Juha Riihijärvi
Encyclopedia
Juha Riihijärvi is a former professional ice hockey
left winger
who played his last season for Bolzano-Bozen Foxes in Italian
Serie A.
which is a team based in Oulu
, Finland. After Kärpät, Riihijärvi played 2 seasons for JYP, where he won one bronze and one silver during his time with the Jyväskylä
team.
by Edmonton Oilers
in 1991 and was part of the Oilers organization for one season, 1993–94.
Riihijärvi did not get a chance in the NHL and settled playing for Oilers-affiliate, Cape Breton Oilers
in the IHL for the whole season. Riihijärvi scored 25 points in 57 games for Cape Breton.
. During his second season in Rauma
, Riihijärvi won the goalscoring
, pointscoring
and MVP
trophies while Lukko won Bronze, making it the third medal for Riihijärvi in SM-liiga
.
and started to play for Malmö IF in the Elitserien
. Riihijärvi would go on and establish himself as one of the franchise names for the Malmö
team as he played a total of 470 games for the Redhawks in 7 seasons.
and his teams were HC Ambri-Piotta
in the Nationalliga A and EHC Basel
in Nationalliga B.
Riihijärvi and Malmö Redhawks gained promotion from HockeyAllsvenskan to Elitserien in 2006, but were again in Relegation series in 2007.
Oddset Ligaen
-team Rødovre Mighty Bulls
. After playing for Bolzano-Bozen Foxes during season 2009/2010, Rihijärvi retired from hockey.
Eliteprospects - Riihijärvi classified as retired
Riihijärvi's international highlight came in 1992 World Championship tournament
where he was part of the team which won Finland's first World Championship-medal, a silver one.
Riihijärvi also played in 1993
and 1996
tournaments but Finland did not get any medals from them. Riihijärvi's latest international call-up's are from 2000, when he played in the Euro Hockey Tour
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
left winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who played his last season for Bolzano-Bozen Foxes in Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Serie A.
Career in Finland
Juha Riihijärvi played 4 seasons for KärpätKärpät
Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...
which is a team based in Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
, Finland. After Kärpät, Riihijärvi played 2 seasons for JYP, where he won one bronze and one silver during his time with the Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
team.
Short visit to North America
Riihijärvi was drafted to National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
by Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
in 1991 and was part of the Oilers organization for one season, 1993–94.
Riihijärvi did not get a chance in the NHL and settled playing for Oilers-affiliate, Cape Breton Oilers
Cape Breton Oilers
The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team relocated from Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1988 and was renamed for Cape Breton Island. Home games were played in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, at Centre 200...
in the IHL for the whole season. Riihijärvi scored 25 points in 57 games for Cape Breton.
Return to Finland
After his short-lived NHL-attempt, Riihijärvi returned to Finland and played two seasons for LukkoLukko
Lukko is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga, formed 1936. The full name of the club is Rauman Lukko. They play in Rauma, Finland at the Äijänsuo Arena. They have won the national championship once, in 1963...
. During his second season in Rauma
Rauma, Finland
Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...
, Riihijärvi won the goalscoring
Aarne Honkavaara trophy
The Aarne Honkavaara trophy is an ice hockey trophy given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the player who scores the most goals during regular season play.Trophy Winners:1977-78: Markku Kiimalainen 1978-79: Kari Makkonen...
, pointscoring
Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy
The Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the player who scores the most points during regular season play.To date, Steve Kariya and Martin Kariya are the only two brothers to win the title.Trophy winners:...
and MVP
Lasse Oksanen trophy
The Lasse Oksanen trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best player of the season during regular season play.Trophy winners:1948-49: Unto Wiitala 1953-54: Unto Wiitala...
trophies while Lukko won Bronze, making it the third medal for Riihijärvi in SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
.
Career in Sweden
After his good 1995/96 season in Lukko, Riihijärvi moved to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and started to play for Malmö IF in the Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
. Riihijärvi would go on and establish himself as one of the franchise names for the Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
team as he played a total of 470 games for the Redhawks in 7 seasons.
Visit to Switzerland
Riihijärvi played the 2004/05 season in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and his teams were HC Ambri-Piotta
HC Ambri-Piotta
Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League A. The club was founded September 19, 1937 and is also known as "Bianco-Blu"...
in the Nationalliga A and EHC Basel
EHC Basel
EHC Basel, also known as Eishockey Club Basel are a professional Swiss ice hockey team. They are based out of the St. Jakob Arena in Basel, Switzerland. EHC Basel was founded on October 14, 1932. Were promoted to the Nationalliga A for 2005–06 after winning the Nationalliga B the previous season...
in Nationalliga B.
Final seasons in Sweden
Riihijärvi returned to Sweden after he played the season in Switzerland and played two more seasons for Malmö IF.Riihijärvi and Malmö Redhawks gained promotion from HockeyAllsvenskan to Elitserien in 2006, but were again in Relegation series in 2007.
