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{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = Yutaka Fukufuji.jpg
| image_size = 230px
| position = [[Goaltender]]
| catches = Left
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 0
| weight_lb = 198
| team = [[Nikko Ice Bucks]]
| league = [[Asia League Ice Hockey]]
| former_teams = [[Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015)|Bakersfield Condors]] ([[ECHL]]) [[Manchester Monarchs (AHL)|Manchester Monarchs]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]]) [[Los Angeles Kings]] ([[National Hockey League|NHL]]) [[Reading Royals]] (ECHL) [[Cincinnati Cyclones]] (ECHL) [[Seibu Prince Rabbits|Kokudo Tokyo]] ([[Asia League Ice Hockey|Asia League]]) [[Nikkō Ice Bucks]]([[Asia League Ice Hockey|Asia League]])
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1982|9|17|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kushiro, Hokkaidō]], [[Japan|JPN]]
| career_start = 2002
| draft = 238th overall
| draft_year = 2004
| draft_team = [[Los Angeles Kings]]
| ntl_team = Japan
}}
{{MedalTableTop|name=}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{JPN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2011 Asian Winter Games|2011 Astana-Almaty]]|[[Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games|Ice hockey]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}
{{nihongo|'''Yutaka Fukufuji'''|福藤豊|Fukufuji Yutaka|extra=born September 17, 1982}} is a [[Japan]]ese ice hockey player currently with the [[Nikko Ice Bucks]] of the [[Asia League Ice Hockey]]. Fukufuji was the first Japanese player to appear in a [[National Hockey League]] game.<ref name="NHLInsider">{{cite news | last = Grossman | first = Evan | title = NHL Insider: When It Comes To Hockey, It's A Small World | publisher = [http://www.nhl.com National Hockey League] | date = 2007-03-14}}</ref> The first Japanese draft pick, [[Hiroyuki Miura]], was selected by the [[Montreal Canadiens]] in the [[1992 NHL Entry Draft|1992 NHL Draft]], but never played in an NHL game. A fictional Japanese player, [[Taro Tsujimoto]], was a name "plucked out of the Buffalo telephone book" and drafted as a joke in [[1974 NHL Amateur Draft#Round eleven|1974]] by [[Buffalo Sabres]] GM [[Punch Imlach]]. Fukufuji is the first Japanese [[citizen]] to be drafted as a [[goaltender]] in the NHL and second Japanese national to be drafted.

==Career==
Fukufuji was born in [[Kushiro, Hokkaidō]], [[Japan]].<ref name="Rafu">{{cite news | last = Matsuda | first = Gann | title = Fukufuji Proud Of Season As He Looks Forward | publisher = Rafu Shimpo | date = 2007-02-21 | page=2 |url=http://frozenroyalty.net/2007/02/21/la-kings-goalie-prospect-fukufuji-is-proud-of-season-as-he-looks-forward | accessdate = 2012-08-07}}</ref><ref name="Wigge">{{cite news | last = Wigge | first = Larry | title = Kings Goalie Is First Native Japanese Player In The NHL | publisher = [http://www.nhl.com National Hockey League] | date = 2007-01-16 | url = http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=287481 | accessdate = 2007-08-01}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> He played on the [[Seibu Prince Rabbits|Kokudo hockey team]] of [[Asia League Ice Hockey]] in 2001. He was drafted by the [[Los Angeles Kings]] in the 2004 entry draft in the 8th round, 238th overall.<ref name="Rafu"/> He made his North American debut on February 7, 2003 with the [[ECHL]] [[Cincinnati Cyclones]]. He was voted the ECHL rookie of the month in January 2003. He played for the [[Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015)|Bakersfield Condors]] of the [[ECHL]] in 2004–05 leading the team in wins, GAA, and shutouts.<ref name="Wigge"/> Fukufuji signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the [[Los Angeles Kings]] in August 2005. After starting the 2005–06 season with the [[Reading Royals]], the Kings ECHL franchise, Yutaka was the number 2 goalie on the [[American Hockey League|AHL]] [[Manchester Monarchs (AHL)|Manchester Monarchs]] for a time.

