Esa Tikkanen - Born January 25, 1965 in Helsinki, Finland is a Finnish retired ice Hockey left winger and coach.

Tikkanen made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers on May 23, 1985, which was game 2 of the 1985 Stanley Cup finals vs Philadelphia Flyers at the The Spectrum in a 3-1 Oilers win. He got a 2 minute minor penalty in the game. Tikkanen also played games 3 and 4 of the finals, as Edmonton won the Stanley Cup in 5 games.

Tikkanen scored his 1st NHL goal vs Greg Millen of the St. Louis Blues at :41 of the 3rd period at Northlands Coliseum in a 6-3 Oilers win. He scored his 1st Hat-Trick vs Clint Malarchuk of the Quebec Nordiques on October 15, 1986 at Northlands Coliseum in a 5-2 Oilers win.

- Kanada-malja Champion (SM Liiga) 1983 with HIFK Hockey.

- Silver Medal Winner 1984 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Finland National Team.
He also represented Finland at the 1983 and 1985 World Juniors.

- Matti Keinonen Trophy Winner 1985 with HIFK Hockey.

- Clarence S. Campbell Bowl Champion 1987, 1988, 1990 with Edmonton Oilers.

- Stanley Cup Champion 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990 with Edmonton Oilers and 1994 with New York Rangers.

- Prince of Wales Trophy 1994 with New York Rangers.

- Bronze Medal Winner 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics with Finland National Team

Tikkanen played for Finland Men's National Team at the World Championships in 1985, 1989, 1993 and 1996.

Tikkanen was a member of Team Finland at the Canada Cup in 1987 and 1991.

Tikkanen was selected to play in Rendez-vous '87 representing the NHL All-Stars vs the Soviet Union in a 2 game series. Tikkanen had a assist and a penalty in the first game, which the NHL won 4-3. Soviets won game two 5-3.

Tikkanen was known for his chippy and aggressive style of play.......in your face. He was nicknamed "The Grate One" (a pun on teammate Gretzky's moniker "The Great One") for his ability to irritate opposing players, often just by talking to them in his Finnish-English "Tikkanese" or "Tiki-Talk."

Tikkanen set a new NHL record with two shorthanded goals just eight seconds apart vs Allan Bester of the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 12, 1988. Goals were scored in the 1st period at 10:44 and 10:56. Tikkanen had 3 goals, 1 assist in a 6-2 Oilers win.

NOTE
Tikkanen is wearing #11 in this photo. He only used the number 11 just this tournament. He also wore #29 during the 1985 World Championships, #15 at Rendez Vous '87 and #10 the rest of his career.