, they maintain a respectful distance. Having spied the one and only Olli Jokinen - oversized Gucci sunglasses pushed back on his head, black track-suit cloaking his lanky frame, large cup of java steaming in front of him - father and son wait. Huddling, whispering. And formulating a plan of attack, no doubt. Swiftly sizing up the situation, Jokinen excuses himself from his coffee-shop conversation and makes the first move, wandering over for a chat and an autograph. The grateful fans, all smiles, have no way of knowing that they just served as the perfect prop. Because, only minutes earlier, Jokinen had been telling his table mate that he gets an unfailingly warm"
Jokinen, Bourque suit up for Flames
October 4
Calgary Sun
 
"Enjoying a few days of recovery, a couple of the Calgary Flames top guns were back on the ice Sunday. Olli Jokinen and Rene Bourque suited up against the Edmonton Oilers at the Saddledome Sunday, lightening a bit of the injury load for the accident-prone Flames as the pre-season came to an end. "I could have played the last few games but decided to take it easy," Bourque said after an eight-day stretch between games while being listed as out for "general maintenance." "I'm healthy. Just wanted to take a few days off." Jokinen also said he was feeling fine after tweaking a muscle in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes earlier this week. "I felt pretty good the next day, too. I guess"
Injury bug puts Flames roster in limbo
October 3
Calgary Herald
 
"Two come off, two go on. It seems the Calgary Flames aren't about to make any headway with their injury list as the last game of the pre-season rolls in and the first game of the National Hockey League regular season approaches. Of course, the addition of another centre to the "indefinite" list should come as no surprise with three already in that fort. David Moss, who was asked to return to his old college role of pivot at the start of this training camp, was officially listed as being out for an indefinite period of time with an unspecified shoulder injury suffered during Friday's wicked Battle of Alberta at Edmonton against the Oilers. Linemate Ales Kotalik, who had been strutting his A"
Just a muscle strain for Olli?
September 30
Calgary Sun
 
"Officially, Olli Jokinen is listed as day-to-day. Rumour around the Flames camp has it the 31-year-old suffered a minor muscle strain Tuesday night and an injury update from the team Wednesday afternoon lists Jokinen as day-to-day. He played three shifts in the second period before heading to the locker-room for the night."
Jokinen downplays back injury, prepares for opener
September 30
Calgary Herald
 
"Olli Jokinen was searching for four tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Kooza, not a chiropractor, Wednesday. Given the Calgary Flames' dwindling resources at centre these days, the sight of the middle spoke on the Big Wheel, the No. 1 line, clutching at the small of his back during the first period of Tuesday night's 3-1 pre-season taming of the Phoenix Coyotes might've sent the brass into spasms of muted terror. Particularly when he didn't return to combat. Officially, it was chalked up to "general maintenance" which, for all anyone knows, might be an officer in the Canadian armed forces. Wednesday, Jokinen had been upgraded (downgraded?) to day-to-day. "If it was a regular-season game, I"
Flames win, but lose Jokinen to injury
September 29
Calgary Herald
 
"Alex Tanguay hasn't played centre since, well, since he was a teenager. But there he was Tuesday night, stepping in between Niklas Hagman and Jarome Iginla on a makeshift No. 1 attacking trio during the third period of the Calgary Flames' 3-1 pre-season victory over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes. Tanguay was pressed into service after No. 1 pivot Olli Jokinen left the game after three shifts into the second period with what appeared to be a mid-body injury. The big Finn fired the puck into the Phoenix end from the blueline, chased after it around the net and circled back straight to the Calgary bench. He appeared to be clutching his lower back area before leaving for the trainer's room."
Flames unveil new top trio
September 21
Calgary Herald
 
"Sure, you had your reasons. Good reasons, too. Couldn't tiptoe out of that Chem 20 class. Couldn't sneak another extra-long lunch past the boss. Couldn't borrow the keys to Mom's station wagon. Which means you missed the unveiling of the Calgary Flames' top unit - Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Alex Tanguay - during Monday's intrasquad matinee at the Max Bell Centre. But fret not - this experiment is going to be long-lived. Take it from the decider. "We need to be patient with this now," Flames coach Brent Sutter noted after the annual Red and White game. "We have the opportunity to allow that to happen. So why not? Let them try to work things out. Hopefully, at the start of the season,"
Jokinen deal not so ridiculous
September 19
Calgary Sun
 columnist Eric Francis
"While the head-scratching continues, most of the league-wide laughter has finally subsided following the Calgary Flames' re-acquisition of Olli Jokinen. Good thing, too, as it's time to turn the page on a deal and a player that caused Darryl Sutter and the Flames so much grief in the court of public opinion. Detractors around the city and league were obviously shocked Sutter overlooked the fact Jokinen failed to build any chemistry in his first go-round with the Flames. However, while many may never see the wisdom in trying once again to get Jokinen and Jarome Iginla on the same page, something important needs to be pointed out: Sutter went into free agency with no money and the need to"
Flames' Jokinen hoping to bounce back
September 9
Calgary Sun
 
