Basically the thread title. But for some context i feel like he was a lot more valuable than his pretty good statlines show up. He has a few clutch playoff performances, wonderful defensively and obviously one of the best pests of all time. I feel like i would rather have him on my team( in the 80/ early 90:s) than players like Kirk Muller, Pierre Turgeon and other high producing forwards. Am i crazy?
How valuable was Esa Tikkanen?
- Thread starter YippieKaey
- Start date
I don't think you're crazy. But it comes down to what you value most. Certainly, with Tikkanen you'd get a significant bonus: the Tiki Talk and all the weirdness & funniness that came with the guy 
Like the time when he actually showed up at Gretzkys home one morning, was there eating breakfast prepared by Gretzkys wife when Wayne woke up...well the coach had given Tiki the task to shadow Wayne so he took it to next level
Like the time when he actually showed up at Gretzkys home one morning, was there eating breakfast prepared by Gretzkys wife when Wayne woke up...well the coach had given Tiki the task to shadow Wayne so he took it to next level 
I don't think you're crazy. But it comes down to what you value most. Certainly, with Tikkanen you'd get a significant bonus: the Tiki Talk and all the weirdness & funniness that came with the guy
Not a true story by the way, but committed he was.
Oh, what bummer! I thought it was a true story. Sounds like something he could have easily done. I guess that's telling in its own right.
The Panther
Registered User
From the Oilers' perspective, Tik was incredibly valuable in two ways:
-- He was the only perfect left-winger for Gretzky-Kurri that was ever found (yeah, Krushelnyski was great in 1984-85, but he slowed in the playoffs and lost his spot on the line after that). In 1986-87 and 1987-88, they were one of the greatest lines ever (maybe the greatest, ever).
-- In the post-Gretzky era, particularly 1988-89 to 1990-1991, Tikkanen was the Oilers' best playoff performer, on balance. It's largely down to him that they beat Calgary in 1991, and also that they beat L.A. in 1991. He was a great clutch player who could lead a team on the ice.
Sigh... yet another great one the Oilers lost 'cause they couldn't pay enough.
-- He was the only perfect left-winger for Gretzky-Kurri that was ever found (yeah, Krushelnyski was great in 1984-85, but he slowed in the playoffs and lost his spot on the line after that). In 1986-87 and 1987-88, they were one of the greatest lines ever (maybe the greatest, ever).
-- In the post-Gretzky era, particularly 1988-89 to 1990-1991, Tikkanen was the Oilers' best playoff performer, on balance. It's largely down to him that they beat Calgary in 1991, and also that they beat L.A. in 1991. He was a great clutch player who could lead a team on the ice.
Sigh... yet another great one the Oilers lost 'cause they couldn't pay enough.
frisco
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame...
Muller career points/game 0.71. Tikkanen 0.72. And Tikk was way better in the playoffs. Tikkanen was a great player. I'd take him over Carbonneau and a whole slew of others.
My Best-Carey
I guess Tikkanen could be conceived of as the perfect player to aquire after you have a 1C, 1D, 1W that are all kind of offensive?
Robert Gordon Orr
Registered User
- Dec 3, 2009
- 986
- 2,112
Tikkanen was a rare breed. He had the perfect mindset to play the role he did.
He was perfectly comfortable with the fact that Wayne and Jari were the stars, and he never pretended or aspired to be one himself. That mental aspect was Tikkanen’s greatest asset.
Also, Tikkanen had the rare ability to make everone around him laugh (aside from opponents). Some years ago I was at a dinner with some of my Finnish friends. There were around 20 of us, amongst them Tikkanen, Christian Ruuttu, Jyrki Lumme and Petri Skriko, plus a few players who are still active today.
The center of attention (in a good way) was Tikkanen. The other Finns laughed so hard when he told some of his stories (in Finnish) that they rolled with laughter. I could see first hand that he had a very positive effect on the guys around him, even the guys who were more than 30 years younger had a blast. So I can imagine that he had a positive effect in locker-rooms.
In short, Tikkanen was the perfect match for Gretzky and Kurri. While they took care of the scoring, he took care of the rest.
Having said that, he was a pretty good overall player himself.
He was perfectly comfortable with the fact that Wayne and Jari were the stars, and he never pretended or aspired to be one himself. That mental aspect was Tikkanen’s greatest asset.
Also, Tikkanen had the rare ability to make everone around him laugh (aside from opponents). Some years ago I was at a dinner with some of my Finnish friends. There were around 20 of us, amongst them Tikkanen, Christian Ruuttu, Jyrki Lumme and Petri Skriko, plus a few players who are still active today.
