Timo Jutila

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


played_for = SM-liiga
Tappara
NHL
Buffalo Sabres
Elitserien
Luleå HF
Nationalliga A
SC Bern
league = SM-l
position = Defence
shoots = Left
height_ft = 5
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 187
nickname = Juti
nationality = FIN
birth_date = birth date and age|1963|12|24
birth_place = Tampere, FIN
draft = 68th overall
draft_year = 1982
draft_team = Buffalo Sabres
career_start = 1979
career_end = 1999

Timo Jutila (born December 24, 1963 in Tampere, Finland) is a retired Finnish ice hockey defenceman.

Jutila was drafted by Buffalo Sabres (4th round, 68th overall) in 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Jutila's ice hockey career began at the "Pohjola Leiri" 1978 training camp held by the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation where he was selected as the best player of the camp. He played for Tappara in the 1979–80 season of the Finnish SM-liiga. He continued to play with the team for a total of five Seasons (1980–1984), totalling 144 regular season games.

After the 1983–84 season, Jutila went to the NHL and played for the Buffalo Sabres, the team who drafted him in 1982. However, Jutila's NHL career was short-lived and he left NHL in the following season. Jutila played most of the 1984–85 season in AHL for the Rochester Americans, totalling 56 games with 43 points (13 goals and 30 assists).

After his short NHL spell, Jutila returned to Tappara and stayed with the club for three seasons (1985–1988), winning the Finnish Championship every season. After three successful seasons in Finland, Jutila signed with the Swedish team Luleå HF in Elitserien where played for four seasons (1988–1992).

He returned to Finland and Tappara in 1993 and continued to play with his former team Tampere for another four Seasons (1992–1996). During this period, Tappara was not as successful as in 1985–1988; the best result of Jutila's four season tenure was a fourth place after losing the bronze game in overtime to Lukko in the 1994 playoffs.

In 1996, Jutila was contracted by SC Bern in the Swiss elite league Nationalliga A. After only one season with the club, he returned to Finland playing his last two season as an active hockey player with Tappara. He retired in 1999.

After his retirement, Jutila worked as ice hockey commentator, and together with Mika Saukkonen and Jari Kurri he formed the play-by-play team for Finnish ice hockey TV programme "Hockey Night in Finland", aired on MTV3.

Awards

* Named Best player of Pohjola Leiri in 1978.
* Awarded the Pekka Rautakallio Trophy in 1988.
* Awarded the President's trophy in 1995.
* Awarded Kalen Kannu in 2001.
* Member of the IIHF Hall of Fame

International career

Jutila was a defenceman and the long time captain for the Finnish national team. He played in total 246 international games, scoring 108 points (40 goals and 68 assists). He played eight World Championships (1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997), three Winter Olympic tournaments (1984, 1992 and 1994) and one Canada Cup (1991).