"Olli Jokinen is admittedly not much of a golfer. Jokinen's return to the Calgary Flames has its share of controversy, but the centre vows to be a different player this time around. On the eve of the club's annual charity golf tournament at Country Hills -- which leads into training camp and then the season -- Jokinen said he will bounce back from the performance he gave during his one-year stint in Calgary. "It was a tough season for me," Jokinen said during Wednesday's meet-and-greet luncheon at the Saddledome. "I know I'm a better player than I was last year, it was one of my worst years in eight or nine years. I ended up getting 50 points, and I know a lot of players in this league"
Langkow injury fears linked to controversial Jokinen deal
July 4
Calgary Herald
 
"For the life of him, Darryl Sutter can't see what all the fuss is about. The Calgary Flames needed a veteran centre, right? So he signed one. Simple. Outcry? What outcry? "Actually, (the reaction) has been really, really positive," the Flames general manager, with a straight face, said Friday morning at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Positive? From whom? "From people who are important. Next question." From the season-ticket holders? "Including them. Especially them." As the flummoxed fan-base tries to get its collective head around the return of Olli Jokinen, the underwhelming Finn, Sutter served up a couple of twisty explanations. - Hey, Jokinen couldn't excel because the Flames had no"
Move for Jokinen linked to injury fears, says Flames GM
July 3
Calgary Herald
 
"Darryl Sutter dropped a disturbing nugget of news today in his press conference to address the signing of Olli Jokinen. Centre Daymond Langkow is struggling to recover from a season-ending neck injury suffered in the spring. His status for next season is unknown. "It's still an issue," said the Calgary Flames general manager. "We're 100 days post-injury. We thought he would be further along that he is, and he's still not. "We're still 100 days away (from the start of the season), but it is a concern." Back on March 21, medics wheeled Langkow off the ice in Minnesota via stretcher after taking an Ian White slap shot off the base of the neck. From the impact of the blast, Langkow suffered"
Jokinen signing 'positive'
July 3
Calgary Sun
 
"A million people can be wrong. At least that appears to be Darryl Sutter's belief. A day after his decision to re-acquire Olli Jokinen, the Flames GM was asked about the negative reaction the move has received. "It's been really, really positive, all I've had," Sutter said Friday morning, the first time he'd spoken to the media after bringing back Jokinen as well as Alex Tanguay on Canada Day. Naturally, the next question was from whom he'd received positive reinforcement. "From people who are important," he shot back. Such as season-ticket holders? "Including them. Especially them," Sutter said. That's curious, since all media outlets were barraged with negative comments because"
Flames sign Jokinen to two-year deal
July 1
Calgary Herald
 
"The complaints came in fast and furious Thursday as soon as the rumour broke. Olli Jokinen to the Calgary Flames. Again. "Please tell me the Jokinen is bunk," one fan wrote. "PLEASE." "If Calgary signs Jokinen, I will not watch hockey this season," pledged another one-time supporter. "Mind = boggled," wrote another. "I feel sick." Yes, it's true. On a Canada Day that seemed more like April Fool's Day, the Flames reportedly signed Jokinen to a two-year deal worth $6 million."
Jokinen excited about return
April 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"Olli Jokinen was eager about coming to play the Panthers two months ago, but the reunion never happened. Days before the game, the Flames traded him to the Rangers. Put on hold, Jokinen's long-awaited return has arrived. Saturday, the Panthers' former captain and all-time leader in goals (188), assists (231) and points (419) will play his first game at BankAtlantic Center since he was traded to the Coyotes at the 2008 draft — a deal which brought over defenseman Keith Ballard. "It's a special game. I have a lot of good memories in that building. It will be a little weird," Jokinen said. He'll have friends at the game, as well as his family. After his trade to the Rangers, Jokinen's wife"
'A special game' for former Florida Panther Olli Jokinen
April 3
Miami Herald
 