The center of attention (in a good way) was Tikkanen. The other Finns laughed so hard when he told some of his stories (in Finnish) that they rolled with laughter. I could see first hand that he had a very positive effect on the guys around him, even the guys who were more than 30 years younger had a blast. So I can imagine that he had a positive effect in locker-rooms.
In short, Tikkanen was the perfect match for Gretzky and Kurri. While they took care of the scoring, he took care of the rest.
Having said that, he was a pretty good overall player himself.
Haha i can imagine. I don´t speak finnish but even hearing him talk in finnish is funny. He has one of those faces aswell.....truly a unique character and as you say, pretty underrated as a player aswell.
JackSlater
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- Apr 27, 2010
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Very valuable player. I like guys who bring things to the table without taking things off the table. A key element of that is being a guy who can contribute without being the focus of a line. Tikkanen brings you top quality defence, agitation, toughness, good though not elite offence, all while complementing the other players. He doesn't shrink from the big games and by various accounts he was valuable socially. He even made it on Trailer Park Boys, joining MacKinnon and Forsberg in that prestigious club. Every team could use such a player.
The Panther
Registered User
This is kind of random, but in 1988-89 (first season post-Gretzky) the Oilers struggled (they were in fact sub.500 after the first quarter of the season). But Tikkanen and Kurri excelled. The one area the Oilers continued to be great at -- in fact, better than ever -- was penalty-killing. They were only a hair behind 1st-overall Calgary for the best such in the League... but that doesn't factor in that the Oilers scored 27 short-handed goals, the most in the NHL (Calgary scored 10). So, in fact, Edmonton had easily the best PK in the league that season.
And Tikkanen and Kurri were regular and core PK-ers that season. And damn, were they good! Tikkanen missed a few games that season, but was scoring at a 93-point pace (higher than he'd done with Gretzky as his center). Tikkanen scored 8 short-handed goals that season, which is crazy (esp. in 67 games only!). Early in the season, he scored 2 short-handed goals in 12 seconds (okay, it was against Toronto, but still). At one point that season, he scored 41 points in 20 games.
And Tikkanen and Kurri were regular and core PK-ers that season. And damn, were they good! Tikkanen missed a few games that season, but was scoring at a 93-point pace (higher than he'd done with Gretzky as his center). Tikkanen scored 8 short-handed goals that season, which is crazy (esp. in 67 games only!). Early in the season, he scored 2 short-handed goals in 12 seconds (okay, it was against Toronto, but still). At one point that season, he scored 41 points in 20 games.
Even just his interviews that I've seen seem to have this to some degree. A certain nice aura around him: down to earth, bubbly and strange (in a a good way).
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Yes, that's crazy. Tikkanen was very good within his role, but this is like saying you'd rather have Tom Wilson than Nicklas Backstrom, or Dustin Brown over Anze Kopitar. That can only work if you're putting the finishing touches on a ridiculously stacked dynasty team which already has a superstar 1C, which is exactly the context that Tikkanen played in.
I agree with the main point but you might be selling Tikkanen a bit short there, no? I mean, Tom Wilson and Dustin Brown...
Well he also carried the Oilers in the playoffs after Gretz left. And i think Tom Wilson and Dustin Brown are pretty bad comparisons. Tikkanen was way above their level of play, both defensively and offensively.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
The point being, it's pure insanity to choose a complementary LW over a 1C if you are building a team from scratch. In no world does that result in a better hockey team... defense and agitation don't win hockey games on their own.
I picked Wilson and Brown for the role comparison... not sure there's a perfect comparable to Tik in today's league. The obvious is Marchand, but he's as much better than Tik as Tik is better than Wilson.
Staniowski
Registered User
I love Tikkanen.
Already mentioned is that he was great defensively, very tenacious - a great pest, and a great clutch player.
But to put these things in their proper context, it's important to discuss how good of a player he was.
He was an elite player. Great skater (great mobility), good puck skills, and a great shot. And he had perfect size.
He was one of the best scorers in the history of the World Juniors. He was a very good scorer on Team Finland.
It was his elite skating, shooting, etc. that really distinguished Tikkanen from most other players who were good defensively. He was good enough to play with anybody. He could shine at the highest level. He could outskate most of the guys he was matched against. He could even out-shoot them.
His skating, shooting, etc. combined with his defense and tenaciousness, made him a great player.
A very good and important player.
Already mentioned is that he was great defensively, very tenacious - a great pest, and a great clutch player.
But to put these things in their proper context, it's important to discuss how good of a player he was.
He was an elite player. Great skater (great mobility), good puck skills, and a great shot. And he had perfect size.
