Emma Terho

Emma Kristiina Laaksonen Terho (born 17 December 1981) is a Finnish ice hockey executive, retired defenceman and the current Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission.[1] She previously served as general manager of Kiekko-Espoo Naiset in the Naisten Liiga.[2] At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano she became the youngest Winter Olympian to medal for Finland, winning a bronze medal at the age of 16 years 54 days.[3][4]

Emma Terho
Pääministeri Rinteen ja KOK n puheenjohtaja Bachin tapaaminen 19.11.2019 (49089457066).jpg
Terho representing the IOC Athletes' Commission in 2019
Personal information
Birth nameEmma Kristiina Laaksonen
Born (1981-12-17) 17 December 1981
Washington, D.C., United States
Home townEspoo, Uusimaa, Finland
EducationMSc in Economics, Aalto University 2013
BBA in Finance, Ohio State University 2004
OccupationIce hockey executive
Ice hockey career
Height 159 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight 60 kg (132 lb; 9 st 6 lb)
Position Defense
Played for Ohio State Buckeyes
SKIF Nizhny Novgorod
Espoo Blues
National team  Finland
Playing career 1997–2017
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Ice hockey
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Nagano Ice hockey
World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Finland
Bronze medal – third place 2008 China
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Canada

Playing career

Ohio State University

Terho played college ice hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes women's ice hockey program while attending Ohio State University (OSU) during 2000 to 2004. In the 2001–02 season she was the first women's ice hockey player from Ohio State to earn All-American honors when she was named to the 2001–02 Jofa/American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Second Team All-American[5] and was a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.[6]

On 11 October 2008, Terho became the first women's hockey player to have her Buckeye number retired.[7] The retirement ceremony occurred prior to an Ohio State vs. Purdue University football game at Ohio Stadium, where Terho was recognized on the field at the 50-yard line. She was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame on 25 September 2009.[8][9]

Espoo Blues, 2004–2007

In Finland she played with the Espoo Blues Naiset, with whom she won the Finnish Championship eight times (1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2015). With the Espoo Blues she won three Finnish Championship bronze medals (1997, 1998, and 2006).[10]

SKIF Nizhny Novgorod

In the 2007–08 season Terho played in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia with SKIF of the Russian Women's Hockey League (RWHL). Three other Finnish players, forwards Kati Kovalainen, Karoliina Rantamäki, and Nora Tallus, also played for SKIF in that season. The team won the 2008 Russian Women's Hockey League Championship.[11]

Espoo, 2008–2017

Terho returned to the Espoo Blues after the 2007-08 season in Russia. The 2008-09 season was very successful, both personally and for the team. Terho set a career high for assists with 32 and ended the regular season with an impressive 34 points in just 19 games.[12]

International play
Terho with Naisleijonat in 2009

As a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, Terho was a five-time Winter Olympian and two time Olympic bronze medalist. In the inaugural Olympic women's ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Olympics, she was the youngest player on the bronze medal winning Finnish team, at 16 years and 54 days.[13] She served as Finland's captain in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, at which she won her second Olympic bronze medal, and as an alternate captain in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Terho also represented Finland at eight IIHF Women's World Championships, winning bronze medals at the tournaments in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2009, in addition to participating at the tournaments in 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2013. She was selected to the Media All-Star team at the 2008 tournament.[14]

Sports administration

Terho became involved in the administrative aspect of sport as a member of the Student Athlete Board during her junior and senior years at Ohio State University (2002–2004). In 2006, after graduating and returning to Finland to play in the Naisten SM-sarja, she became a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. In 2011 as part of the IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program (AMP) she became an Athlete Ambassador to Kazakhstan with the directive to use her experience at Olympic Games, World Championships, and other high level women's ice hockey programs to help build the women's game in her designated country.[15] As her playing career wound down, Terho ramped up her involvement in Finnish sports administration and became an influential and important player in that sphere.[16]

