Criminal battle forces former Edmonton Oilers forward to sell Stanley Cup ring
Former Oilers forward Esa Tikkanen is auctioning off four of his Stanley Cup rings, reportedly in response to his ongoing legal battle for tax fraud in Finland, raising eyebrows among fans and analysts.
Tikkanen's legacy and his championships
Tikkanen was a consistent part of the 80s Oilers that dominated the NHL. He spent the majority of his career with Edmonton, despite playing for five teams in total, and won four championships with them. Unfortunately, retirement hasn't been kind to Tikkanen, as he faces a legal battle for tax fraud, leading him to auction off four of his Stanley Cup rings.
Tikkanen's denial and ongoing legal battle
Tikkanen denies that the auction is linked to his legal troubles. He provided no specific reason for the move, noting only that he's considered it for a long time. In a statement to Finnish news sources, he said the auction is "in no way" related to his aggravated tax fraud case.
Is this settlement somehow related to your indictment for aggravated tax fraud? Have there been any financial challenges?
- In no way. This has been thought about for a little longer.
Tikkanen's illustrious career and achievements
Tikkanen played in 877 career regular season NHL games, including 522 games with the Edmonton Oilers. He scored 244 career goals and 630 points. Tikkanen won the Stanley Cup five times, four with the Oilers and once in 1994 with the New York Rangers.
As Read on MarkerZone - Esa Tikkanen forced to sell Stanley Cup Ring due to criminal battle
| POLL | ||
1 JUIN | 161 ANSWERS Criminal battle forces former Edmonton Oilers forward to sell Stanley Cup ring Do you believe Esa Tikkanen when he says the auction has no relation to his legal battle? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 23.6 % |
| No | 123 | 76.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