He was one of the best scorers in the history of the World Juniors. He was a very good scorer on Team Finland.
It was his elite skating, shooting, etc. that really distinguished Tikkanen from most other players who were good defensively. He was good enough to play with anybody. He could shine at the highest level. He could outskate most of the guys he was matched against. He could even out-shoot them.
His skating, shooting, etc. combined with his defense and tenaciousness, made him a great player.
A very good and important player.
vadim sharifijanov
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- Oct 10, 2007
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my hall of fame has no time for gartner, andreychuk, housley, nieuwendyk, zubov, or ciccarelli.
in this hall of fame, gillies and lowe are HOVG guys i wouldn't dismiss out of hand but they'd be really far from serious consideration.
but tikkanen, carbonneau, claude lemieux, they are all comfortably in.
as for tikkanen's value, i guess i think about it this way. every year between 2012 and 2016, the NBA finals MVP either went to lebron or the person who guarded (and beat) him. by that logic, i don't know that it's unreasonable to like tikkanen for the 1990 conn smythe.
in this hall of fame, gillies and lowe are HOVG guys i wouldn't dismiss out of hand but they'd be really far from serious consideration.
but tikkanen, carbonneau, claude lemieux, they are all comfortably in.
as for tikkanen's value, i guess i think about it this way. every year between 2012 and 2016, the NBA finals MVP either went to lebron or the person who guarded (and beat) him. by that logic, i don't know that it's unreasonable to like tikkanen for the 1990 conn smythe.
vadim sharifijanov
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2007
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1990 to 1992, i think tikkanen is bergeron tbh
before and after, yeah more marchand-y
sr edler
gold is not reality
- Mar 20, 2010
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Even in Vancouver Tikkanen was amazing on the PP in 95–96, after he came off that disastrous 9 game stint with the Devils that apparently involved him being happy in the team bus after a loss and asking for pizza or beer or something. We probably shouldn't undersell the guy's skill.
Tikkanen's career is inexorably divided into two halves - the seasons before his serious 1991-92 knee injury and the seasons after.
Pre-1992, he was an elite player and an absolute force. The best two-way winger in the sport and a clutch/playoff monster. Should have had 3 post-season All-Star selections in 1987, 1989, and 1991 - it's comical in hindsight that a one-dimensional Luc Robitaille scoring 84 points was getting those nods over a Selke-calibre Tikkanen scoring 78 points. And could have won 2-3 Selkes - was absolutely robbed in the voting for that award losing to the likes of Rick Meagher.
If Tikkanen would have played his entire career at the level of those 5 seasons, he's an HHOFer. Peak Tikkanen is better than peak Carbonneau or Gainey.
But he didn't, and suffered that knee injury, and was never quite the same.
Post-1992, he was still a fine player, but became more of a guy who played when he felt like it rather than the all-energy/all the time guy from early in his career. This might have been to manage his wonky knee, and also might have been because his fitness became a bit of an issue (he was definitely a guy who liked a beer and had more of a 1970s/80s fitness ideal). Or with a fistful of Cup rings, maybe the regular season didn't matter as much anymore. In any case, he became an inconsistent guy with streaks of elite play (especially in the playoffs) but also long stretches of indifferent/ineffective play. And butted heads with coaches, and played for 9 teams in the last 7 years of his career.
Pre-1992, he was an elite player and an absolute force. The best two-way winger in the sport and a clutch/playoff monster. Should have had 3 post-season All-Star selections in 1987, 1989, and 1991 - it's comical in hindsight that a one-dimensional Luc Robitaille scoring 84 points was getting those nods over a Selke-calibre Tikkanen scoring 78 points. And could have won 2-3 Selkes - was absolutely robbed in the voting for that award losing to the likes of Rick Meagher.
If Tikkanen would have played his entire career at the level of those 5 seasons, he's an HHOFer. Peak Tikkanen is better than peak Carbonneau or Gainey.
But he didn't, and suffered that knee injury, and was never quite the same.
Post-1992, he was still a fine player, but became more of a guy who played when he felt like it rather than the all-energy/all the time guy from early in his career. This might have been to manage his wonky knee, and also might have been because his fitness became a bit of an issue (he was definitely a guy who liked a beer and had more of a 1970s/80s fitness ideal). Or with a fistful of Cup rings, maybe the regular season didn't matter as much anymore. In any case, he became an inconsistent guy with streaks of elite play (especially in the playoffs) but also long stretches of indifferent/ineffective play. And butted heads with coaches, and played for 9 teams in the last 7 years of his career.
VMBM
Hansel?!
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