Sports
Valtteri Filppula
born 1984 · ice hockey player, centre
Finnish centre who became the first Finn to play for the Red Wings, won the 2008 Stanley Cup scoring the second goal of the clinching game, and later returned to Detroit for two more seasons.
- Born
Vantaa, Finland
age 42- Detroit years
- 2005–2013, 2019–2021
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Drafted by Detroit in 2002, Filppula developed in the club's minor-league system before making his NHL debut with the Red Wings in December 2005, becoming the first Finnish player ever to suit up for the franchise. He grew into a reliable two-way centre, and in the deciding Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final against Pittsburgh he scored Detroit's second goal in a 3–2 win that brought the club its eleventh championship. He stayed through the 2013 lockout-shortened return before moving on to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, then came back to Detroit as a free agent in 2019 for two more seasons, closing out a Red Wings career spread across parts of three different decades.
Highlights
- First Finnish-born player to play for the Detroit Red Wings
- Scored a goal in the Red Wings' 2008 Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6
- Signed a five-year, fifteen-million-dollar extension with Detroit in 2008
- Returned to the Red Wings for two more seasons, 2019–2021
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 2005–2013
Joe Louis Arena
Demolished · 1979–2017
Where he made his NHL debut and won the 2008 Stanley Cup; demolished after the team moved out in 2017.
Played here · 2019–2021
Little Caesars Arena
Where he played during his second stint with the Red Wings.