Sami Salo, who retired from professional hockey earlier this month, played nine seasons with the Canucks after being traded from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Peter Schaefer. Salo established himself as a top 4 defenseman in Vancouver, contributing greatly to some of the best years in the franchise’s history. 

Largely due to injuries, Salo never played a full 82 game season and finished his career just shy of 100 goals. Despite this misfortune, Salo was a favourite in Vancouver for his intelligent play and powerful slapshot. 

Sami Salo’s two most memorable goals as a Canuck came just 16 seconds apart in the fourth game of the 2011 Western Conference finals. During consecutive 5-on-3 power plays, Salo’s slapshot took much of the remaining life out of the Sharks’ season.

Aside from his wonderful shooting ability, some of Salo’s most memorable moments came as a result of his unfortunate luck with injuries. Aside from famously taking a Duncan Keith slapshot to the testicles, Salo tore his achilles while playing floorball, took multiple blows to the face, and was bitten by the only poisonous snake in Finland. 

Salo is also remembered for his rare but exuberant celebrations, the best known being the Tickler:

Salo’s relationship with the Vancouver media was surprisingly fun for a guy who put so much energy into avoiding photographs. His ability to joke around while discussing his various ailments made him a favourite among local media as well as fans. Salo was a class act throughout his tenure in Vancouver and when the team did not re-sign him after the 2012 season he joined the Tampa Bay Lightning. Few Canucks fans, if any at all, would have been unhappy to see the Lightning win a Stanley Cup with Salo on their roster. 

Salo’s steadiness made him an excellent partner for young defensemen – most notably Alexander Edler, who benefited greatly from Salo’s calming and defensively sound presence. 

Statistically, Salo’s resume suffers because of the time he missed, but he was a reliable and entertaining player throughout his nine years with the Canucks. Also he’s one of those guys that almost no one has ever said a bad word about.