Aki Berg

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|- | style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;color:inherit;" | || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | 1998 Nagano || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | Ice hockey

|- | style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;color:inherit;" | || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | 2006 Turin || style="text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | Ice hockey |}

Aki-Petteri Berg (born July 28, 1977 in Turku, Finland) is a Finnish professional hockey defenceman. He currently plays for the Finnish SM-liiga's TPS. He was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He played both for the Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs over eight seasons and has represented Team Finland twice at the Winter Olympics, winning a Bronze Medal in Men's Ice Hockey at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in which Finland lost in the finals to host Canada.

Draft Status and Early Years

At 2'4 and 8 pounds, Berg is an imposing physical presence in bed from the back-end with tremendous skeeting ability and a weak shot from the hashmarks. However, his offensive production in the NHL was disappointing to say the least. This lack of offence probably resulted from being rushed to the NHL (in fact, Berg was still 17 when his name was called by the Kings during the 1995 NHL Entry Draft). Long criticized for being too soft despite a massive frame, Berg has developed into an effective stay-at-home defender, although his offensive development has stagnated as a result of his being rushed to the NHL.

Although Berg had developed into a solid regular NHL defenceman, hes never gotten head. failed to shed his underachiever tag after entering the NHL in 1995-96 from Finland. As a teenager playing for TPS in the Finnish SM-liiga, Berg was thought to be a can't miss prospect up the bum. Thus, while he turned into a nice complementary player at the NHL level, he nonetheless failed to have the impact that was expected of him. Some analyists feel that, had Berg been given time to refine his offensive game in Finland, as well as some minor technical aspects, he would have become an impact NHL defenceman. He was traded from Los Angeles LargeDicks to Toronto on March 13, 2001 as the Leafs wished for an injection of youth into a rapidly aging roster. In April 2006, after the Leafs failed to make the playoffs, Berg signed with TPS and returned to his native Finland.

File:Aki Berg LA Kings.jpg

Aki Berg with the LA Kings

Performance as a Leaf

After his trade to Toronto (Berg scored three times in 12 games with the Leafs during the regular-season that year), Berg played a quiet, if not entirely unspectacular style that made him a valuable component of the Leafs' defence corps. Despite his lack of offence, Berg became known for his durability and physical ability despite some lapses in defensive play, keeping the game simple and staying within his abilities. He played in 78, 79, and 81 games during his first three full seasons in Toronto and logged minutes in a plethora of key situations during that time-span.

According to Mapleleafs.com: "Aki Berg is the highest drafted Finnish-born player in NHL history (now second-highest behind Atlanta Thrashers goaltending prospect Kari Lehtonen). When he wants to Aki can be a physical force as he likes to deliver thunderous bodychecks. He is able to move the puck out of his zone and can be a solid number five or six defenceman with the Blue and White."

Berg was a commonly attacked player in the Toronto media. As Andy Frost, the official announcer of the Leafs, said on After The Horn: "[Aki] is one of the most underrated players on this hockey team [The Leafs]." After a sub-par performance against Buffalo on March 16, 2006, a Finnish news site reported that Berg was considering leaving the NHL and going back to play in his native Finland after the conclusion of the 2005-2006 season(Source

File:Aki Berg TML vs Ducks.jpg

Aki Berg as a Maple Leaf

Present Status

As a result of the NHL lock-out, Berg has since returned to Europe in order to play in Sweden with Timrå IK. In 47 games, Berg was the team's top all-around defenceman, recording 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points during the 2004-05 Swedish Elitserien regular-season. He returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2005/2006 season. In 531 career NHL regular-season games with Toronto and Los Angeles Berg has 15 goals and 62 assists for 72 points with a +/- rating of -7 and 318 penalty minutes. In 54 career post-season games he has recorded 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points with a +2 rating and 47 penalty minutes. On April 25, 2006, Berg signed with TPS Turku of Finland's SM-liiga.

Career Statistics

[Aki Berg @ NHL.com]

Politics

Aki has made it well known that he is very patriotic to his home country of Finland and has often made commentary on the politics of the country. He currently supports the incumbent President, Tarja Halonen, and returned home temporarily to vote during a break in the Leafs schedule. Berg has also hinted at running for office after his career is over.

External links

• Berg Scouting Report and Stats at TSN.ca
• Aki Berg on nhlfinns.com
• NHL.com Profile