Kaj Linna (born 24 January 1971) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenseman who was a two-time All-American for Boston University and won a Liiga championship in 1998.
Career Linna was a member of Finland's under-18 team at the 1989 European championships and continued to make a name for himself in his home country. He received a scholarship to Boston University in 1991 and was part of the increased influx of European players into college hockey following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Linna was a top defenseman for the Terriers almost from the start, being named an All-American as a sophomore and helping BU reach the first of five consecutive Frozen Fours. While his offensive production dipped as a junior, he picked up the pace in the postseason and got the Terriers to make an appearance in the championship game. For his final season with BU, Linna's offense returned to normal and he was named to the All-American squad for a second time. He pushed the Terriers to a second consecutive Hockey East championship and then helped the team win the 1995 NCAA Championship, assisting on the game-winning goal in the final match.
Due to a new CBA for the NHL in 1995, Linna was eligible to be drafted despite being 24 at the time. With a very successful college career on his resume, he was taken by the Ottawa Senators in the 8th round. He then began his professional career in Ottawa's farm system leading the defense in scoring. After the season he decided to return home and played for HIFK for two years. In 1998 he helped HIFK win the league championship without losing a single game in the postseason. He capped off the year by winning a silver medal with the Finnish National Team at the World Championships.
Linna returned to North America the following year for a second attempt at reaching the NHL. He played 11 games for the Milwaukee Admirals before suffering a neck injury that ended his career.
Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1990–91 HIFK FIN U20 10000————— 1990–91 Karhu–Kissat FIN.2 4028108————— 1991–92 Boston University HE 337142146————— 1992–93 Boston University HE 362272971————— 1993–94 Boston University HE 344131726————— 1994–95 Boston University HE 367202726————— 1995–96 PEI Senators AHL 67624303251234 1996–97 HIFK SM-l 469122179————— 1997–98 HIFK SM-l 45810187191458 1998–99 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 1101125————— HE totals 139 20 74 94 169 — — — — — SM-l totals 91 17 22 39 150 9 1 4 5 88
International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1989 Finland EJC 6 0 0 0 4 1998 Finland WC 10 0 0 0 10 Senior totals 10 0 0 0 10
Awards and honors Award Year All-Hockey East Second Team 1992–93 AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1992–93 Hockey East All-Tournament Team 1994 All-Hockey East Second Team 1994–95 AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1994–95 All-NCAA All-Tournament Team 1995
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