Finnish forward Jussi Jokinen calls it a career after 951 career NHL games

After playing 951 career games in the National Hockey League, forward Jussi Jokinen has officially decided on his future. 

He's calling it a career after having played for nine teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Vancouver Canucks. 

“I’ve always demanded a lot of myself, and when I wasn’t able to meet those demands any more, it was time to call it quits,” Jokinen, who played three seasons in Finland after leaving the NHL following the 2017-18 season, told NHL.com. “The main reason was I wasn’t able to play any more at the level I’ve played most of my career. I couldn’t help the team as much as I wanted to, so I knew it was the right time to hand [in] the skates.”

After playing with Oulun Kärpät in the top-tier Finnish Liiga, Jokinen was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the sixth round (192nd overall) of the 2001 NHL Draft. He would spend his first three years with Dallas, where he quickly gained a reputation of being a shootout specialist. 

He would later he traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning as part of a deal that sent Brad Richards to Dallas at the 2008 NHL Trade Deadline. It wasn't long before he found himself with the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he spent the longest tenure of his career. 

His longest tenure came as a member of the Hurricanes, appearing in 288 games and scoring 68 goals and 185 points. He enjoyed playoff success in Carolina, scoring seven goals and 11 points in 18 games during their run to the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, where they'd ultimately lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 2009-10 NHL Season was the most productive of his career, as he scored 30 goals with 35 assists for 65 points. 

During the 2017-18 NHL Season, he became the 4th player in League history to suit up for four different teams in a single season (Edmonton, Los Angeles, Columbus, Vancouver), joining the likes of Dennis O'Brien, Dave McLlwainz, and Mark Arcobello.

In 54 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Jokinen scored a total of 17 goals with 15 assists.