Move to Denmark
For 2007/08 season, Riihijärvi was contracted to DanishDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Oddset Ligaen
Oddset Ligaen
AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank...
-team Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Rødovre Mighty Bulls
Rødovre Mighty Bulls is the professional ice hockey team of the Rødovre Skating and Ice hockey Club...
. After playing for Bolzano-Bozen Foxes during season 2009/2010, Rihijärvi retired from hockey.
Eliteprospects - Riihijärvi classified as retired
International career
Riihijärvi has played for Finnish national team in 133 games.Riihijärvi's international highlight came in 1992 World Championship tournament
1992 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
- Group 2 :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Poland was relegated to Group B.- Quarterfinals :- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :Played in Klagenfurt April 2-12...
where he was part of the team which won Finland's first World Championship-medal, a silver one.
Riihijärvi also played in 1993
1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
- Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 9-12 Place :- Semifinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Switzerland was relegated to Group B.- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :...
and 1996
1996 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
- Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Austria was relegated to Group B.- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :...
tournaments but Finland did not get any medals from them. Riihijärvi's latest international call-up's are from 2000, when he played in the Euro Hockey Tour
Euro Hockey Tour
The Euro Hockey Tour is an annual ice hockey tournament only open to the national men's teams of the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden. Most of the teams use the competition as a preparation for the upcoming World Championships or Olympics, allowing less experienced players to collect...
.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1987–88 | Kärpät Kärpät Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:... |
SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1987–88 | Kärpät Jrs. Kärpät Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:... |
A-Juniors SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
36 | 26 | 18 | 44 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Kärpät | Sm-liiga | 44 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1988–89 | Kärpät | SM-liiga Qual. SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1988–89 | Kärpät Jrs. | A-Juniors SM-liiga | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1989–90 | Kärpät | 1. Divisioona Mestis Mestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000... |
44 | 38 | 45 | 83 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1989–90 | Kärpät Jrs. | A-Juniors SM-liiga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990–91 | Kärpät | 1. Divisioona | 42 | 29 | 41 | 70 | 34 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1990–91 | Kärpät | SM-liiga Qual. SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1991–92 | JyP-HT | SM-liiga | 38 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 37 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | JyP-HT | SM-liiga | 41 | 25 | 31 | 56 | 38 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1993–94 | Cape Breton Oilers Cape Breton Oilers The Cape Breton Oilers were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. The team relocated from Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1988 and was renamed for Cape Breton Island. Home games were played in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, at Centre 200... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
57 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1994–95 | Lukko Lukko Lukko is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga, formed 1936. The full name of the club is Rauman Lukko. They play in Rauma, Finland at the Äijänsuo Arena. They have won the national championship once, in 1963... |
SM-liiga | 32 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Lukko | SM-liiga | 50 | 28 | 44 | 72 | 58 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1996–97 | Malmö Redhawks Malmö Redhawks The Malmö Redhawks is an ice hockey club from Malmö, Sweden. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Malmö has played 16 seasons in the top Swedish league Elitserien .-History:... |
Elitserien Elitserien Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden... |
49 | 27 | 24 | 51 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1997–98 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 45 | 14 | 25 | 39 | 26 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 37 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 1999–00 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 48 | 20 | 36 | 56 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2000–01 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 50 | 22 | 31 | 53 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 16 | ||
| 2001–02 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 50 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 50 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 50 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | Malmö Redhawks | SuperAllsvenskan | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Ambri-Piotta HC Ambri-Piotta Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta is a Swiss professional ice hockey club and a member of the National League A. The club was founded September 19, 1937 and is also known as "Bianco-Blu"... |
Nationalliga A | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004–05 | EHC Basel EHC Basel EHC Basel, also known as Eishockey Club Basel are a professional Swiss ice hockey team. They are based out of the St. Jakob Arena in Basel, Switzerland. EHC Basel was founded on October 14, 1932. Were promoted to the Nationalliga A for 2005–06 after winning the Nationalliga B the previous season... |
Nationalliga B | 30 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 6 | ||
| 2005–06 | Malmö Redhawks | HockeyAllsvenskan | 41 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 28 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Malmö Redhawks | Elitserien | 51 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 18 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2006–07 | Malmö Redhawks | HockeyAllsvenskan | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Rødovre Mighty Bulls Rødovre Mighty Bulls Rødovre Mighty Bulls is the professional ice hockey team of the Rødovre Skating and Ice hockey Club... |
Oddset Ligaen Oddset Ligaen AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank... |
43 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||
| SM-liiga totals | 206 | 107 | 157 | 264 | 175 | 36 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 20 | ||||
| Elitserien totals | 430 | 154 | 212 | 366 | 204 | 30 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 42 | ||||