Ilkka Antero Jouko Sinisalo (July 10, 1958 – April 5, 2017) was a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings. Later he was a scout for the Flyers.
Playing career Sinisalo was originally a junior product of HIFK. He played in the NHL from 1981 to 1992, scoring 204 goals and 426 points, mostly with the Flyers. Sinisalo is ranked as the all-time leading goal scorer among European Philadelphia Flyers. He is also ranked the fourth-highest Finnish goal scorer in NHL history, and he was honored by induction to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
When Sinisalo started his ice hockey career in the 1970s, NHL teams did not scout extensively in Finland. The first Finnish ice hockey player in NHL was Matti Hagman for the 1976–77 Boston Bruins. However, NHL scouts were so impressed by Sinisalo's talents that they made an exception by signing him as a free agent after his 1980–81 season with HIFK, where he scored 27 goals in 36 games. He signed his first NHL contract on February 17, 1981. Sinisalo started his first season with the Flyers with his first NHL goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sinisalo became the first Flyer to score his first NHL goal on a penalty shot, and the third NHL player at that time. During the 1984–85 season, Sinisalo scored 73 points in 70 games, with a +32 rating. The 1989–90 season was Sinisalo's last with the Flyers, after which he played one season for the Minnesota North Stars and two seasons for the Los Angeles Kings.
Sinisalo retired from hockey in 1996, last playing for the Kiekko-Espoo in the SM-Liiga.
Career after retirement After playing his last season of professional ice hockey for Kiekko-Espoo in 1995–96 in Finland, Sinisalo took a job as the general manager of the club. He served as Kiekko-Espoo GM until 1998–99. Sinisalo was then hired by San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi on September 12, 1998, as a European-based scout for the Sharks. In July 2004, he returned to the Flyers' organization as their European scout.
Personal life Sinisalo's son Tomas is a professional ice hockey player, primarily in Finland, having attended the Flyers' training camp in 2009.
Sinisalo died as a result of prostate cancer on April 5, 2017.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1976–77PiTaFIN II352216388————— 1977–78HIFKSM-l36931218————— 1978–79HIFKSM-l3064101664152 1979–80HIFKSM-l35169251671344 1980–81HIFKSM-l362717441465384 1981–82Philadelphia FlyersNHL661522372240220 1982–83Philadelphia FlyersNHL612129501631120 1983–84Philadelphia FlyersNHL732917462922020 1984–85Philadelphia FlyersNHL7036377316196170 1985–86Philadelphia FlyersNHL743937763152242 1986–87Philadelphia FlyersNHL421021318185164 1987–88Philadelphia FlyersNHL682517423074260 1988–89Philadelphia FlyersNHL13167281120 1989–90Philadelphia FlyersNHL5923234626————— 1990–91Minnesota North StarsNHL465121724————— 1990–91Los Angeles KingsNHL7000220110 1991–92Los Angeles KingsNHL30112————— 1991–92Phoenix RoadrunnersIHL4219214032————— 1992–93HPKSM-l4613162955122358 1993–94KärpätFIN II2827154220————— 1993–94IlvesSM-l121671041016 1994–95IlvesSM-l3027945————— 1994–95Kiekko-EspooSM-l167714640334 1995–96Kiekko-EspooSM-l447121936—————SM-l totals28588811692163913132628NHL totals582204222426208682111326
International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1978FinlandWJC61784 1981FinlandWC50114 1981FinlandCC51016 1982FinlandWC51126 1983FinlandWC80224 Senior totals2324620
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