Kari Takko

Kari Takko
Born	(1962-06-23) 23 June 1962 Uusikaupunki, FIN
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Right
Played for	NHL Minnesota North Stars Edmonton Oilers SM-liiga Ässät Elitserien HV71
National team	Finland
NHL draft	200th overall, 1981 Quebec Nordiques 97th overall, 1984 Minnesota North Stars
Playing career	1978–2000

Kari Maurits Takko (born 23 June 1962 in Uusikaupunki, Finland) is a Finnish retired ice hockey goaltender.

Playing career

Takko played six seasons in the NHL, serving as a backup to Don Beaupre, Jon Casey and Bill Ranford. He was selected in the tenth round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, 200th overall, by the Quebec Nordiques, but was unable to come to contract terms. He re-entered the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and was this time drafted by the Minnesota North Stars.

Takko started his SM-liiga career in Ässät during the 1978–79 season, and played there for seven seasons (1978–1985). Takko went to the NHL after the 1984–85 season. He was signed by the Minnesota North Stars, and played with them for a total of six seasons (1985–1991). During the 1990–91 season Takko was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Bruce Bell, making it the "Takko Bell Trade" and played for the rest of his NHL career in Edmonton. After retiring from NHL play, he played nine more seasons in Europe representing Ässät (1991–1996) in the SM-liiga, and HV71 (1997–2000) in the Elitserien. Takko retired from playing after the 1999–2000 season.

Takko also played internationally for Finland, appearing for their national team a total of 104 times. He is currently the Director of European Scouting for the Dallas Stars.

Awards

• Silver medal at the World Junior Championships in 1981.
• Bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 1982.
• Named Best Goalie of SM-liiga in 1985 and 1994.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
• HockeyGoalies entry