Notable Detroit Red Wings opponent in 1998 Stanley Cup Final sentenced to jail time
A name that Detroit Red Wings fans remember from the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals has been sentenced to jail time.
Former NHL forward Esa Tikkanen, whom Detroit Red Wings fans remember from his time with the Washington Capitals, has run into serious legal trouble in his native Finland.
He ran afoul of Finnish tax authorities for failing to disclose substantial amount of his income from abroad; he later claimed that this wasn't an intentional evasion of taxes, but a mere oversight and that he began paying his overdue amounts once it was discovered by him.
However, the District Court of Western Uusimaa sentenced him to a year of suspended imprisonment.
Tikkanen won the Stanley Cup a total of five times during his career, including four with the dynasty Edmonton Oilers in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990.
Moving on to the New York Rangers, he also helped them to the Stanley Cup in 1994 alongside former Oilers teammate and captain Mark Messier.
Tikkanen will never be forgotten by Detroit Red Wings fans for his infamous gaffe in the 3rd period of Game 2 of the 1998 Stanley Cup Final.
Tikkanen stole the puck in the neutral zone from Steve Yzerman and broke in alone on goaltender Chris Osgood, who bit badly on his fake shot deke and sprawled completely out of position. All Tikkanen needed to do was slip the puck into the wide open net.
Instead, Tikkanen shot the puck several inches wide of the right post, blowing a chance to restore Washington's 2-goal lead.
The Red Wings instead tied the score late in the period and then won in overtime when Kris Draper beat goaltender Olaf Kolzig after converting Martin Lapointe's centering pass.
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