He played his entire 14-season NHL career with the Dallas Stars.
He was one of the League’s greatest two-way forwards.
He is a three-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defensive forward, becoming just the third player in NHL history to win the trophy in consecutive seasons (1997-98, 1998-99 and 2002-03)
He’s a Stanley Cup Championship winner.
And on Friday, Nov. 24th,when the Stars host the Calgary Flames, he will have his jersey retired.
Jere Lehtinen’s No. 26 jersey will be the 5th sweater to retired by the Stars franchise and the third since the team moved to Texas.
The team released the below schedule for the ceremony which will take place prior to the game.
Friday, Nov. 24:
- 5 p.m. – KIA Victory Green Carpet (located on Victory Plaza at American Airlines Center)
- Lehtinen and his family will walk down the KIA Victory Green Carpet along with other Stars dignitaries, including Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, Guy Carbonneau, Craig Ludwig, Neal Broten, the family of Bill Masterton, Brenden Morrow, Marty Turco, Bob Gainey, Dave Tippett, Doug Armstrong, Tom Hicks, Norm Green and other guests.
- 6:30 p.m. – Jersey Retirement Ceremony Begins (on the ice at American Airlines Center)
- 7:15 p.m. – Ceremony Ends
Lehtinen joins Neal Broten (No. 7), Bill Goldsworthy (No. 8), Mike Modano (No. 9) and Bill Masterton (No. 19) as the only players in franchise history to have their number retired.
A fourth-round pick (88th overall) in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Lehtinen played his entire 14-year career with the Stars and was one of the game’s great two-way forwards, winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward three times (1998, 1999, 2003).
He registered 514 points (243 goals, 271 assists) in 875 games, topping the 20-goal mark eight times and scoring more than 30 goals twice. He tallied 49 points (27 goals, 22 assists) in 108 playoff games, including ten in 23 games when the Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999.
On the Stars All-Time Franchise List Lehtinen is well-represented*:
- (1st) +176 in plus/minus
- (3rd) 875 games played
- (4th) 37 game-winning goals
- (T-7th) 243 goals
- (T-7th) 77 power play goals
- (10th) 514 points
Lehtinen is also an Olympic gold medalist, representing his home country of Finland in five different Olympic Games and winning medals in four.
- 2010 Olympics: Bronze medal
- 2006 Olympics: Silver medal
- 1998 Olympics: Bronze medal
- 1994 Olympics: Bronze medal
He also represented Finland in four World Championships, winning gold at the 1995 tournament and silver at the 1992, 1994 and 2007 tournaments.
*Per Dallas Stars
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