Once a young man riding the Zamboni in his native Finland to make ends meet, Montreal Canadiens backup goaltender Antti Niemi has definitely come a long way.
The 35-year-old from Vantaa, Finland was never drafted into the NHL. Instead he caught the eye of the Chicago Blackhawks while he was playing for the Lahti Pelicans in Liiga. The Blackhawks gave Niemi his first big break, signing him back in 2008.
However it wasn’t until the following year, during the 2009-10 season, that he really got his first experience between the pipes at the NHL level, splitting the goaltending duties with former Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet.