. Pekka Rautakallio started his ice hockey career in local club of his hometown,
Ässät in 1970. He also represented the club's
football team. As a skilled and mobile defenceman, Rautakallio was soon noticed and he played on his first International tournament in 1972. Rautakallio gained the attention of
World Hockey Association (WHA) officials when the
1974 Summit Series team played an exhibition against the Finnish national team. The
Phoenix Roadrunners thought to sign him to a contract that year, but hesitated out of fear that the challenge of a Finn adapting to life in
Arizona on his own would be too great. They brought him over one year later, along with his countryman
Lauri Mononen, and signed both to two-year contracts. Rautakallio recorded 50 points, including 11 goals, in
1975–76. He finished as the leading scorer among rookie defencemen, and fifth overall for all defencemen. Rautakallio returned to Ässät, which had joined the recently formed
SM-liiga, and established himself as a top defenceman in the league. He was named defenceman of the year in both 1977–78 and 1978–79; the SM-liiga ultimately named the award the
Pekka Rautakallio trophy in his honour. He recorded 37 points in 36 games in 1977–78, then improved to 25 goals and 53 points the following year. Ässät established its place as the SM-liiga's dominant team by winning the
Kanada-malja as league champions in 1978 and reaching the final in 1979. The
Atlanta Flames brought Rautakallio back to North America in 1979 as general manager
Cliff Fletcher signed him to a
National Hockey League (NHL) contract. The Flames were impressed with the power of his shot and his speed; he finished his first NHL season with 30 points. The
1981–82 season was Rautakallio's best in the NHL. He again led the team's defencemen in scoring, and was fourth overall, with 68 points in 80 games. He played for the
Campbell Conference team at the
1982 All-Star Game, and in doing so became the first Finn in NHL history to appear in the mid-season contest. ==Coaching career==