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Terho was elected for an eight-year term as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, with the largest share of votes of all candidates put forward. The election also made her an International Olympic Committee Member. On 6 August 2021, at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Terho was elected as the new Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission. She replaced outgoing Chair Kirsty Coventry, who had served as Chair since 2018 and had remained in role for an additional year beyond her eight-year term to help maintain the IOC Athletes’ Commission's work during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games.[17]

Administrative titles and roles
  • Member of the Board, Finnish Ice Hockey Association, 2014–present
  • Member of the Finnish Advisory Board of Sport Ethics, 2015–present
  • Chair of Finnish Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, 2016–2020; member, 2006–2016
  • Member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's Committee, 2016–present
  • Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 2018–present[18]
    • Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, 2021–present;[17] member, 2018–2021[19]
    • Member of the Coordination Commission for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games (Beijing 2022), 2018–2022
    • Member of the Olympic Programme Commission, 2018–present
    • Member of the Marketing Commission, 2020–2021
    • Member of the Legal Affairs Commission, 2019–2021[20]
    • Member of the Olympic Solidarity Commission, 2022–present
  • Member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board, 2018–present
    • Member of the Executive Committee, 2021–present

Personal life

Terho's mother is Vappu Viertola and her father is Jukka Laaksonen, a physicist and leading expert in the fields of nuclear energy and radiation safety; he served as Director General of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority during 1997 to 2012.[21] Terho was born on 17 December 1981 in Washington, D.C., where her father had been invited to survey and improve nuclear safety in the United States following the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.[22]

Terho holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Ohio State University (2004) and a Masters of Science in Economics from the Helsinki School of Economics at Aalto University (2013).[23] She began her career in finance while still an active ice hockey player, serving as a fixed income trader for Pohjola Bank from 2006 to 2013. Beginning in 2014, Terho served as a product manager for fixed income products at OP-Pohjola Financial Group.

Her husband, Teemu Terho, also works in banking. They have two children, born in 2012 and 2014.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1996-97 Kiekko-Espoo Naisten SM-sarja 243588 40222
1997-98 Kiekko-Espoo Naisten SM-sarja 233364 40004
1998-99 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 232688 61014
1999-00 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 2577144 61344
2000-01 Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA 3419183710 —————
2001-02 Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA 256152110 —————
2002-03 Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA 316152114 —————
2003-04 Ohio State Buckeyes NCAA 353161912 —————
2004-05 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 19611178 50220
2005-06 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 224101416 53144
2006-07 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 173111410 70662
2007-08 SKIF Nizhny Novgorod RWHL
2008-09 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 19232346 63366
2009-10 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 188111912 12291112
2010-11 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 259293816 41346
2011-12 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja ————— 20000
2012-13 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 212222410 92574
2013-14 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 22522276 30440
2014-15 Espoo Blues Naisten SM-sarja 20220 —————
2015-16 did not play — —
2016-17 Espoo United Naisten SM-sarja 10110 50224
2018-19 Espoo Blues Naisten Liiga 10110 —————
NCAA totals 125 34 64 98 46 — – – – –
Naisten SM-sarja totals 261 54 172 226 108 78 13 40 53 52

Club tournaments
Year Team Event Rank GP G A Pts PIM
2004 Espoo Blues EWCC 4th 3 0 2 2 0
2005 Espoo Blues EWCC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 1 1 2 2
2009 Espoo Blues EWCC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3 0 2 2 6
2010 Espoo Blues EWCC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 2 2 4 2
2014 Espoo Blues EWCC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 3 2 5 12
2015 Espoo Blues EWCC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3 0 1 1 2
Totals 21 6 10 16 24

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1998 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 0 0 0 2
2000 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 2
2001 Finland WW 4th 5 0 1 1 4
2002 Finland OG 4th 5 1 1 2 2
2004 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 0 1 1 2
2005 Finland WW 4th 5 0 1 1 2
2006 Finland OG 4th 5 1 0 1 8
2007 Finland WW 4th 5 0 0 0 10
2008 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 1 3 4 0
2009 Finland WW 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 0 2 2 4
2010 Finland OG 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 2
2013 Finland WW 4th 6 0 0 0 4
2014 Finland OG 5th 6 0 0 0 12
Totals 66391254

