Looking back on the top moments of Miikka Kiprusoff
Year one in Calgary: From Third String to Starter
Let's head back to this story's beginning on November 16, 2003. The Flames required some help in the net as starting goaltender Roman Turek had been sidelined with a knee injury earlier in the season. With the Flames having trouble on finding consistency in the net, Head Coach and General Manager Darryl Sutter looked to his former team, the San Jose Sharks for an answer.
In comes 27-year-old Finnish goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who had just been relegated to the position of third-string goaltender behind fellow countryman Vesa Toskala, and starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov.
Kiprusoff was acquired from the Sharks for a second-round draft pick and the rest was history. Blasting out of the gate with a 22-save 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadians and went on to carry the Flames not only an 8th seed playoff berth but an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Kipper finished the year with a record 24-10-4, a 1.69 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage, and four shutouts. That postseason saw Kiprusoff pick up 15 wins and five shutouts but as we all know fell short to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
Flash forward to March 1, 2024 the night before his jersey heads up to the Saddledome rafters. During his press conference, Kiprusoff said that coming to Calgary was like a second chance for him and when things started going well, he said the whole year ( playoff run) was unbelievable.
"I know I should say it was in, because it was in," said Kiprusoff when asked about the infamous moment in game six of the 2004 Stanley Finals ...
“It was in.” - Miikka Kiprusoff, 20 years later pic.twitter.com/zTsivjGALW
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) March 1, 2024
Scorpion Save
Kiprusoff made a ton of massive saves during his career wearing the Flaming C with one save sticking out the most, the Scorpion Save. December 5, 2009, in a game against the San Jose Sharks, while lying on his stomach, he was able to kick his left leg up to make the save with his heel robbing Scott Nichol. Funny enough in typical Kipper fashion, he was able to make a similar save a few seasons later again against his former team.
World Cup of Hockey and a Bronze Medal with Finland
Getting the nod to represent his home country, Kiprusoff was invited to the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. After taking the Flames to a Stanley Cup Finals, Kipper would carry Finland to an appearance in the World Cup Finals. Despite being the runner up to Team Canada, he was lights out at the Tournament picking up four wins, and two shutouts along with posting a 1.50 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage.
Looking back at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Kiprusoff would carry Finland to an appearance in the Tournament Finals. @NHL pic.twitter.com/a8kNCcxlmf
— Mackenzie Grafton (@mgrafton37) March 2, 2024
This next moment in his career may get overshadowed by his Flames teammate Jarome Iginla winning Gold with Team Canada, but Kiprusoff's time at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is deserving of a look.
Representing Finland at the Olympics, Kiprusoff started strong only allowing four goals in the Finns' first four games. Leading his team to a semi-final match against the Americans, the game would go poorly for Kiprusoff as he struggled with four goals on seven shots, being pulled in the process.
Kiprusoff would bounce back getting the start in the Bronze Medal game stopping 19 of 22 shots on Finland's 5-3 win over Slovakia.
2011 Heritage Classic
Over 40,000 Fans showed up on a chilly February afternoon to watch the second edition of the Heritage Classic. Seven years after the original hosted up the road in Edmonton, saw once again the Montreal Canadiens visit an Alberta team in the outdoors.
Kiprusoff was lights out at McMahon Stadium stopping all 39 shots he faced en route to the first outdoor game shutout in NHL history while being named the first star of the game.
Flames Leader in Wins, 300th Career Win.
On October 13, 2011, Kiprusoff passed Mike Vernon for the Flames all-time wins record by stopping
35 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. By the end of his career, Kiprusoff would the bring win record up to 305 victories when he backstopped the Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Kipper would stop 32 of 33 shots that would end up being his final game at the Saddledome.
Looking back on his career, a lot of his big moments came against his former club. Seeking his 300th NHL career win, Kiprusoff faced off against the San Jose Sharks on February 8, 2012. The Flames would go on to win the game 4-3 and Kiprusoff became the 27th goalie to record his 300th Career win.
Then later in the final season of his career, after just have returned from a knee injury, Kipper earned his 300th win with the Calgary Flames. March 6, 2013 in a game against the Sharks the Finnisher stopped 32 of 33 shots and helping secure a 4-1 victory.