Jussi Jokinen

Jussi Jokinen (born Jussi Petteri Jokinen on April 1, 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward and an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers of the NHL.

Drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2001 in the sixth round (192nd overall) with which he spent his first three NHL seasons with, Jussi has also played in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Playing Career
Jussi was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the sixth round (192nd overall) at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his four seasons before his NHL debut playing for Kärpät of the SM-liiga, the top Finnish league.

In his rookie year in 2005–06, Jussi gained a great reputation in the NHL as one of the top shootout specialists in the NHL.

Until being stopped by Vesa Toskala, he was a remarkable nine-for-nine in shootouts before his first unsuccessful attempt

Jussi can be seen pulling some unique dekes, such as the one-handed, slide-in goal (as made famous by Peter Forsberg called "The Paralyzer") in shootouts. On November 16, 2007, he scored four goals against the Colorado Avalanche in a 6–1 win.

At the NHL trade deadline, on February 26, 2008, Jussi was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Mike Smith, Jeff Halpern and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick in exchange for Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist.

On February 4, 2009, Jussi was placed on waivers by the Lightning. On February 7, 2009, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Wade Brookbank, Josef Melichar and a 2009 fourth-round draft pick.

During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, on April 21, 2009, he scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in NHL playoff history, with 0.2 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4–3 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals.

On June 29, 2009, the Hurricanes signed Jussi to a two-year contract worth $3.4 million ($1.5 million in 2009–10 and $1.9 million in 2010–11).

As of November 19, 2009, Jussi has scored a total of 25 goals in 46 shootout attempts, with an impressive 54.3% success rate; eight of those shootout goals were game-winners.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he re-signed with former Finnish club Kärpät, committing himself there until the resumption of the NHL season in January of 2013.

On March 26, 2013, Jussi was placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. On April 3, 2013, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional sixth- or seventh-round pick in 2013.

In his first game with the Penguins, Jussi scored Pittsburgh's lone goal in regulation and tallied the only shootout goal for the team's 2–1 victory over the New York Rangers.

In the 2013–14 season, on October 8, 2013, Jussi scored his first hat-trick with the Penguins in a 5–2 win over his former team, the Carolina Hurricanes. He enjoyed his most productive season since 2010, totalling 21 goals and 57 points in 81 games with the Penguins.

On July 1, 2014, as an unrestricted free agent, Jussi signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Florida Panthers.

Playing Style
Jussi is widely considered a shootout and faceoff specialist in the NHL.

Personal Life
Jussi is of no relation to current NHL free agent Olli Jokinen, but he has a younger brother, Juho Jokinen, who also plays ice hockey.