Sources: [24][25][26][27][28]

Awards and honours
Award Year or Season
International
Olympic Bronze Medal 1998, 2010
World Championship Bronze Medal 2000, 2004, 2008, 2009
World Championship Best Defenceman 2000
World Championship All-Star Team 2008
Finland
Finnish Championship Bronze Medal 1996–97, 1997–98, 2005–06
Aurora Borealis Cup Champion 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2013–14
Finnish Player of the Year in Women's Ice Hockey 2002, 2006
European Champions Cup Best Defenceman 2005, 2010
Päivi Halonen Award 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
Naisten SM-sarja All-Star Team 2008–09, 2010–11
Finnish Championship Silver Medal 2016–17
Suomen Jääkiekkoleijona #255
Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame Finland		 2019
Ohio State Buckeyes
WCHA Rookie of the Week Week of 6 March 2001[29]
NCAA Power-Play Goals Champion 2001
OSU Scholar Athlete 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week Week of 20 November 2001[30]
Week of 11 December 2001[31]
Week of 9 December 2002[32]
Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalist 2001–02
AHCA All-America Second Team 2001–02
WCHA All-Conference Second Team 2001–02
WCHA All-Star 2001–02
WCHA All-Academic Team 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04
CoSIDA/ESPN At-Large Academic All-District IV Team 2002–03, 2003–04
AWHCA Scholar All-American 2002–03, 2003–04
WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year 2003–04
WCHA Postgraduate Scholarship 2005
Number retired by Ohio State Buckeyes 2008
Inducted to the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame 2009

Sources: [33][34][35][36][37][38]

Records

NCAA

Records valid through 2021–22 NCAA season.[35]

Season

  • 2nd most power-play goals (17), 2000–01 season – tied with Valerie Chouinard (2006–07)

Single-game

WCHA

Records valid through 2021–22 NCAA season.[39]

Career

Season

  • Most power play goals (17), 2000–01 season
  • 4th most goals by a defender (19), 2000–01 season
  • 10th most power play points (29), 2000–01 season – tied with Jenny Schmidgall-Potter (2002–03) and Jocelyne Lamoureux (2011–12, 2012–13)
  • 18th most points per game by a defender (1.12), 2000–01
  • 21st most points by a defender (38), 2000–01 season – tied with Amber Bowman, Courtney Kennedy, Satu Kiipeli, and Michelle Sikich

Single-game

  • Most power play goals (3), Ohio State vs. Wayne State on 2 March 2001 – tied for first with six other players: Brigette Lacquette, Nadine Muzerall, Bobby Ross, Melanie Salatino, Laura Slominski, and Blayre Turnbull

Ohio State Buckeyes

Records valid through 2021–22 Ohio State Buckeyes women's ice hockey season .[33]

Career

  • 3rd most power-play goals (23) – tied with Erin Keys
  • 4th most points by a defenseman (99) – tied with Jincy Dunne
  • 4th most power-play points (59) – tied with Laura McIntosh
  • 15th most points (99) – tied with Juncy Dunne

Season

  • Most power-play goals (17), 2000–01
  • Most power-play points (29), 2000–01
  • 4th most points by a defenseman (38), 2000–01 – tied with Amber Bowman (2006–07)
  • 6th most points by a freshman (38), 2000–01

