Riikka Nieminen
Encyclopedia
Riikka Nieminen-Välilä is a retired Finnish female ice hockey
player. She played on the Finnish women's national team most notably appearing at the 1998 Winter Olympics
and the 2002 Olympics winning a bronze medal during the 1998 games. Nieminen-Välilä was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame
on 21 May 2010 in Cologne, Germany, as part of the World Championship
festivities. She was only the fourth woman to receive this honor.
Over her international career she would score 109 goals, 95 assists for 204 points while accumulating only 24 PIMs.
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...
player. She played on the Finnish women's national team most notably appearing at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to...
and the 2002 Olympics winning a bronze medal during the 1998 games. Nieminen-Välilä was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame
IIHF Hall of Fame
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which was established by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1997, when 30 individuals were inducted at the world championships in Helsinki...
on 21 May 2010 in Cologne, Germany, as part of the World Championship
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
festivities. She was only the fourth woman to receive this honor.
Career
Riikka Nieminen-Välilä represented Finland in three IIHF Women’s European Championships, four IIHF World Women’s Championships, and two Olympics. It was during her first Olympics in 1998 that she would lead the tournament in scoring amassing 12 points (7 goals & 5 assists) in six games, while leading the Finnish team to the Bronze Medal. Nieminen-Välilä would also lead the Finnish national team to three European Championship titles and four IIHF World Women’s Championship bronze medals.Over her international career she would score 109 goals, 95 assists for 204 points while accumulating only 24 PIMs.