Ilkka Sinisalo, a right winger for Finland internationally and a long-time member of the Philadelphia Flyers, was never much of a fighter on ice, but he fought a valiant three-year battle with prostate cancer that ended with his death yesterday in Finland. He was just 58 years old.

Sinisalo died peacefully, in his sleep, surrounded by family at home in Helsinki. Only those close to him knew of his illness.

Sinisalo was discovered by the Flyers in 1980, a time when Finns had not yet caught the eye of NHL scouts. He made his NHL debut the following season at age 23 and made history by scoring his first career goal on a penalty shot, something only five players of the more than 7,500 in league history have accomplished.

Undaunted by the long schedule and tough play of the NHL, Sinisalo increased his goal production every year for the first five years of his career, going from 15 as a rookie to 21, 29, 36, and 39 in 1985/86.

Good speed, good shot, and a knack for creating offence were Sinisalo’s trademarks. In all, he played nine seasons with the Flyers before finishing his NHL career with Minnesota and Los Angeles, after which he returned to Finland to play.

After retiring in 1996, he joined Espoo as general manager and soon after started scouting for the San Jose Sharks. In 2004, the Flyers hired him to fulfill the same duties which he continued to do until his passing.

In addition to his fine NHL career, which included 582 regular-season games and 68 more in the playoffs, Sinisalo represented Suomi on several occasions. He played at the 1978 World Juniors in Quebec, Canada, as well as the 1981 Canada Cup. Additionally, he played in the World Championship three years running – 1981, 1982, 1983.

Siniaslo’s son, Tomas, also developed into a pro. Tomas was born in Philadelphia during Ilkka’s NHL career but has since played mostly in Finland and Denmark.

Kimmo Timonen, another Finnish Flyer from a later era, expressed deep sadness at Sinisalo’s passing: "He was one of those people who made the way for us, the younger guys," Timonen said. "He was one of the first Finns to do well in the NHL, so obviously everybody knew him back home."

ANDREW PODNIEKS