Karoliina Rantamäki Award
The Karoliina Rantamäki Award (Finnish: Karoliina Rantamäki -palkinto, lit. 'Karoliina Rantamäki trophy') is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the playoff MVP of the Naisten Liiga, called the Naisten SM-sarja during 1982 to 2017. The Naisten SM-sarja Playoff MVP trophy was first awarded in the 1999–2000 season and the first recipient was forward Kati Kovalainen of Espoo Blues Naiset.
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| League | Naisten Liiga |
| Competition | Aurora Borealis Cup Playoffs |
| Awarded for | MVP |
| English name | Karoliina Rantamäki Award or Karoliina Rantamäki Trophy |
| Country | Finland |
| Presented by | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
| History | |
| First award | 2000 |
| Editions | 20 |
| First winner | Kati Kovalainen, 2000 |
| Most wins | Karoliina Rantamäki (3) |
| Most recent | Nelli Laitinen, 2022 |
The most Karoliina Rantamäki Awards won by a single player is three, a record fittingly held by HIFK Naiset captain Karoliina Rantamäki. Rantamäki was recognized as the Naisten SM-sarja Playoff MVP in 2001, 2005, and 2007, all while playing with the Espoo Blues. The award was named after Rantamäki in the 2010–11 season.[1] Of the ten players with Naisten Liiga trophies named in their honor, Rantamäki is the only player to hold the most wins of her eponymous award; she also holds the record for most Marianne Ihalainen Awards, with six, and most Tiia Reima Awards, with eight.
The Karoliina Rantamäki Award correlates with post-retirement coaching positions more than any other Naisten Liiga award; of the eight retired players who won the award during their playing careers, six have held or currently hold coaching positions: Maija Hassinen-Sullanmaa (2006), Sanna Lankosaari (2002), Linda Leppänen (née Välimäki; 2010, 2014), Isabella Laiho (née Portnoj; 2015) in the Naisten Liiga, Riikka Sallinen (née Nieminen, previously Välilä; 2016) in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL), and Mira Jalosuo (2017) with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).
Award winners
| Year | Winner | Team | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kati Kovalainen | Blues | F |
| 2001 | Karoliina Rantamäki | Blues | F |
| 2002 | Sanna Lankosaari | IHK | F |
| 2003 | Heidi Wiik | Blues | G |
| 2004 | Heidi Wiik | Blues | G |
| 2005 | Karoliina Rantamäki | Blues | F |
| 2006 | Maija Hassinen | Ilves | G |
| 2007 | Karoliina Rantamäki | Blues | F |
| 2008 | Noora Räty | Blues | G |
| 2009 | Noora Räty | Blues | G |
| 2010 | Linda Välimäki | Ilves | F |
| 2011 | Annina Rajahuhta | HPK | F |
| 2012 | Susanna Airaksinen | Kärpät | G |
| 2013 | Emma Nuutinen | Blues | F |
| 2014 | Linda Välimäki | Blues | F |
| 2015 | Isabella Portnoj | Blues | G |
| 2016 | Riikka Välilä | JYP | F |
| 2017 | Mira Jalosuo | Kärpät | D |
| 2018 | Johanna Oksman | Kärpät | G |
| 2019 | Ida Kuoppala | Espoo (L) | F |
| 2020 | Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[2] | ||
| 2021 | Tiia Pajarinen | K-Espoo | G |
| 2022 | Nelli Laitinen | K-Espoo | D |
All time award recipients
| Player | Wins | Year(s) won |
|---|---|---|
| Karoliina Rantamäki | 3 | 2001, 2005, 2007 |
| Noora Räty | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| Linda Välimäki | 2 | 2010, 2014 |
| Heidi Wiik | 2 | 2003, 2004 |
| Susanna Airaksinen | 1 | 2012 |
| Maija Hassinen | 1 | 2006 |
| Mira Jalosuo | 1 | 2017 |
| Kati Kovalainen | 1 | 2000 |
| Ida Kuoppala | 1 | 2019[5] |
| Nelli Laitinen | 1 | 2022[6] |
| Sanna Lankosaari | 1 | 2002 |
| Emma Nuutinen | 1 | 2013 |
| Johanna Oksman | 1 | 2018[7] |
| Tiia Pajarinen | 1 | 2021[8] |
| Isabella Portnoj | 1 | 2015 |
| Annina Rajahuhta | 1 | 2011 |
| Riikka Välilä | 1 | 2016 |
References
- "Jääkiekkoliitto uudisti palkinnot: Pokaaleihin nimet Selänne, Koivu, Räty, Javanainen..." (in Finnish). MTV Uutiset. 14 November 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- "2019–20 Naisten Liiga, ylempi jatkosarja: Pelaajatilastot". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Jääkiekkon SM-liiga Oy (2020). Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). "Jääkiekkokirja 2021: Suomen Jääkiekkoliiton ja Liiga Kausijulkaisu 2020–2021". Jääkiekkokirja (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti: 527. ISSN 0784-3321. Retrieved 16 August 2022 – via hina.fi.
- "Awards - Naisten Liiga (W) Most Valuable Player in Playoffs (Karoliina Rantamäki Award)". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- Mennander, Pasi (26 February 2019). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2018–19 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Mennander, Pasi (13 June 2022). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2021–22 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- Mennander, Pasi (8 March 2018). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2017-18 palkitut pelaajat, erotuomarit ja tähtikentät". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Mennander, Pasi (15 March 2021). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2020–21 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 December 2021.