"On the night Olli Jokinen was traded from the Panthers to the Phoenix Coyotes, he was entertaining friends at his house in western Broward County. ``This will always be home,'' he said June 20, 2008. Apparently those weren't empty words. For Jokinen, South Florida has really become his home. He comes back Saturday. Jokinen, the former Panthers captain who played in Florida from 2000 until the draft-night trade to the Coyotes, will play his first game at BankAtlantic Center since the Panthers' home finale of the 2007-08 season when the New York Rangers play Florida at 7 p.m. ``This is going to be a special game,'' Jokinen said from Tampa on Thursday night. The Rangers played the Lightning"
Jokinen excited about return
April 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"Olli Jokinen was eager about coming to play the Panthers two months ago, but the reunion never happened. Days before the game, the Flames traded him to the Rangers. Put on hold, Jokinen's long-awaited return has arrived. Saturday, the Panthers' former captain and all-time leader in goals (188), assists (231) and points (419) will play his first game at BankAtlantic Center since he was traded to the Coyotes at the 2008 draft — a deal which brought over defenseman Keith Ballard. "It's a special game. I have a lot of good memories in that building. It will be a little weird," Jokinen said. He'll have friends at the game, as well as his family. After his trade to the Rangers, Jokinen's wife"
Rangers' Jokinen lets bygones be bygones
March 31
New York Post
 
"Boston and Atlanta won, too, to keep the Rangers four points and two places out. So when Olli Jokinen said last night he didn't "want to talk about the past," odds remain strong that "past" probably already has doomed the 2009-10 Rangers. Jokinen, dormant practically since his acquisition on Feb. 2, scored his first goal since his overtime winner in Pittsburgh 16 games ago, assisted on another and wound up a plus-three with linemates Vinny Prospal and P.A. Parenteau as the Rangers stormed from behind to beat the Islanders 4-3 last night at the Coliseum. Put together for the first time on the very first shift of the second period, Prospal nailed one over Dwayne Roloson's shoulder off the"
Now on Rangers' top line, Jokinen feels centered
March 16
New York Daily News
 
"Olli Jokinen believes he strayed from his strengths while aligned with star Jarome Iginla earlier this season in Calgary. It's something he's been trying to avoid repeating while successfully centering the Rangers' top line in recent games. "Three games now we've played (together), and I'm starting to get a little feeling with the guys," Jokinen said yesterday, referring to linemates Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. "Obviously they have chemistry because they've been playing on the same line all year. As a new guy coming in, I just have to try to fit in." Jokinen, a four-time 30-goal scorer, has netted only 13 this season, including two in 13 games for the Rangers since a trade with the"
Olli Jokinen's OT goal propels Rangers past Penguins, 3-2
February 13
Bergen Record
 
"Finally, something went right for the Rangers at Mellon Arena. "Every person was paying the price and playing hard," said Olli Jokinen, who scored at 1:02 of overtime for a 3-2 win over the Penguins on Friday night, the Rangers' first overtime victory of the season. That included leading scorer Marian Gaborik, who sat out the final two periods after trying to play on his lacerated right thigh, and rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who missed most of the game after suffering a deep gash on the left side of his rib cage. The Rangers (27-27-7), who earlier acquired enforcer Jody Shelley and are in a 3-8-0 slump, lost their previous seven regular-season games at the Igloo, which opened in"
Rangers, Devils land big fish
February 7
Courier-Post
 columnist Chuck Gormley
"In the span of four days, New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather and New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello took a drive through the NHL's high rent district and came away with Olli Jokinen and Ilya Kovalchuk. And while the two teams certainly stole headlines with the deals, was the risk worth the reward? Let's take a look: Trade: Rangers send forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to Calgary for Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Analysis: Sather erased two of his own mistakes in this deal. After signing a three-year, $9 million deal with the Rangers over the summer, Kotalik, 31, struggled under John Tortorella's aggressive offensive system, managing just eight goals in 45"
Olli Jokinen not enough to help Rangers beat L.A.
February 3
Bergen Record
 
"The addition of Olli Jokinen wasn't enough for the Rangers Tuesday night. Anze Kopitar scored a short-handed goal and Jonathan Quick made 20 saves in the Los Angeles Kings' seventh straight victory, 2-1 over the punchless Rangers. New York's only goal came late in the third by Marian Gaborik. Ryan Smyth scored with 8:46 to play for the Kings, who are on their longest winning streak since early 1992, when Wayne Gretzky's Kings won a franchise-record eight straight. Gaborik scored with 2:37 left to ruin Quick's shutout bid, but New York lost its sixth in seven games despite the arrivals of forwards Jokinen and Brandon Prust, acquired in a trade with Calgary less than 24 hours earlier. Henrik"
Abysmal offense foils Olli's debut
February 3
New York Post
 columnist Larry Brooks
"The faces change. The scoreboard doesn't. It was one game, the first with Olli Jokinen in the lineup, and thus the attempt to draw any far-reaching conclusions regarding the center's impact on the Rangers would be nonsensical. Still, the Blueshirts' inability to produce offense persisted here in last night's 2-1 loss to the Kings in which Henrik Lundqvist, back after missing two games with the flu, lost his fifth straight, yielding a two-on-one shorthanded goal to Anze Kopitar at 16:43 of the second when the Rangers had five forwards on the power play before being beaten from point-blank range by Ryan Smyth at 11:14 of the third. As usual, Marian Gaborik was the Rangers' offense, getting"
Jokinen looks for chemistry with Rangers
February 3
New York Post
 
