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Arizona Coyotes Throwback: Getting To Know Teppo Numminen

By William Grigsby

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Catching Up With The Old Team:

Getting To Know Former Coyote Teppo Numminen

Teppo Numminen was drafted in the second round (29th pick overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.

In eight seasons with the Jets, Teppo amassed 53 G, 212 A for 265 points — but when the Jets re-located to Phoenix in ’96-’97, it would mark the beginning of a seven year stint where he played some of his best hockey.

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    • He just about matched his stats from the Jets, only missing a total of 23 games over seven seasons — you could say that ‘dependable’ was Teppo’s middle name. You could even say he was SOLID, much like Zbynek Michalek on the current Coyote roster.

    He was known as a stay-at-home defenseman whose best season was his second in a Coyotes’ uniform — the ’97’-98 season, where he contributed 11 G, 43 A for 54 points with 6 PPG and 2 GW. He missed only 8 games that year. With a career .46 points per game, he also carried his load in scoring as well.

    He played in three All-Star games in ’99, ’00, and ’01. Then, after fifteen seasons with the Winnipeg/Phoenix organization, he was traded to the Dallas Stars in July 2003 for Mike Sillinger.

    Teppo took a break during the ’04-’05 NHL lockout, and then signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres on August 4, 2005.

    By November 13, 2006 Numminen had skated in 1,252 games, thereby surpassing Juri Kurri with the most games played by a European-trained player.

    After signing a one-year contract for the ’07-’08 season, he was forced to undergo open heart surgery before the start of the season.

    Numminen was suspended by the Sabres when it was released that he needed heart surgery. Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier (now the Assistant GM/Executive VP of the Arizona Coyotes) said the suspension was due to Numminen’s $2.6 million contract containing a clause that the player must pass a physical and be fit to play.

    Teppo’s heart surgery was on September 20, 2007 at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, where his faulty heart valve was repaired. He was able to return to the ice for the final game of the Sabres ’07-’08 season on April 5, 2008. This pretty much amazes me, but it displays what kind of dedicated athlete he was.

    "I’d like to share my own personal story about a surgery like Teppo’s. In 2006, I was hospitalized with what was eventually diagnosed as a bleeding ulcer. For quite a while the doctors were not sure what was causing my internal bleeding, but eventually one doctor figured out it was the ulcer and did surgery. Well, long story short- after being in the hospital for six weeks, and having blood drawn so frequently I was susceptible to infection, my ulcer surgery was a success, and I recovered afterwards. After I was able to go back to work, I saw my doctor for a follow-up checkup and he asked me if I ever had a heart murmur. I told him I had, but it never stopped me from serving in the military, or causing any health issues. It was at that point that he told me, “the only reason you are sitting here in my office today is because of the antibiotics you were administered during your hospital stay”. He then proceeded to pass the most jaw dropping news to me that I had ever experienced (and I’m sure Teppo could relate as well). He told me my heart valve was like “swiss cheese” (not the most encouraging diagnosis) caused by a staph infection, and that I would need to have heart surgery to replace it with a donor pig valve or a mechanical valve, which can be sustained longer. I went into surgery selecting the mechanical valve, and my surgeon was able to REPAIR my heart valve instead of replace it. I’m sure Teppo and I could have a long conversation about this experience, and just wanted to share my perspective with you- my readers."

    Back to hockey-

    Buffalo GM Darcy Regier thought that Numminen was interested in returning to the Sabres, and on August 8, 2008 he re-signed with the team. At the time, Teppo was the leader among active NHL players who played the most games without winning a Stanley Cup, with 1,372 at the end of the ’08-’09 season. Shane Doan is quickly approaching that record with 1,335 games and should surpass that dubious record this season, barring any injuries preventing him from doing so.

    On August 4, 2009 Teppo Numminen announced his retirement at the spry age of 41. His final stats show what type of player he was: 117 goals, 520 assists for 637 points in 1372 games.

    On January 30, 2010 The Phoenix Coyotes retired Numminen’s #27 jersey, and it is displayed proudly in the rafters of Gila River Arena.

    Teppo Numminen not only personified what it takes to be a Coyote, he also survived MAJOR HEART SURGERY — and came back to play again. Quite a feat!

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