The Karoliina Rantamäki Award () is an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

trophy awarded by the

Finnish Ice Hockey Association The Finnish Ice Hockey Association ( fi, Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto, sv, Finlands Ishockeyförbund) is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and, through ...

to the playoff MVP of the

Naisten Liiga The Kansallinen Liiga ('National League') is the premier division of women's football in Finland. It was previously called the Jalkapallon naisten SM-sarja ('Women's Football Finnish Championship Series') during 1974 to 2006 and the Naisten Lii ...

, 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 Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Kati Kovalainen Katariina Johanna "Kati" Kovalainen (born 24 January 1975) is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and former member of the Finnish national ice hockey team. She represented Finland in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2006 Winter Olympic ...

Espoo Blues Naiset Kiekko-Espoo Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga. They play in the Tapiola district of Espoo, Finland at the ('training arena') of the Tapiolan urheilupuisto. The team was founded as Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS) in 1989 and has al ...

. The most Karoliina Rantamäki Awards won by a single player is three, a record fittingly held by

HIFK Naiset HIFK Naiset, also known by the nickname Stadin Gimmat ('Girls of ,' a nickname for Helsinki), are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga. They play in the Pirkkola district of Helsinki, at the Pirkkola Ice Hall (). As the representative wome ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Karoliina Rantamäki Karoliina Stina Margaretha "Karo" Rantamäki (born 23 February 1978) is a Finnish ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward and Captain (ice hockey), captain of Stadin Gimmat (HIFK Naiset) of the Naisten Liiga (ice hockey), Naisten Liiga (NSML), t ...

. 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. 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 Award The Marianne Ihalainen Award ( fi, Marianne Ihalainen -palkinto) an ice hockey trophy seasonally awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the regular season top point scorer of the Naisten Liiga (ice hockey), Naisten Liiga and its predec ...

s, with six, and most

Tiia Reima Award The Tiia Reima Award () is an ice hockey trophy seasonally awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the top goal scorer of the Naisten Liiga regular season. It is named after Tiia Reima, one of the trailblazers of women's ice hockey in ...

s, 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 Maija Johanna Hassinen-Sullanmaa (born 2 January 1984) is a Finnish retired ice hockey goaltender and the current goaltending coach and team manager of HPK Kiekkonaiset in the Naisten Liiga. As a member of the Finnish national team, she partic ...

(2006),

Sanna Lankosaari Sanna Kristiina Lankosaari (born 20 August 1978) is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and current head coach of Oulun Kärpät Naiset in the Naisten Liiga (NSML). She was a right winger with the Finnish national ice hockey team during 1994 to ...

(2002),

Linda Leppänen Linda Leppänen née Välimäki (born 31 May 1990) is a Finnish retired ice hockey forward and coach. Representing , she won bronze medals at the Winter Olympic Games in 2010 and 2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: T ...

(; 2010, 2014), Isabella Laiho (; 2015) in the Naisten Liiga, Riikka Sallinen (, previously Välilä; 2016) in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL), and

Mira Jalosuo Mira Jalosuo (born 3 February 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey player, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Minnesota section of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and as head coach of the girls' ice hockey team a ...

(2017) with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).

Award winners

Source: , Elite Prospects

All time award recipients

References

Naisten Liiga (ice hockey) trophies and awards Most valuable player awards {{DEFAULTSORT:Karoliina Rantamäki Award