Editor's Note:  Community Member Downright Fierce took us up on our offer to write a FanPost about his favorite post-dynasty Oiler, and what a FanPost it is.  Downright Fierce normally plies his trade at Slow Fresh Oil, check it out.

That picture hurts, I know, but it encapsulates what a lot of people think of when they hear the name Jussi Markkanen. The Finn got the tap on the shoulder on June 7, 2006, and despite early jitters in Game 2, Jussi did what then seemed impossible: he stepped up and backed the Human Rake & Co. all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That last, sad night in Raleigh might as well be the only game Markkanen played in the series, but the truth is he put on a clinic in Game 3, enabled the Game 5 turnaround (with a little help from Irene), and posted a shutout in Game 6. You could have hardly asked for more from a guy who spent the latter half of the regular season watching from the press box.

For me, the 2006 Finals were the culmination of a long, intense relationship with Jussi Markkanen: My Favourite Post-Dynasty Oiler.

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