Jere Karalahti
| Jere Karalahti | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
March 25, 1975 Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
HIFK Los Angeles Kings Nashville Predators Oulun Kärpät Hamburg Freezers Blues HC Dinamo Minsk Jokerit HV71 |
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| National team |
 Finland
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| NHL Draft | 146th overall, 1993 Los Angeles Kings |
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| Playing career | 1993–2016 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Finland
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
1998 Switzerland | |
|
1999 Norway | |
|
2014 Belarus | |
 |
2000 Russia | |
Jere Juhani Karalahti (born March 25, 1975) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings as their sixth-round pick in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft and played a total of 166 games in the NHL. Karalahti won the 1998 Liiga championship in his native Finland, he is a three-time silver medalist at World Championships and also won one bronze with the Finnish national team. His playing career included stints in Finland, the US, Germany, Belarus and Sweden.
Karalahti played his first major ice hockey games for HIFK during the 1993–94 SM-liiga season. Karalahti was soon seen as a good physical defenceman and he began to have more ice time season by season. Karalahti's best SM-liiga moment came in 1998 when HIFK won the SM-liiga championship over Ilves. Karalahti played a good season, posting a career high in points (30pts). Karalahti improved his record by three points in the following season and was offered a contract by the NHL club the Los Angeles Kings.
Karalahti moved to North America in 1999 after difficulties with his visa, playing the rest of the season for the LA Kings. After a good first season, Karalahti's time on ice was reduced and he eventually requested a trade to the Nashville Predators, which he got in 2001. In the summer of 2002 Karalahti was suspended for six months by the NHL for a drug violation, and he returned to Finland.
Upon returning to the SM-liiga, Karalahti resumed his role as one of HIFK's premier defensemen. Head coach Doug Shedden made Karalahti team captain for the 2005–06 season, but he lost most of the season due to injuries. At the close of the season, Karalahti stirred up controversy by refusing to play in the bronze medal game for the second time in his HIFK career, citing a lack of interest. He was subsequently stripped of his captaincy. Karalahti's contract was not renewed by HIFK and he left the club he had been representing his entire career in Finland.
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