Kari Lehtonen

Kari Lehtonen (born November 16, 1983 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. In 2001, as the youngest goalie in the SM-liiga, he earned the league's playoff MVP award, while he was playing for Jokerit.

During the 2003-2004 NHL season he played four games for the Thrashers, winning all four of them and posting one shutout. On opening night of the 2005-2006 season, Lehtonen suffered a serious groin injury when Florida Panthers center Nathan Horton collided with Lehtonen. The injury sidelined him for 35 games. Lehtonen was once again injured on April 6 2006 when Tampa Bay Lightning forward Chris Dingman collided with him. Lehtonen tried to get to his feet but sprained his ankle in the process.

Shortly into the 2006-2007 NHL Season Kari Lehtonen broke the Atlanta Thrashers shutout streak record previously held by Michael Garnett. He also set his career highs in every category.

AirTran Airways, a low-cost airline with an Atlanta hub with more than 250 departures per day, signed Kari Lehtonen as an endorser for the 2006-2007 season.

On February 8, 2007, Lehtonen became the Thrashers franchise leader for wins by a goaltender with 49, surpassing Pasi Nurminen's record of 48.

On April 12th, 2007, Lehtonen was the starting goaltender for the Thrashers in their first NHL playoff game.

After a rough start to the 2007 season, Lehtonen suffered another groin injury on October 18, 2007. He would miss sixteen games before returning on December 5, 2007.

Awards

 * Urpo Ylönen trophy for best SM-liiga goaltender - 2002 and 2003
 * Jari Kurri trophy for best player during the playoffs - 2002
 * Best Goalie in the Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow 2007
 * Silver Medal for Hockey World Championships -2007

Records

 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for games played by a goaltender (110).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for victories (58).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader shutouts (7).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for games played by a goaltender in a single season (68).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for saves in a single season (1,892).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for shutouts in a single season (4).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for starts in a single season (66).
 * Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for minutes played in a single season (3,934).

Trivia

 * He had a depiction of Lil Jon, who is an avid Thrashers fan, on his helmet.
 * In the past, Lehtonen has worn a helmet featuring characters Yuna and Rikku from the video game Final Fantasy X-2.
 * Lehtonens boyhood hero is retired Finnish goaltender Jarmo Myllys.
 * Lehtonens current mask features Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu's characters from Kill Bill.