About Raimo Helminen
Raimo Ilmari Helminen (born 11 March 1964 in Tampere, Finland) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans. He is the world record holder for most international games played by a hockey player, as well as for tied for being the hockey player in the most Olympic Games, and his 26 seasons as a professional is one of the longest careers in professional hockey history. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2012. In the 2022-23 season he is serving as the assistant coach of Ilves. Helminen is credited with invention of the saucer pass. Helminen started his career in his native town, playing for one of oldest teams in the country, Ilves. Helminen broke the record for most points scored in an under-20 tournament and was selected for the All-Star team. That spring Helminen also took part in his first Olympic Games in Sarajevo. His first international success came in 1984 when Finland won silver in the U20 World Championship tournament in Sweden.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.