Tomas Mikael (Tommy) Salo

Last updated

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Surahammar, Sweden, February 1, 1971.
HOME: Glen Cove, New York.
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 161-173 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 35 (NY Islanders, Edmonton, Sweden, Colorado), 31.
CATCHES: Left
JUNIOR TEAM: Vasteras (Sweden).
SALARY (1996-97): $300,000

STYLE:
STRENGTHS: Good instincts, and a hard worker.
WEAKNESSES: Very small for an NHL goaltender. Angle play needs to be improved.
Name pronounced SAH-loh.

OTHER TOMMY SALO SITES:

The Tommy Salo Gallery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"Salo's unforgettable performance at the 1994 Olympics - where he led Sweden to the gold medal - had the Islanders excited. The Islanders sent him on to Denver, where he has been the No. 1 goalie and is playing well. [Islanders' GM Don] Maloney is impressed with his quick glove and feet, but thinks he needs a little more adaptation to North American shooters." (Jeff Williams, The Hockey News Future Watch 1995)

"Tommy Salo had another brillint IHL season, leading the Utah Grizzlies to a second consecutive Turner Cup, but he must prove he can do it in the NHL. Milbury rejected a trade request by Salo's agent but said if Salo does not make the team, he will be traded." (The Sporting News Hockey Yearbook 1996-97, p. 64)

"Salo won the starting job from Eric Fichaud in the second half and turned in some respectable numbers (20-27-8, 2.82 goals-against average, 90.4 save percentage, five shutouts) for the first time in the NHL. Can he put back-to-back consistent seasons together?" (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 133)

"[Islanders coach Mike] Milbury was pleased with Salo's play down the stretch, but is not sold on him being a No. 1 NHL goalie. Salo made key stops with games on the line, but figures to be pressed for his job in camp by [Eric] Fichaud." (The Hockey News 1997-98 Yearbook, p. 133)

"After back-to-back Turner Cup championships punctuated with awful stints with the Isles and an impressive World Cup showing, Salo has finally succeeded in establishing himself as a bona fide NHL goalie, stealing Eric Fichaud's No. 1 job and keeping the nets for 25 straight games during the stretch. Was named the World Cup's best goalie last spring in Finland." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 124)

"It took months, but the search for Curtis Joseph's successor is over. After a late-season deal brought him to Edmonton, Salo enjoyed a solid run leading up to the playoffs. The Sweden has enough international experience and plenty of NHL duty under his belt to succeed at this most-demanding position. His ability to steal a game is pivotal to the success of the Oilers. Salo will try to prove his doubters on Long Island wrong by establishing himself among the best goalkeepers in the league. Based on potential and talent, he has that sort of ability." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 185)

"The Swedish workhorse has literally smashed all doubts about his abilities as a No. 1 netminder." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 39)

"Unconventional and awkward, Salo is often off-balance, which forces him to make spectacular crowd-pleasing saves. While that's great for ticket buyers, it causes his defensemen headaches. Moreover, Salo also runs into problems when handling the puck. But despite all of the above, his teammates want him as their guy between the pipes any day of the week. Teammate Todd Marchant described him as being the team's MVP all year long last season. Salo can be white-hot. While with the Islanders, many followers doubted his potential as a No. 1 goalie. But since his arrival in Edmonton, he has proven them wrong. One of the NHL's steadiest No. 1 men." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 177)

"Sweden's No. 1 goaltender is now considered a member of the NHL's elite. Last season, Salo posted career highs with 36 wins and eight shutouts. For the second consecutive season, the 5-11 173-pounder proved capable of playing 70-plus games for the Oilers. He has not elevated his game in the postseason but that is understandable given his heavy workload. Finishing sixth in the league in wins and fifth in shutouts, he continues to give his team a chance to win almost every time out. However, he does need a better backup goaltender so as to keep fresh for the playoffs. Salo has been a godsend for the Oilers since coming over from the New York Islanders in late 1998-99. He has continued Edmonton's long tradition of great goaltending (Andy Moog, Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford and Curtis Joseph) and is now a bona fide all-star performer." (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 183)

"As Salo goes, so go the Oilers. With the departure of Doug Weight prior to last season, the team's true franchise player is now located between the pipes. Aside from a momentary lapse of reason in Salt Lake City, where a long-distance goal eliminated the Swedes from gold-medal contention, Salo had on outstanding 2001-02 campaign. He's a workhorse, able to play virtually every night at a high level. An acrobatic goaltender, he can make the impossible save seem simple. The Oilers may finally give Salo a breather more often this season due to the emergence of Jussi Markkanen. However, close to 65 appearances should still be in the offing." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 177)

TRANSACTIONS:

ACCOLADES:

VEZINA TROPHY BALLOTING:

