Ruuttu: Tough to Spell, and Hard to Stop

The Buffalo Sabres’ Christian Ruuttu is turning a lot of heads this season--and it’s not just people double-checking the spelling of the name on his back.

Ruuttu, whose name is probably misspelled as often as that of any other NHL player, shared the club lead in scoring with 67 points on 25 goals and 42 assists by March 16, despite missing seven games with a knee injury suffered Feb. 25.

The attention given Ruuttu reached a pinnacle in February when he was named to play in the All-Star game in St. Louis.

“I really looked forward to it,” said the 23-year-old native of Lappeenranta, Finland. “It was a great experience to play with all the great players that were there.

“I was nervous in the beginning of the game but in the third period I wasn’t. “I had a few chances to score but none of us had to because Mario (Lemieux) did all of the scoring. But I’m just starting and I hope I have another chance to get back.”

Last season, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound center finished first in assists (43), third in points (65) and fourth in goals (22) among NHL rookies. He closed with a flourish, scoring 42 points in his last 40 games.

“I was satisfied with the latter part of my rookie season,” Ruuttu said, “but it was pretty tough the first 15 or 16 games when I didn’t play much.”

Playing time hasn’t been a problem this season, with Sabres Coach Ted Sator using Ruuttu on the power play and penalty-killing situations in addition to his regular shift.

“He’s a great player and we’re hoping he’s only going to get better,” Sator said. “He’s just a complete all-around hockey player and I think the things he does well he’s only going to continue to do better as he gets more experience.”

Ruuttu, Buffalo’s seventh-round draft pick in 1983, didn’t seem to have the trouble some Europeans do in adjusting to North American hockey.