2002-03 Dallas Stars
Road KOHO Airknit, Size 56, Playoff Set
NHL-MGG No. A04406
Heavy overall wear with 6 repairs, great board burns,
puck/stick marks. Nice piece from this three time Selke Award recipient.
Dallas Stars' wing Jere
Lehtinen has played in the NHL only since 1995, but he has already
made his mark as one of the league's best two-way players. On a team
replete with superstars, Lehtinen might not be the top goal scorer
or the hardest hitter or flashiest player, but he is widely acknowledged
by teammates and Stars coach Ken Hitchcock (now with Philadelphia)
as the 'glue' that holds the team's top line of him, Brett Hull (now
with Detroit) and Mike Modano together.
With Hull's arrival to the Stars, there was some initial confusion
about where Lehtinen would play on the line with him and Modano, since
prior to that Lehtinen had been a right winger. But the presence of
two right-handers on the team's top line made a switch necessary for
coach Hitchcock. Luckily, however, Lehtinen agreed to switch to the
left to accommodate Hull.
The Stars players and coaches are not the only ones who recognize
Lehtinen's contributions, though. In 2003 he won the Selke award as
the NHL's best defensive forward for the third time in a row, a feat
accomplished by only two other players, Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau.
Internationally, Lehtinen, who was originally the Minnesota North
Stars' third pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, 88th overall, represented
Finland at the 1993 World Juniors, and was his country's top scorer
in that event. He played on the Finnish Olympic team in 1994 and in
1998 and was a big part of the team's bronze medal-winning performance
in Nagano, tying for seventh overall and third on his team in that
NHL-led tournament. Lehtinen has also competed in two World Championships,
in 1995 and 1996, and led the Finns to their first World victory in
1995.
One of the reasons Dallas made it through to two consecutive Stanley
Cup finals in 1999 and 2000 was that Lehtinen thrives on playoff hockey.
Lehtinen made his third Olympic appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City and after the departure of Ken Hitchcock from the
Stars in 2002-03, Lehtinen and the Stars were given more of an opportunity
to play an offensive oriented game under new head coach Dave Tippett.
Lehtinen responded with a career-high 31 goals.
Comming off a strong season in 2002-03, Lehtinen was limited to a
mere 58 games in 2003-04 and was desperately missed by the Stars.
Although, Lehtinen and the Stars were eliminated in the first round
of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the three-time Selke winner represented
his homeland in the second annual World Cup of Hockey.
