Kari Lehtonen

Kari Lehtonen (born November 16, 1983 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. In 2001, as the youngest goalie in the SM-liiga, he earned the league's playoff MVP award, while he was playing for Jokerit.
During the 2003-2004 NHL season he played four games for the Thrashers, winning all four of them and posting one shutout. On opening night of the 2005-2006 season, Lehtonen suffered a serious groin injury when Florida Panthers center Nathan Horton collided with Lehtonen. The injury sidelined him for 35 games. Lehtonen was once again injured on April 6 2006 when Tampa Bay Lightning forward Chris Dingman collided with him. Lehtonen tried to get to his feet but sprained his ankle in the process.
Shortly into the 2006-2007 NHL Season Kari Lehtonen broke the Atlanta Thrashers shutout streak record previously held by Michael Garnett. He also set his career highs in every category.
AirTran Airways, a low-cost airline with an Atlanta hub with more than 250 departures per day, signed Kari Lehtonen as an endorser for the 2006-2007 season.
On February 8, 2007, Lehtonen became the Thrashers franchise leader for wins by a goaltender with 49, surpassing Pasi Nurminen's record of 48.
On April 12th, 2007, Lehtonen was the starting goaltender for the Thrashers in their first NHL playoff game.
After a rough start to the 2007 season, Lehtonen suffered another groin injury on October 18, 2007. He would miss sixteen games before returning on December 5, 2007.
==Awards==
* Urpo Ylönen trophy for best SM-liiga goaltender - 2002 and 2003
* Jari Kurri trophy for best player during the playoffs - 2002
* Best Goalie in the Ice Hockey World Championships in Moscow 2007
* Silver Medal for Hockey World Championships -2007
==Records==
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for games played by a goaltender (110).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for victories (58).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader shutouts (7).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for games played by a goaltender in a single season (68).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for saves in a single season (1,892).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for shutouts in a single season (4).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for starts in a single season (66).
* Atlanta Thrashers franchise leader for minutes played in a single season (3,934).
==Trivia==
* He had a depiction of Lil Jon, who is an avid Thrashers fan, on his helmet. 
* In the past, Lehtonen has worn a helmet featuring characters Yuna and Rikku from the video game Final Fantasy X-2. 
* Lehtonens boyhood hero is retired Finnish goaltender Jarmo Myllys. 
* Lehtonens current mask features Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu's characters from Kill Bill. 
==References==
==External links==
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* Kari Lehtonen on nhlfinns.com
* Kari Lehtonen an unofficial website
Category:Atlanta Thrashers draft picks
Category:Chicago Wolves player
Category:NHL first round draft picks
Category:Jokerit Helsinki player
Category:Born in 1983
Category:Finnish hockey players
Category:Atlanta Thrashers players