Mika Noronen
C20A9646 (39832070164).jpg
Noronen with the Rochester Americans in 2002
Born (1979-06-17) 17 June 1979
Tampere, Finland
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Tappara
Buffalo Sabres
HPK
Vancouver Canucks
Ak Bars Kazan
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Linköpings HC
JYP Jyväskylä
HIFK
Lukko
HC Davos
EHC München
Malmö Redhawks
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 21st overall, 1997
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2000–2016

Mika Noronen (born 17 June 1979) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 71 games n the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks between 2000 and 2006. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1997 to 2016, was mainly spent in Finland. Internationally Noronen played for the Finnish national team at the junior and senior level, including at the 2004 World Championships.

Playing career

Noronen was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft 21st overall. In his native Finland, he played for Tappara and HPK in the SM-liiga. He also played for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League.

While with the Rochester Americans, he gained some notoriety in a 2002 game against the Syracuse Crunch. A Crunch forward fired a slap shot past Noronen which hit the cross bar and bounced away. However, the goal judge signaled it was a goal. Play was stopped and the goal was counted. Noronen proceeded to spray the contents of his water bottle on the glass and wipe it away, pretending to clean the glass for the goal judge.[1]

At the trade deadline in the 2005–06 season, Noronen was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. On March 14, 2006, Noronen played his first game as a Vancouver Canuck, allowing five goals in a 5–0 loss to the Nashville Predators.

Noronen was the first Finnish goaltender to be credited with a goal in the National Hockey League, a rare feat in itself. He was also the first Buffalo Sabres goaltender to accomplish the feat when he was the last Buffalo player to touch the puck before it entered the opponent's empty net on a delayed penalty on February 14, 2004.[2]

In August 2006, Noronen opted to sign with Russian Hockey Super League team AK Bars Kazan rather than serving as back up to Roberto Luongo, making Noronen an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Then he joined Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the RSL. In January 2009 Noronen joined Linköpings HC of Elitserien. Noronen returned to Finland for the 2009–10 season. He began the season by signing a short-term contract with JYP Jyväskylä. After the contract had expired, he signed a contract with HIFK Helsinki. He retired after the 2016 season.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPWLTOTLMINGASOGAASV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1993–94 Tappara U16 FIN U16 —————————— ————————
1994–95 Tappara U18 FIN U18 —————————— ————————
1995–96 Tappara U18 FIN U18 5————29913—2.61— 5——3008—1.60—
1995–96 Tappara Jr FIN Jr 16————9623722.31— ————————
1996–97 Tappara Jr FIN Jr 17————————— 13—————1.99.924
1996–97 Kokkolan Hermes FIN-2 2————911107.25.868 ————————
1996–97 Tappara FIN 5130—2151704.73.876 ————————
1997–98 Tappara Jr FIN Jr 6411—36513—2.14.933 4222621102.52.919
1997–98 Tappara FIN 3114123—17038312.92.900 4121961203.67.878
1998–99 Tappara FIN 4318205—249413523.25.893 ————————
1999–00 Rochester Americans AHL 5433134—308911262.18.920 2113812353761.80.936
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 2200—109502.77.872 ————————
2000–01 Rochester Americans AHL 4726155—275310042.18.913 4132501102.64.885
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 10431—5182302.66.894 ————————
2001–02 Rochester Americans AHL 45161712—276411532.50.906 10159303.06.870
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 16493—8923612.42.912 ————————
2002–03 Rochester Americans AHL 19595—11695522.82.903 ————————
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 3511172—17977722.57.906 ————————
2004–05 HPK FIN 271484—16145412.01.927 9444822112.61.918
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 412—01691204.27.844 ————————
2005–06 Vancouver Canucks NHL 411—01711003.52.870 ————————
2005–06 Rochester Americans AHL 202—0121602.99.898 ————————
2006–07 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 33185—418776622.11.911 161049413502.23.886
2007–08 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 1594—09063702.45.886 ————————
2008–09 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod KHL 1429—27133412.86.890 ————————
2008–09 Linköping HC SWE 311—01601104.13.895 312221812.17.896
2009–10 JYP Jyväskylä FIN 651—03651402.30.898 ————————
2009–10 HIFK FIN 25178—014875822.34.918 6243721512.42.917
2010–11 Lukko FIN 271310—415985552.06.929 12667572812.22.915
2011–12 Lukko FIN 501722—8286812522.61.914 10158505.19.800
2012–13 Tappara FIN 110—060303.00.919 1001000.001.000
2012–13 LeKi FIN-2 2————124210.97.965 ————————
2013–14 HC Davos NLA 1578—08914212.83.919 ————————
2013–14 EHC München DEL 523—03121102.12.946 3121791003.35.915
2014–15 LeKi FIN-2 4———————2.01.937 5—————1.67.957
2014–15 Tappara FIN —————————— 10164201.89.895
2015–16 Tappara FIN 310—2189501.59.930 ————————
2015–16 Malmö Redhawks SWE 101—040406.00.750 ————————
2015–16 LeKi FIN-2 6———————3.73.887 ————————
NHL totals 71233260365316332.68.901 ————————

International

Year Team Event GPWLTMINGASOGAASV%
1996 Finland EJC 3———180301.00—
1997 Finland EJC 5———300801.60—
1997 Finland WJC 2———120402.00.945
1998 Finland WJC 5500314811.53.934
1999 Finland WJC 31201591104.14.831
2004 Finland WC 52213091212.33.909
Junior totals 18———10733411.90—
Senior totals 52213091212.33.909

Awards and honours

Award Year
AHL
All-Rookie Team 2000
Second All-Star Team 2000, 2001
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award 2000
Hap Holmes Memorial Award (with Tom Askey) 2001
All-Star Game 2002 [3]

References

  1. ↑ "Video of Noronen Cleaning the Glass". YouTube. 2002-01-04. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  2. ↑ "Associated Prees recap of Noronen goal". Yahoo! Sports. 2004-02-14. Archived from the original on 2005-04-22. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
  3. ↑ "Canadian All-Stars 13, Planet USA All-Stars 11". American Hockey League. 2002-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
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