Matti Hagman
Matti Hagman in 2011
Born (1955-09-21)21 September 1955
Helsinki, Finland
Died 11 October 2016(2016-10-11) (aged 61)
Espoo, Finland
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for HIFK
Boston Bruins
Quebec Nordiques
Edmonton Oilers
EV Landshut
Hockey Reipas
National team  Finland
NHL Draft 104th overall, 1975
Boston Bruins
WHA Draft 43rd overall, 1975
New England Whalers
Playing career 1972–1992

Matti Risto Tapio "Hakki" Hagman (21 September 1955 – 11 October 2016) was a Finnish professional ice hockey player. Hagman was the first Finnish-born and Finnish-trained player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the first to play in a Stanley Cup Finals.[1] The first Finnish-born player in NHL was Albert Pudas, who never played hockey in Finland, having moved to Canada at the age of one. Hagman's jersey number 20 is also one of the eight retired numbers in HIFK, where he was a prominent player.[2]

NHL & WHA career

Boston Bruins (1976–1977)

Hagman played 237 NHL games over seven seasons. He debuted for the Boston Bruins on 7 October 1976 as they hosted the Minnesota North Stars. During his time in Boston, Hagman was coached by famous Canadian Head Coach Don Cherry. During his time with the Bruins, Hagman did not get much time on ice but he did score well. During his first NHL season, Matti Hagman scored 28 points in 75 games though being played on the third and fourth lines who do not have much offensive time on ice.

Quebec Nordiques (1977–1978)

Hagman joined the WHA Quebec Nordiques in 1977 after they purchased him from Boston. Despite scoring 3 assists in his first Nordiques game, Hagman returned to Finland in 1978 unhappy with playing abroad. He joined Helsinki IFK and went on to lead the Finnish league in points in 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85. Hagman played 3 Canada Cups, as Finland finished sixth in each tournament (1976, 1981, and 1987). He also played on the fourth-place Finnish team in the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Edmonton Oilers (1980–1982)

Hagman was more prominent a player on the Edmonton Oilers as they made the transition from WHA to NHL play. Though being originally a Center, Hagman played left wing on the line with all stars Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson during the 1980–81 campaign. Hagman moved from center to left wing because the Oilers had two top centers; Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. An injury in training camp the next year limited Hagman to just a few games and spelt the end to his NHL career.

After retirement

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Men's ice hockey
European Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1974 Switzerland

Hagman was named Martigny (Switzerland) head coach in 2004. Hagman also has coached numerous Finnish Ice Hockey teams.

Personal life

Hagman was the father of Niklas Hagman who also played in the NHL. He was also the brother-in-law of former indoor soccer star Kai Haaskivi.

Hagman's sister Riitta Salin won a gold medal in 400 metres at the 1974 European Athletics Championships.

Hagman died after a long illness in Espoo, Finland, on 11 October 2016.[3] He died in hospital after seeking treatment a few days earlier.[4][5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 HIFK SM-s 13 11 5 16 7 — — — — —
1973–74 HIFK FIN Jr 6 10 6 16 2 — — — — —
1973–74 HIFK SM-s 35 30 9 39 20 — — — — —
1974–75 HIFK SM-s 33 30 16 46 27 — — — — —
1975–76 HIFK SM-l 36 24 34 58 39 4 1 1 2 5
1976–77 Boston Bruins NHL 75 11 17 28 0 8 0 1 1 0
1977–78 Boston Bruins NHL 15 4 1 5 2 — — — — —
1977–78 Quebec Nordiques WHA 53 21 35 56 16 — — — — —
1978–79 HIFK SM-l 36 20 37 57 53 6 1 6 7 4
1979–80 HIFK SM-l 35 37 50 87 28 7 3 10 13 6
1980–81 Edmonton Oilers NHL 75 20 33 53 16 9 4 1 5 6
1981–82 Edmonton Oilers NHL 72 21 38 59 18 3 1 0 1 0
1982–83 HIFK SM-l 36 23 41 64 50 9 9 8 17 11
1983–84 HIFK SM-l 37 22 47 69 33 2 1 1 2 2
1984–85 HIFK SM-l 34 23 44 67 24 — — — — —
1985–86 EV Landshut 1.GBun 36 25 49 74 24 3 1 2 3 2
1986–87 HIFK SM-l 44 17 51 68 37 3 0 1 1 10
1987–88 HIFK SM-l 44 17 43 60 37 6 4 5 9 6
1988–89 HIFK SM-l 44 11 30 41 23 2 0 1 1 0
1989–90 Hockey-Reipas FIN II 44 18 47 65 4 4 2 3 5 0
1990–91 Hockey-Reipas SM-l 44 15 35 50 24 — — — — —
1991–92 HIFK SM-l 42 8 20 28 20 8 1 3 4 2
SM-s totals 81 71 30 101 54 — — — — —
SM-l totals 432 217 432 649 368 47 20 36 56 46
NHL totals 237 56 89 145 36 20 5 2 7 6

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1974 Finland EJC 5 10 2 12 0
1975 Finland WJC 5 3 2 5 9
1975 Finland WC 9 2 3 5 4
1976 Finland OLY 6 1 4 5 2
1976 Finland WC 10 4 7 11 14
1976 Finland CC 5 2 4 6 6
1978 Finland WC 5 1 2 3 8
1981 Finland CC 5 1 2 3 4
1983 Finland WC 10 2 5 7 4
1987 Finland CC 5 1 0 1 0
Junior totals 10 13 4 17 9
Senior totals 55 14 27 41 42

References

  1. ↑ "1975 NHL Amateur Draft -- Matti Hagman". www.hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  2. ↑ "HIFK's retired jersey numbers" (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Lempinen Marko (12 October 2016). "Jääkiekkolegenda Matti Hagman on kuollut". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Matti Hagman, first Finn to play in the NHL, dead at 61". Yle Uutiset. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Matti Hagman dies at age 61". NHL.com. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
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