Mikko Matti Mäkelä is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 left wing

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

. Known as the "Flying Finn", he was drafted in the fourth round, 65th overall, by the New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft

1983 NHL Entry Draft

The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983. The NHL Entry Draft is the primary means by which players arrive in the National Hockey League. The St. Louis Blues did not participate in this draft, shortly after the league blocked the franchise's...

.

Mäkelä made his NHL

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 debut with the Islanders in the 1985–86 season. In four-plus seasons with the Islanders, Mäkelä scored 95 goals, including 37 in the 1987–88 season. The Islanders traded Mäkelä to the Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 during the 1989–90 season in exchange for Hubie McDonough

Hubie McDonough

Hubert B. McDonough is a retired American professional ice hockey centre. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft....

 and Ken Baumgartner

Ken Baumgartner

Kenneth James Baumgartner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League for twelve seasons.-Biography:...

.

After finishing the 1989–90 season with Los Angeles, Mäkelä was traded again before the 1990–91 season. This time, he went to the Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...

 in exchange for Mike Donnelly

Mike Donnelly

Michael Chene Donnelly is a former ice hockey left wing. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and New York Islanders....

. After one season in Buffalo, Mäkelä returned to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, spending two-plus seasons playing in his native Finland and one in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

Mäkelä returned to the NHL following the 1994–95 NHL lockout, appearing in 11 games with the Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 during the shortened 1994–95 season. Mäkelä returned to Europe for the remainder of his career, playing two seasons in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

's Deutsche Eishockey Liga before returning to Sweden and Finland for his final two seasons.

Mäkelä appeared in 423 NHL games in his career, scoring 118 goals and adding 147 assists. He also appeared in 18 Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 playoff games, scoring three goals and recording eight assists.

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