Women's ice hockey in Finland

Last updated

Women's ice hockey
CountryFinland
Governing body Finnish Ice Hockey Association
National team(s) Women's national team
Women's national U18 team
Registered players5,858
National competitions
Naisten Liiga
Naisten Mestis
Naisten Suomi-sarja
International competitions

The national program for women's ice hockey in Finland had 5,858 active players in 2019. [1] The Finnish Ice Hockey Association organizes both the national women's program and the three levels of domestic women's leagues in Finland.

Contents

History

The first women's hockey teams were founded in Finland in the early 1970s [2] but it took many years for women's ice hockey to gain enough popularity and participation to warrant the creation of a national league. In 1978, the first "lipstick tournament" was held, creating an informal national women's championship, though records of the competition outcomes are not available.

In 1982 the Naisten SM-sarja was founded as the first elite women's national league in Finland. The first season was played in two divisions of five teams each (10 teams total) and the first playoffs were held in Tampere on March 12 and 13, 1983. [3] Since its founding, the number of teams per season has ranged from 8 to 13. In 2017, the Naisten SM-sarja was renamed Naisten Liiga and in 2018 the number of teams was expanded to the league's original number of 10.

The Finland women's national team entered international competition in the 1988–1989 season, quickly claiming its first gold at the 1989 IIHF European Women Championships. The team has remained successful since its emergence on the international stage, medalling in three Olympics and 13 Women's World Championships. Most recently, Finland took silver at the 2019 Women's World Championship after a controversial loss in the finals to the United States. [4] [5]

Developmental leagues

The number of young women in the junior level increased slowly, from 500 players at the beginning to approximately 2000 today. [6] The growth rate was not satisfactory, so the Finnish Ice Hockey Association decided to invest in development of women's ice hockey by supporting leagues. [6] The number of teams considerably increased: there are now 12 teams in the Women's 1st Division, is Naisten Mestis (second level after the Naisten Liiga).

Lohko 1

TeamCity
HPK Hämeenlinna
Ilves Tampere
Reipas Lahti
Marski-Hockey Mikkeli
SaiPa Lappeenranta
Ässät Pori

Lohko 2

TeamCity
EPS Espoo Espoo
HG-92 Tuusula
Karhu-Kissat Vantaa
PaKa Kuusamo
Sport Vaasa
Tappara Tampere

Tournaments

The following IIHF tournaments were hosted in Finland.

EventLocationFinish
1992 IIHF Women's World Championship Tampere Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze [7]
1998 3 Nations Cup Kuortane Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze
1999 IIHF Women's World Championship Espoo Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze
2001 3 Nations Cup Vierumäki and Tampere Silver medal icon.svg Silver
2005 4 Nations Cup Hämeenlinna Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze
2008–09 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup Lohja Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze (Espoo Blues)
2009 IIHF Women's World Championship Hämeenlinna Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze [7]
2009 4 Nations Cup Vierumäki Fourth
2011–12 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup Hämeenlinna Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze (HPK)
2012 4 Nations Cup Tikkurila Fourth
2012–13 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup Oulu Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze (Oulun Kärpät)
2014–15 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup Espoo Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze (Espoo Blues)
2016 4 Nations Cup Vierumäki Bronze medal icon.svg Bronze

Leading scorers

IIHF Worlds

Olympics

Famous firsts

Finnish women in NCAA

PositionNameNCAA schoolSeasons
G Noora Räty Minnesota 2009–2013
D Mariia Posa Minnesota Duluth 2009–2012
F Nina Tikkinen Minnesota State 2007–2010
F Minttu Tuominen Ohio State 2009–2013
F Saara Niemi Minnesota Duluth 2008–2010

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naisten Liiga (ice hockey)</span> Finnish womens ice hockey league

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References

  1. ↑ "IIHF National Association Member: Finland". International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  2. ↑ "Termit tutuiksi!" [Know the terms!]. leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association . Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  3. ↑ "Women's Hockey in Finland". Whockey.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  4. ↑ Spencer, Donna (2019-04-15). "U.S. wins women's world hockey title with controversial shootout victory over Finland". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  5. ↑ Weiswerda, Brennin (2019-04-14). "Controversial goalie-interference call costs Finland gold medal, USA wins in shootout". Russian Machine Never Breaks (RMNB). Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  6. 1 2 "Women's Hockey History in Finland". Whockey.com. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  7. 1 2 Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.540, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN   978-1-55468-621-6
  8. ↑ "Notable Women Hockey Players". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  9. ↑ "IIHF Hall of Fame inducts six new members". National Hockey League. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  10. ↑ "Timeline — Evolution Of Women's Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  11. ↑ "Milestones of Finnish Ice Hockey: Years 1975 –". Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
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