"While his new linemates Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal both suggested that it would naturally take time to develop chemistry with Olli Jokinen, the Rangers' new Finnish center implied that he didn't get much of it from the Flames. "Everyone says, 'Give it time, give it time,' but I got 75 games in Calgary, if that's a lot," Jokinen said before last night's 2-1 loss to the Kings. Jokinen was acquired last March by the Flames from Phoenix before being sent to the Rangers late Monday night with Brandon Prust for Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik. "We don't have time to wait," he said. "There are six games until the Olympic break. We have to start getting used to each other tonight [last"
Olli Jokinen, New York Rangers' offense fails in 2-1 loss to Los Angeles Kings
February 3
New York Daily News
 
"Olli Jokinen had been a Ranger for a few scant hours yesterday when he spoke about how little time he and Marian Gaborik have to adjust to one another. "It can't be long. There's six games before the Olympic break - we don't have time here to wait 20 games to get used to it," Jokinen said Tuesday. "We have to start getting used to each other tonight. That's the way it goes." Okay, Thursday night. With Jokinen playing his first game as a Ranger after being acquired from Calgary on Monday, it was a power-play miscue between the centerman and his wing that led to the go-ahead second-period goal in the Rangers' 2-1 loss to the Kings in their road-trip finale and sixth loss in the last seven."
Craving Scorer, Rangers Acquire Flames' Olli Jokinen
February 3
New York Times
 
"Center Olli Jokinen, who was having a subpar season in Calgary and has been traded three times in the past two years, became the latest piece of a Rangers makeover that does not seem to end. The Rangers shipped two recent pieces of that makeover, forwards Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik, to the Flames late Monday for the once high-scoring Jokinen and the bruising forward Brandon Prust. Jokinen, 31, has been shuttled from Florida to Phoenix to Calgary in the past two years. "It's a cruel business, but that's the way it goes," Jokinen told reporters in Calgary after the trade was completed following the Flames' game against Philadelphia on Monday. "It comes with the salary. You make"
Rangers complete trade with Flames for Olli Jokinen
February 2
Bergen Record
 
"After some stops, starts and indecision, the Rangers and Flames finally agreed to a trade early Tuesday morning that brings likely top-line center Olli Jokinen to New York. The Flames will get forwards Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik, both in their first year with the Rangers, while the Rangers also acquire potential enforcer Brandon Prust. The deal was finalized after both Jokinen and Prust ended their Flames' careers in a 3-0 loss to the Flyers in Calgary. Jokinen took three shots and was a minus-1 in 15:08 while Prust played 7:27 without adding to his team-leading 98 penalty minutes. Christopher Higgins had accompanied the Rangers to Los Angeles, where the team will conclude its"
It's the Olli folly trade
February 2
Calgary Herald
 columnist George Johnson
"The day Olli Jokinen became a Calgary Flame, the adjectives were running thick and fast. Finally. That sizeable, strong, powerful beast down centre. A table-setter for Jarome Iginla. An untameable presence to make the middle of the ice his personal playpen. "It's a dream come true,'' stammered Jokinen, over a crackly conference-call line set up in the Ed Whalen Media Lounge on May 4, 2009. "I can't believe it. "It's a fresh start. Going to a place where there are high expectations and the people expect a 'W' every night, that's what you want. It's very exciting."
Rangers trade for Jokinen
February 2
New York Post
 
"It's done. For better or worse, Olli Jokinen is a Ranger. In a trade that seemed to take longer to complete than the one that sent Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to L.A. back in 1988, the Rangers late last night acquired Jokinen and Brandon Prust from Calgary in exchange for Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins. The deal, announced in the wee hours Eastern time, had had been held up for a couple of days while Kotalik played Hamlet, pondering whether to waive his three-team no-trade clause that included the Flames. Jokinen and Prust, who both played in the Flames' 3-0 loss to the Flyers in Calgary last night before the transaction was announced -- how bizarre is that? -- are expected to join"
New York Rangers get Calgary for center Olli Jokinen for Ales Kotalik
February 2
New York Daily News
 
"The deal is done, for real this time. The trade was finalized roughly an hour after the Flames' 3-0 loss to the Flyers at the Saddledome, a game in which Jokinen played 15:08 amid swirling questions of whether his time in Calgary was through. The Finnish centerman (11-24-35) is expected to be at the Staples Center tonight to suit up for the Blueshirts, who complete their three-game Western swing against the Kings. The swap ultimately came to pass following two days of false starts and hand-wringing. The Rangers sent Kotalik home to New York on Sunday, telling him he would be traded, and Glen Sather thought he had a deal in the bag that night, only to have "complications" arise to put the"