page_title: Sami Salo
section_title: Vancouver Canucks
hierarchical_section_title: Sami Salo / Playing career / Vancouver Canucks
caption_attribution_description: Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo during a practice on March 9, 2012.
context_page_description: Sami Sakari Salo is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman of the National Hockey League. He began his professional career with TPS of the SM-liiga before being selected by the Ottawa Senators with their last pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
  He joined the Senators in 1998–99 and was selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team. In the 2002 off-season, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks with whom he recorded three 30-point campaigns. Prior to the 2012–13 NHL season he signed with the Lightning as a free agent. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Salo played overseas with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elite League and helped the club capture the Le Mat Trophy as league champions. Internationally, Salo has competed for Finland, appearing in two World Championships, three Winter Olympics and one World Cup. He won silver medals at the 2001 World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics, as well as a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
  Throughout his career, Salo became infamous for being injury-prone, having suffered over 40 career injuries. Despite his injuries, he was known as a two-way defenceman with a powerful slapshot.
context_section_description: Salo established himself as a top-four defenceman with the Canucks, ranking fourth among team blueliners in average ice time per game during his first season with Vancouver. He also appeared in a career-high 79 games while recording nine goals and 30 points. The Canucks re-signed him in the off-season to a two-year, $3.2 million contract. The following campaign, he recorded seven goals and 26 points in 74 games.
  Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Salo went overseas to play for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elite League. He notched six goals and 14 points in 41 games, helping Frölunda to the league's best regular season record. The club went on to capture the Le Mat Trophy as playoff champions, defeating Färjestads BK four games to one in the finals. Salo assisted on the overtime goal by Niklas Andersson in game five to win the championship. Salo completed the playoffs with a goal and seven points in 14 post-season contests.
  As NHL play was set to resume the following season, Salo signed another two-year contract with the Canucks at $1.5 million per season. He was limited to 59 games in the subsequent 2005–06 season, suffering a shoulder injury with the Finnish national team during the 2006 Winter Olympics, colliding with a teammate during a line change. He recorded 10 goals and 33 points with the Canucks, second among team defencemen in scoring. His 23 assists were also a career high.
  In 2006–07, Salo sprained his knee in a game against the Minnesota Wild on 2 November 2006. Soon after returning, he sustained nerve damage in his shoulder from a hit against the Edmonton Oilers in December. Towards the end of the season, he suffered a groin injury, sidelining him for five games in March and April. Although he cumulatively missed 15 games, Salo still managed to have a career year, recording personal bests with 14 goals, 23 assists and 37 points. He tied for 10th among league defencemen in goals and ranked first in game-winning goals with six. Late in the season, he avoided his pending unrestricted free agency by re-signing with the Canucks to a four-year, $14 million contract extension on 29 March 2007. The Canucks entered the 2007 playoffs as the third seed. After eliminating the Dallas Stars in the first round, Vancouver was defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in five games. Salo missed the first two games of the second round due to the flu. He notched an assist over 10 post-season games.
  With an accumulation of injuries over the years, Salo spent the 2007 off-season recovering from chronic groin, back and shoulder problems. Salo was immediately sidelined once more before the start of the 2007–08 season, fracturing his wrist during an intra-squad game in training camp. Shortly after returning, he was hit in the face by a clearing attempt from teammate Alexander Edler during a game against the Nashville Predators on 2 November 2007. The impact from the puck broke his nose and he missed 19 games. In 63 games, Salo recorded 25 points, his lowest output since his 2001–02 season with the Senators. Despite this, he still led all Canucks defencemen in scoring, as all the team's blueliners also suffered injuries over the season.
  The 2008–09 season began with more time off in November due to separate leg and shoulder injuries. After returning, he was hit into the boards by Edmonton Oilers captain Ethan Moreau on 17 December 2008, and suffered a broken rib. He missed 15 games before returning on 20 January 2009. Limited to 60 games, he managed five goals and 25 points in the regular season. In the ensuing playoffs, Salo scored seven points in seven games, including game-winning goals in both game ones of the first and second rounds against the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively. Salo injured himself in game two of the second round, tearing his gluteus medius muscle while taking a slapshot in which he scored. He played through the injury the following game before missing the next two matches. Following his return, the Canucks were eliminated in the sixth game by the Blackhawks. Salo had three goals and seven points in seven ga
caption: Salo practicing with the Canucks in 2012
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