On December 15, 2006, Fukufuji was called up on to the Los Angeles Kings on emergency basis.<ref name="Rafu"/> He became the first Japanese player to dress for an NHL game, but he did not play.<ref name="Rafu"/>

When goaltender [[Mathieu Garon]] was placed on injured reserve with a broken finger, Fukufuji was again recalled and flew in from [[Cleveland, Ohio]] to dress as backup to goalie [[Barry Brust]].<ref name="Rafu"/> On January 13, 2007, Fukufuji made his first NHL appearance, the first by a Japanese player, when Kings head coach [[Marc Crawford]] decided to put him in to start the third period of a game against the [[St. Louis Blues]].<ref name="Rafu"/> Fukufuji entered the game with the Kings trailing 5-4. He allowed one goal in the period, and the Kings also scored one goal while he was in net. The final score of the game was 6-5 in favor of St. Louis; as Fukufuji was the goaltender who allowed the decisive sixth St. Louis goal, he was assessed the loss.<ref name="Rafu"/><ref name="Wigge"/>

On January 16, 2007, Fukufuji made history again when he became the first Japanese player to start in an NHL game, as he began the game in goal for the Kings against the [[Atlanta Thrashers]].<ref name="Rafu"/>

Fukufuji was not presented with a qualifying offer by the Kings before the 2007–08 season, but returned to the Condors on September 10, 2007 after signing a contract for the 2007–08 season.<ref name="CondorsDelighted">{{cite news|last=Griffith |first=Mike |title=Condors 'Delighted' At Fukufuji's Return |url=http://www.bakersfield.com/news/sports/condors/story/234328.html |publisher=[http://www.bakersfield.com Bakersfield Californian] |date=2007-09-11 |accessdate=2007-09-25 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611095525/http://www.bakersfield.com/news/sports/condors/story/234328.html |archivedate=June 11, 2008 }}</ref>

On May 25, 2009, Fukufuji was signed by the [[Destil Trappers]] of the [[Eredivisie (ice hockey)|Eredivisie]], the top league in the [[Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Trappers sign Japanese goalie |url=http://www.trappers.nl/0809/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=352&Itemid=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623120437/http://www.trappers.nl:80/0809/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=352&Itemid=2|dead-url=yes|archive-date=2009-06-23|publisher=Destil Trappers|date=2009-05-25|accessdate=2009-05-31}} </ref> After one full season with [[Destil Trappers]] Fukufuji signed with [[Nikko Ice Bucks]] in July 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icebucks.jp/team/ |title=Team | Hc Nikko Ice Bucks |publisher=Icebucks.jp |date= |accessdate=2012-08-30 |deadurl=yes }}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! [[Season (sports)|Season]]
! Team
! League
! GP !! MIN !! GA !! EN !! [[Shutout|SO]] !! [[Goals against average|GAA]] !! W !! L !! T !! SV !! Pct
|-
|2002-03||Cincinnati Cyclones||ECHL||9||403||21||1||0||3.13||4||3||0||226||0.915
|-
|2004-05||Bakersfield Condors||ECHL||44||2517||104||1||3||2.48||27||9||5||1182||0.919
|-
|2005-06||Manchester Monarchs||AHL||2||120||6||0||0||3.00||1||1||0||72||0.923
|-
|2005-06||Reading Royals||ECHL||29||1691||82||3||1||2.91||15||9||4||909||0.917
|-
|2006-07||Los Angeles Kings||NHL||4||96||7||0||0||4.37||0||3||0||36||0.837
|-
|2006-07||Reading Royals||ECHL||28||1522||75||2||1||2.96||13||10||0||718||0.905
|-
|2006-07||Manchester Monarchs||AHL||5||261||4||0||1||0.92||3||1||0||111||0.965
|-
|2007-08||Bakersfield Condors||ECHL||46||2427||137||3||1||3.39||18||18||1||1219||0.899
|-
|2008-09||Bakersfield Condors||ECHL||35||1821||100||2||0||3.29||18||12||1||917||0.902
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Eliteprospects}}
*{{nhlprofile|8470534}}
*{{hockeydb|70188}}
*{{legendsofhockey|21496}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fukufuji, Yutaka}}
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:People from Kushiro, Hokkaido]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015) players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Cyclones players]]
[[Category:Japanese ice hockey players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Kings draft picks]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Kings players]]
[[Category:Manchester Monarchs (AHL) players]]
[[Category:Reading Royals players]]
[[Category:Asian Games silver medalists for Japan]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2011 Asian Winter Games]]
[[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2017 Asian Winter Games]]

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