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Mika Hannula

The Olympic Games, or Olympics, are an international multi-sport event taking place every four years which comprise of summer and winter games. Though the first ancient games were held in 776 B.C, the modern games started from 1896. The unity of the 5 continents is shown on the Olympic flag by five colorful intertwined rings of red, blue, green, yellow, and black, created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin to represent at least one color of the participating country’s national flag.

Mika Hannula was born on April 2, 1979, in Huddinge, Sweden and is a Swedish professional ice hockey player with HV71 in Elitserien. He plays as a rightwinger with HV71 in Elitserien. He is a hard working and quick player with very good skating abilities. He is intensive, works hard and is dangerous around the opponents net. HV71 signed Hannula on April 21, 2005, for three years.

Hannula was drafted in the 2002 NHL, National hockey league, Entry Draft by Minnesota Wild with their 9th choice, 269th overall selection. During his career he has played for three different hockey teams in the Stockholm area. AIK Hockey, Djurgardens IF, and Hammarby IF. He also tried in the States playing for Houston Aeros in American Hockey League during the season 2003-04.

During the semi-final game in the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia against Canada Hannula cross-checked the Canadian player Sidney Crosby to the neck and head area when Crosby was celebrating a goal he just had scored. He was immediately suspended for the final game against Czech Republic, but on August 2, 2006, the International Ice Hockey Federation Disciplinary Committee extended his suspension to the first four games of the 2007 World Championships in Moscow, Russia, plus a fine of 5,000 Euros.

With all his dedication and devotion in his play, Hannula achieved many goals in his overall athletic career. He had the ability of defeating the opponent easily by just giving some extra hard work and efforts. He never lost hope in himself and always fought hard to achieve his goal.

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