Single-game

  • Most power play goals (3), Ohio State vs. Wayne State on 2 March 2001

References
  1. Merk, Martin (6 August 2021). "Terho to chair IOC Athletes' Commission". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. "Naisten Liiga 2019-2020 – Kokoonpano K-Espoo – Joukkueen Toimihenkilöt". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  3. "Emma Terho (FIN) - Member of the IOC Athletes Commission". FIM-Women. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  4. "Emma Laaksonen a star for Ohio State and native Finland". Ohio State Buckeyes. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  5. "2001-2002 All-Americans". American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  6. "Recipients". Patty Kazmaier Award. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  7. "Olympians!". Ohio State University. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  8. Gordon, K. (24 June 2009). "Redd, Katzenmoyer head Hall of Fame class". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  9. Amadon, Brett (16 January 2014). "3 former Ohio State women's hockey players set for Sochi Winter Olympics". The Lantern. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  10. "IIHF Athlete Ambassador: Emma (Laaksonen) Terho". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  11. "Emma Terho: Somehow I will be always involved in hockey!". IceQueens.rs. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  12. Tammilehto, Teemu (22 February 2018). "Naisleijonien ex-kapteeni Emma Terho valittiin KOK:n urheilijajäseneksi – "Täällä kisoissa sen on tajunnut, miten iso juttu valinta on"" [Former Naisleijonat captain Emma Terho selected as member of the IOC Athletes' Commission - "Being here at the Games, I've realized how significant of a thing this selection is."]. Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  13. "Finland Ice Hockey at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games | Olympics at". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  14. Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. p. 679. ISBN 9780986796470.
  15. "IIHF Ambassador and Mentor Program: Ambassadors". International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). 16 June 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  16. Rowbottom, Mike (31 March 2019). "Bigger and better than ever before – the IIHF Women's World Championships in Espoo are about to begin". Inside the Games. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  17. "IOC Athletes' Commission elects Emma Terho as new Chair and Seung Min Ryu as new Vice-Chair - Olympic News". International Olympic Committee (Press release). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  18. "Ms Emma Terho - Finnish Olympic Committee, IOC Member since 2018". Olympics.com. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  19. "Emma Terho elected - Finn joins IOC Athletes' Commission". International Ice Hockey Federation. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  20. "Emma Terho (Finland, Ice Hockey)". Athlete365. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  21. Behr, Peter (2 June 2011). "International Panel Calls for Tougher "Stress Tests" of Nuclear Power Safety Systems". Scientific American. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  22. Kanerva, Juha (1 February 2018). "Viisissä olympiakisoissa kiekkoillut suomalainen ehdolla KOK:n urheilijakomissioon". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  23. "Emma Terho: Huippu-urheilu tie parempiin palkkoihin". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 31 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  24. "Ice Hockey: Women's Preliminary Round - Group B, Finland, Roster and statistics". Vancouver 2010. 14 February 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  25. "Ice Hockey: Women's Preliminary Round - Group B, Finland, Roster and statistics". Vancouver 2010. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  26. "Ice Hockey: Women's Preliminary Round - Group B, Finland, Roster and statistics". Vancouver 2010. 8 February 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  27. "Ice Hockey: Women's Play-offs Semifinals, Finland, Roster and statistics". Vancouver 2010. 22 February 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  28. "Ice Hockey: Women's Bronze Medal Game, Finland, Roster and statistics". Vancouver 2010. 25 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  29. "Emma Laaksonen Named WCHA Rookie Of The Week". Ohio State Buckeyes. 6 March 2001. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  30. "Women's Hockey Sweeps League Awards". Ohio State Buckeyes. 20 November 2001. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  31. "Laaksonen Named WCHA Player of the Week". Ohio State Buckeyes. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  32. "Emma Laaksonen Honored as WCHA Defensive Player of the Week". Ohio State Buckeyes. 17 December 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  33. "2022-2023 Record Book: Women's Hockey" (PDF). Ohio State Buckeyes. September 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  34. Bell, Todd; Thibodeau, Dean; Horvat, Jane. "2020-21 WCHA Media Guide & Record Book" (PDF). Western Collegiate Hockey Association. pp. 34–36, 41, 46, 48, 106–110. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  35. "2022-23 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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  37. "Five Former Buckeyes set to Compete at Four Nations Cup". Ohio State Buckeyes. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  38. "Four Nations Cup Photo Gallery". Ohio State Buckeyes. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  39. "2022 WCHA Record Book" (PDF). Western Collegiate Hockey Association. 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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