Janne Ojanen
Janne Juhani Ojanen | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1968 Finland |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player (retired) |
| Known for | All-time leading point scorer in Finland's SM-liiga; playing for Tappara |
Janne Juhani Ojanen (born April 9, 1968) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey athlete, recognized as the all-time leading point scorer in Finland's SM-liiga with a total of 799 points, predominantly achieved while playing for Tappara.
Early Years in Finland
Ojanen commenced his career with his local club Tappara, appearing in three SM-liiga matches during his debut season. He earned the title of top player at the Pohjola Leiri youth camp and was selected 45th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. His international debut came in 1987 when he represented Finland in both the Canada Cup and World Championships. In 1988, he played a role in Finland securing its inaugural Olympic medal in ice hockey. Early success included winning SM-liiga titles with Tappara in 1987 and 1988.
Initial NHL Experience
After being acquired by the New Jersey Devils in 1988, Ojanen participated in three NHL contests but spent the majority of that season with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Devils. The next season saw him earn a permanent spot on the NHL roster, contributing 30 points over 64 games before returning to Finland.
Return to Finnish League and Second NHL Period
Ojanen spent two seasons back at Tappara and took part in the 1991 Canada Cup. He rejoined New Jersey during the 1991–92 playoffs, playing three NHL games. The 1992–93 season involved 31 NHL appearances and time with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the IHL, where he accumulated nine points before once again moving back to Finland.
Final Finnish Tenure
In the 1993–94 SM-liiga campaign, Ojanen returned to Tappara as a key player and earned international accolades including an Olympic bronze medal and a World Championship silver. He was instrumental in Finland’s first-ever World Championship gold medal victory in 1995. That same year, after Tappara’s season concluded, he briefly joined Swiss team HC Lugano for their Nationalliga A playoff run. Ojanen continued his career at Tappara, receiving selections for both World Cup and World Championship squads.
Stint in Sweden and Ultimate Return to Finland
Following three seasons with Tappara, Ojanen signed a two-year deal with Malmö IF Redhawks of Sweden’s Elitserien, performing strongly enough to secure a place on Finland’s 1997 World Championship roster. Upon returning to Tappara from Sweden, he maintained his status as one of SM-liiga’s elite players well into his thirties, playing a pivotal role and earning his last World Championship call-up in 2002.
Closing Career Years
Ojanen captured his final SM-liiga championship title in 2003 as Tappara triumphed over Kärpät in the finals. Serving as team captain from 2000 for eight consecutive seasons, he announced intentions to continue playing through the 2008–2009 season. Throughout his tenure, he was regarded as Tappara’s standout player—comparable to Erik Hämäläinen’s legacy with Lukko and Raimo Helminen’s with Ilves—having devoted his entire SM-liiga career to Tappara. On November 28, 2009, he became SM-liiga’s all-time leading scorer by surpassing Arto Javanainen’s longstanding record set sixteen years earlier.
International career
Ojanen represented Finland in 205 international matches, recording 50 goals alongside 74 assists. His international resume includes participation in six World Championships, two Canada Cups, one World Cup tournament, and three Winter Olympic Games. For many years, he was uniquely distinguished as the only Finnish player to have secured gold medals at both the World Junior Championships and Men’s World Championships until Niko Kapanen and Pasi Puistola matched this achievement in 2011.
Awards, honors and records
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Liiga | ||
| Finnish Championship (Kanada-malja) | 1985-86, 1986-87, 1987-88, 2002-03 | |
| Second place | 2000-01, 2001-02 | |
| Third place | 2007-08 | |
| Aarne Honkavaara trophy | 2001-02 | |
| Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy | 2001-02 | |
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||||||||||||
| 1984–85 | Whitby Lawmen | OJHL | 15 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1985–86 | Tappara | FIN U20 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 1985–86 | Tappara | SM-l | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1986–87 | Tappara | SM-l | 40 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1987–88 | Tappara | SM-l | 44 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| 1988–89 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1988–89 | Utica Devils | AHL | 72 | 23 | 37 | 60 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1989–90 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 64 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1990–91 | Tappara | SM-l | 44 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||
| 1991–92 | Tappara | SM-l | 44 | 21 | 27 | 48 | 24 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| 1991–92 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 1992–93 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 31 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1992–93 | Cincinnati Cyclones | IHL | 7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1993–94 | Tappara | SM-l | 39 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | Tappara | SM-l | 50 | 22 | 33 | 55 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | HC Lugano | NDA | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 1995–96 | Tappara | SM-l | 45 | 20 | 44 | 64 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Malmö IF | SEL | 41 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Malmö IF | SEL | 45 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 42 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| 1998–99 | Tappara | SM-l | 54 | 14 | 32 | 46 | 30 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Tappara | SM-l | 53 | 18 | 47 | 65 | 54 | 4 | (7) | (3) | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||
| 2000–01 | (Tappara) | SM-l | (54) | (15) | (26) | (41) | (71) | (10) | (2) | (4) | (6) | (33) | ||||||||||||
| (2001–02) | Tappara | (SM-l) | (54) | (20) | (41) | (61) | (30) | (10) | (2) | (7) | (9) | (6) | ||||||||||||
| (2002–03) | Tappara | (SM-l) | (56) | (12) | (27) | (39) | (16) | (15) | (2) | (5) | (7) | (4) | ||||||||||||
| (2003–04) | Tappara | (SM-l) | (43) | (11) | (20) | (31) | (49) | (3) | (1) | (0) | (1) | (0) | ||||||||||||
| (2004–05) | Tappara | (SM-l) | (52) | (16) | (13) | (29) | (44) | (8) | (2) | (2) | (4) | (16) | ||||||||||||
| (2005–06) | Tappara | (SM-l) | (47) | (7) | (21) | (28) | (6)|(1)|(0)|(1)|(8) | |||||||||||||||||
| (2006–07) | Tappara | (56)|(12)|(32)|(44)|(38)|(5)|(0)|(1)|(1)|(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (2007–08) | Tappara | (56)|(17)|(35)|(52)|(26)|(11)|(2)|(2)|(4)|(6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (2008–09) | Tappara | (24)|(2)|(11)|(13)|(18)|—|—|—|—|— | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (2009–10) | Tappara | (18)|(1)|(6)|(7)|(24)|(5)|(0)|(2)|(2)|(4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| SM-l totals !876 !283 !516 !799 !676 !113 !28 !53 !81 !105 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NHL totals !98 !21 !23 !44 !28 !3 !0 !2 !2 !0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Finland | EJC | 5 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | |
| 1987 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 6 | |
| 1987 | Finland | WC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | |
| 1987 | Finland | CC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1988 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 16 | |
| 1988 | Finland | OLY | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1991 | Finland | CC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1994 | Finland | OLY | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | |
| 1994 | Finland | WC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1995 | Finland | WC | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 1996 | Finland | WC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 1996 | Finland | World Cup of Hockey (WCH) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1997 | Finland | WC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2002 IIHF World Championship(2002) | Finland | WC | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior career totals !19 !14 !21 !35 !32 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Senior career totals !77 !20 !22 !42 !53 |} | |||||||