Markus Mattsson

Markus Mattsson (born July 30, 1957 in Suoniemi, Finland) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was one of the first goaltenders in the NHL from Finland. He is also the goalie who ended Wayne Gretzky's 51-game point streak in 1983–84.
Mattsson played for his country at the European Junior Ice Hockey Championships in 1974 and 1975 and World Junior Championship in 1974. He was named the Finnish rookie of the year in 1975 and played on Team Finland at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. Following the 1976-77 season the New York Islanders took him 87th overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft.
Mattsson made his North American debut with the Quebec Nordiques in 1977-78 and joined the Winnipeg Jets in a trade. He made 52 appearances for the club in 1978-79 and helped them win the last Avco Cup. Mattsson was on hand the next season when Winnipeg debuted in the NHL. He shared the goaltending chores with Pierre Hamel and Michel Dion and saw plenty of rubber behind one of the worst defences in the league.
The veteran goalkeeper played for Finland at the 1981 Canada Cup then started 50 games for the Central Hockey League's Tulsa Oilers. In September 1982, he was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota North Stars but spent most of his time in the minors. Mattsson was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in February 1983, where he made 30 appearances over the next two years. He retired in 1984 after splitting his time between L.A. and the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks
==External links==
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* Markus Mattsson on nhlfinns.com
Category:Born in 1957
Category:Finnish ice hockey players
Category:Los Angeles Kings players
Category:Minnesota North Stars players
Category:New Haven Nighthawks players
Category:New York Islanders draft picks
Category:Tulsa Oilers (1964–1984) players
Category:Winnipeg Jets players
Category:Tappara Tampere players
Category:Ilves Tampere players
Category:Quebec Nordiques players
Category:Birmingham South Stars players