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Reijo Ruotsalainen is in his first season with the Firebirds as an assistant coach. The long-time NHL defenseman brings a championship pedigree to the Firebirds as he won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers in 1987 and 1990 and a silver medal for Finland in the 1988 Winder Olympics. During his playing career, he appeared in 446 NHL games for the Oilers, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. Following the conclusion of his time in the NHL, Ruotsalainen continued to play for eight more seasons in his native Finland and in Switzerland.

Ruotsalainen brings 14 years of professional coaching experience to the Firebirds staff, with stops in the ECHL, Finland, Austria and Germany. Most recently he was the head coach for Kiekko-Vantaa in Finland during the 2018-19 season.