Tuukka Mäntylä
Encyclopedia
Tuukka Matias Mäntylä is a Finnish professional ice hockey
defenceman who currently plays with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League
. He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings
in the 5th round (153rd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
.
of the Swedish Elite League
and signed a contract in his homeland with Tappara
, with whom he has spent most of his career.
In late October 2009, playing with Tampere Tappara, Mäntylä checked Helsinki IFK defenceman Mikko Kurvinen
from behind into the boards, resulting in an injury that kept Kurvinen sidelined for six games. Mäntylä received a match penalty for the hit. In advance of Tappara's next visit to Helsinki
on November 26, 2009, the IFK club ran a full-page ad in a Tampere
newspaper that read: “Welcome to Helsinki, Tuukka”, and on the evening of the match between the two clubs the SM-liiga
head office, which had previously approved the ad, announced it had given IFK a warning for “crossing the line of good taste”. Early in the first period of the November 26 game, with IFK head coach Kari Jalonen
watching, IFK defenceman Ilari Melart
mugged Mäntylä in the corner and a wrestling match ensued resulting in both players being ejected from the game.
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...
defenceman who currently plays with HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
. He was selected by 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...
in the 5th round (153rd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
2001 NHL Entry Draft
The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 23–24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:...
.
Career
On April 7, 2009 he left Västra FrölundaFrölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...
of the Swedish Elite League
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
and signed a contract in his homeland with Tappara
Tappara
Tappara is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Tampere, Finland at Tampereen jäähalli. The team have won 15 league championships ....
, with whom he has spent most of his career.
In late October 2009, playing with Tampere Tappara, Mäntylä checked Helsinki IFK defenceman Mikko Kurvinen
Mikko Kurvinen
Mikko Kurvinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for HIFK of the SM-liiga.-External links:...
from behind into the boards, resulting in an injury that kept Kurvinen sidelined for six games. Mäntylä received a match penalty for the hit. In advance of Tappara's next visit to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
on November 26, 2009, the IFK club ran a full-page ad in a Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
newspaper that read: “Welcome to Helsinki, Tuukka”, and on the evening of the match between the two clubs the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
head office, which had previously approved the ad, announced it had given IFK a warning for “crossing the line of good taste”. Early in the first period of the November 26 game, with IFK head coach Kari Jalonen
Kari Jalonen
Kari Jalonen is a former professional ice hockey center. He played parts of two seasons at the NHL level, with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, but is best known for his time in SM-liiga and with the Finnish national team.Jalonen represented Finland internationally on nine occasions,...
watching, IFK defenceman Ilari Melart
Ilari Melart
Ilari Melart is a Finnish ice hockey defenceman who currently represents HIFK of the Finnish top flight, the SM-Liiga.-Career:...
mugged Mäntylä in the corner and a wrestling match ensued resulting in both players being ejected from the game.