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1999-00510060.04
2000-01710270.05
2001-02200290.01

ALL-STAR TEAM BALLOTING:

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
1999-00300370.01
2000-01200280.01

INJURIES:

RECORDS:

PENALTY SHOTS:

SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T    GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS     3STARS
90-91 Vasteras IK SWEDEN           2    100                11   6.60                    0
      Sweden WORLD JUNIOR          6    343   3   3   0    19   3.32                    1
91-92 Vasteras IK SWEDEN
92-93 Vasteras IK SWEDEN          23   1431                59   2.47                    2
93-94 Vasteras IK SWEDEN          32   1896               106   3.35
      Sweden OLYMPICS              6    370   5   1   0    13   2.11     125   .896     1   0   0     2
      Sweden WORLD                 3    180   1   1   1    10   3.33 
94-95 Denver Grizzlies IHL        65   3810  45  14   4   165   2.60    1836   .910     3   0   1    12    28.91  958.32
      New York Islanders NHL       6    358   1   5   0    18   3.02     189   .905     0   0   1     0    31.68  957.56
95-96 New York Islanders NHL      10    523   1   7   1    35   4.02     250   .860     0   0   0     0    28.68  907.80
      Utah Grizzlies IHL          45   2695  28  15   2   119   2.65    1213   .902     4   0   2     6    27.01  946.91
96-97 Sweden WORLD CUP             2    160   1   1   0     4   2.00                    0
96-97 New York Islanders NHL      58   3208  20  27   8   151   2.82    1576   .904     5   0   1     4    29.48  953.31
      Sweden WORLD                10    597   6   3   1    20   2.01                    1 
97-98 New York Islanders NHL      62   3461  23  29   5   152   2.64    1617   .906     4   0   1    31    28.03  952.72
      Sweden OLYMPIC               4    238   2   2   0     9   2.27     103   .913     0   0   0     0
98-99 New York Islanders NHL      51   3018  17  26   7   132   2.62    1368   .904     5   0   0    12    27.20  948.84
      Edmonton Oilers NHL         13    700   8   2   2    27   2.31     279   .903     0   0   0     0    23.91  943.08
      Sweden WORLD                 8    424                13   1.84     164   .921     0
99-00 Edmonton Oilers NHL         70   4164  27  28  13   162   2.33    1875   .914     2   0   1     8    27.02  958.63
      Sweden WORLD                 6    359   3   3   0    10   1.68     128   .922     1             4
00-01 Edmonton Oilers NHL         73   4364  36  25  12   179   2.46    1856   .904     8   0   1     4    25.52  946.09  14-3-4 (83)
      Sweden WORLD                 8    494                16   1.94     201   .920     2             0
01-02 Edmonton Oilers NHL         69   4035  30  28  10   149   2.22    1713   .913     6   0   1     2    25.47  955.47
      Sweden OLYMPICS              3    179   2   1   0     7   2.34      92   .924     0   0   0     0    30.83  975.30
02-03 Edmonton Oilers NHL         65   3814  29  27   8   172   2.71    1708   .899     4   0   0     4
03-04 Edmonton Oilers NHL         44   2487  17  18   6   107   2.58    1024   .896     3   0   1     2
      Colorado Avalanche NHL       5    304   1   3   1    12   2.37     136   .912     0   0   0     0
      Sweden WORLD CUP             1     60   1   0   0     2   2.00      19   .895     0   0   0     0
04-05 Modo Ornskoldsvik SWEDEN    36   2165                93   2.58    1027   .909     0   0   0    14
TEN (10) NHL SEASONS             526  30436 210 225  73  1296   2.55   13591  0.905    37   0   7    67

POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS     3STARS
94-95 Denver Grizzlies IHL         8    390   7   0   20   3.08                    0   0   0     2
95-96 Utah Grizzlies IHL          22   1341  15   7   51   2.28                    3   0   1    24
98-99 Edmonton Oilers NHL          4    296   0   4   11   2.23     149   .926     0   0   0     0    30.20  976.51
99-00 Edmonton Oilers NHL          5    297   1   4   14   2.83     133   .895     0   0   0     2    26.87  939.52
00-01 Edmonton Oilers NHL          6    406   2   4   15   2.22     187   .920     0   0   0     0    27.64  965.85   0-1-2  (5)
02-03 Edmonton Oilers NHL          6    343   2   4   18   3.15     161   .888     0   0   1     0
03-04 Colorado Avalanche NHL       1     27   0   0    0   0.00       7  1.000     0   0   0     2
04-05 Modo Ornskoldsvik SWEDEN     6                                                   0   0    27
FIVE (5) NHL POSTSEASONS          22   1369   5  16   58   2.54     637  0.909     0   0   1     4

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