TOP 5 FINNISH BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL

Usually not as successful as neighboring Sweden, Finland does have some great NHL talent of their own. Past stars like Jari Kurri and Esa Tikanen paved the way for some of today's stars. Stars like...

5. Tuomo Ruutu- Carolina Hurricanes
Ruutu, a left wing from Vantaa, Finland has 16 goals and 16 assists for the Hurricanes so far this season. The ninth overall pick by Chicago back in 2001, Ruutu netted 23 for the Blackhawks in his rookie year of 2003-04. He is a hard worker, and an all-around skilled player. And, he doesn't bite like his brother...

4. Olli Jokinen- Phoenix Coyotes
Jokinen is the Florida Panthers all-time scoring leader and is in his first season in Phoenix. The 30-year-old from Kuopio, Finland has 225 career goals and 270 career assists, including a 17-17-34 line this season. The former Florida captain scored a career high 39 goals in 2006-07, and has played in all 82 regular season games five times in his ten plus years in the NHL.

3. Saku Koivu- Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens captain has been with the club since 1995 and is one of the best Fins of all-time. Known more for his passing than scoring throughout his career, Koivu has 434 career assists, including 172 of them on the power play. Originally from Turku, Finland, Koivu is probably best remembered for beating cancer and returning to the NHL just a few years ago.

2. Teemu Selanne- Anaheim Ducks
By far the oldest in this group, Selanne might just be the best Fin to ever play the game. He has 1189 career points in 18 NHL seasons and is still going strong, with 5 goals and 16 assists for Anaheim in 39 games so far this year. At 38, who knows how long Selanne has left in the NHL? He is though, without a doubt, a sure fire hall of famer.

1. Miikka Kiprusoff- Calgary Flames
The 32-year-old goalie from Turku, Finland is 30-15-3 for Calgary this season, and has 175 wins since joining the Flames in 2003-04. The former Sharks backup set an all-time, modern day NHL record in his first season in Calgary with a 1.69 GAA, and won the 2006 Vezina Trophy as the league's top netminder.

Other elite Fins include Miikko Koivu, Jussi Jokinen, and Jere Lehtinen. Also look out for young goaltender Tuuka Rask in the future.