Kiekko-Espoo Naiset are 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 h ...
team in 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 ...
. They play in the
Tapiola
Tapiola (; sv, ) is a district of the municipality of Espoo on the south coast of Finland, and is one of the major urban centres of Espoo. It is located in the western part of Greater Helsinki. The name ''Tapiola'' is derived from '' Tapio'', w ...
district of
Espoo
Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...
, Finland at the ('training arena') of the
Tapiolan urheilupuisto. The team was founded as Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS) in 1989 and has also been known as Espoo Blues Naiset and Espoo United Naiset during its tenure in the Naisten Liiga. Kiekko-Espoo have won the
Aurora Borealis Cup
The Aurora Borealis Cup ( fi, Aurora Borealis -malja) is the trophy awarded to the Finnish Champion in women's ice hockey, the victorious team of the Naisten Liiga playoffs. The Aurora Borealis Cup was created to honor the quality of play in Na ...
as the Finnish Champions in women's ice hockey sixteen times, six more wins than any other team in league history; at least one Finnish Championship medal (gold, silver, or bronze) was won under each of the four names.
The parent club, Kiekko-Espoo Oy, also has a
representative men's ice hockey team in the
Mestis
Mestis (from fi, Mestaruussarja, meaning 'Championship series') is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division' ...
, a representative
ringette
Ringette is a non-contact winter team sport played on ice hockey rinks using ice hockey skates, straight sticks with drag-tips, and a blue, rubber, pneumatic ring designed for use on ice surfaces. The sport is among a small number of organize ...
team in the
Ringeten SM-sarja, and active sections in
minor and
junior ice hockey and youth ringette.
History
EKS, 1990–1992
The team entered Naisten SM-sarja (now Naisten Liiga) in the 1990–91 season under the name Espoon Kiekkoseura or EKS. The two seasons played as EKS were an impressive showing for the newcomers and each resulted in a bronze medal, one in the 1990–91 season after defeating
Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to:
* HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club
** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (men's football)
** PATA (esports)
*, Finnish band from Oulu
*S Group, Finnish Con ...
and one in the 1991–92 season after defeating
KalPa
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena.
Team history
Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuop ...
.
Several EKS players also played for the bronze medal winning
Finnish women's national team at the
1992 IIHF World Championship including
Liisa Karikoski,
Katri-Helena Luomajoki, and
Hanna Teerijoki.
Kiekko-Espoo, 1992–1998
In 1992 EKS was renamed Kiekko-Espoo, the same name as its brother-team in the
Liiga
The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding lea ...
. The team continued to be held to bronze or lower finishes, making it to five bronze medal series in six years and winning four of them (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998).
The Golden Age: Espoo Blues, 1998–2016
The team was renamed Espoo Blues in 1998, continuing the trend of sharing the name of its brother-team in the Liiga, which also renamed
Espoo Blues
The Espoo Blues were an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They played in Espoo, Finland, at the Espoo Metro Areena. The club went bankrupt at the end of the 2015–16 Liiga season.
History
The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo ...
in that year. The name change unwittingly marked the beginning of a "golden age" for the team. Starting with their first SM-sarja gold medal in 1999, after achieving victory over
JYP Jyväskylä
JYP is an ice hockey team playing in the Finnish top division Liiga. They play in Jyväskylä, Finland, at the LähiTapiola Areena.
History
JYP was founded in 1923. First it was the ice hockey section of the sports club ''Jyväskylän Palloilija ...
in the finals, they went on to win a staggering seven consecutive championships (1999–2005) and a total of thirteen championships in eighteen years. The Blues were kept off the SM-sarja medal podium only three times in the 1998–2016 span; in addition to their championship titles, they earned the team's first silver medal in 2009 and two more bronze medals in 2006 and 2016.
The Espoo Blues were also strong competitors at international tournaments in this period, earning medals at six
IIHF European Women's Champions Cup
IIHF European Women's Champions Cup (EWCC) was an annual women's ice hockey club tournament, contested by the national women's ice hockey champions from several European ice hockey playing nations. The event was established and organized by th ...
s: three silver medals (
2005,
2007-08,
2009-10) and three bronze medals (
2008-09,
2013–14,
2014–15).
Espoo United, 2016–17
In March 2016 ''Jääkiekko Espoo Oy'', the parent club of both the Espoo Blues of the Naisten Liiga and Espoo Blues of the Liiga, declared bankruptcy with estimated liabilities of approximately €3 million. In response, Jussi Salonoja, a Finnish millionaire and film director who had previously owned the Espoo Blues franchise from 2002–2012, created a new club and organization called ''Espoo United Oy,'' stating that he was "committed to supporting hockey in Espoo." The Espoo Blues men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams would play for Espoo United.
For the 2016–17 season the Espoo United women's ice hockey team played in the Naisten SM-sarja and won silver in the 2017 Finnish Championship. The
Espoo United men's team played in the
Mestis
Mestis (from fi, Mestaruussarja, meaning 'Championship series') is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division' ...
, the league below the premier-level Liiga, where they won bronze in the playoffs.
On 15 August 2017 Salonoja announced that the Espoo United was abandoning its women's ice hockey and basketball teams for financial reasons. “The reason is twofold: the men's teams' budgets are far greater than those of women's teams, so their running is more demanding, but on the other hand,
he men's teamsare more interesting to sponsors and audiences,” Salonoja said.
The future of women's ice hockey team was left uncertain and many possible solutions were proposed, including being acquired by HIFK or merging with Espoo Blues Juniorit (a junior club with strong ties to the franchise).
Espoo Blues part 2, 2017–2019
In September 2017 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, throu ...
announced that it had supported the creation of an independent association, Ysikoppi ry, to oversee the team and had given its approval for the team to compete in the upcoming 2017–18 season under the name Espoo Blues.
Players and personnel
2022–23 roster
Coaching staff and team personnel
* Head coach:
Sami Haapanen
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
* Assistant coach: Johanna Leskinen
* Goaltending coach: Risto Jaakkola
* Conditioning coach: Viola Kaukonen
* Team managers: Jarko Malm & Matti Väyrynen
* Equipment manager: Marko Ahlroth
Team captaincy history
*
Katri-Helena Luomajoki, 1997–98
*
Essi Sievers, 2007–2009
*
Emma Terho (), 2009–2011
* Essi Sievers, 2011–12
* Emma Terho, 2012–2014
*
Minttu Tuominen
Minnamari "Minttu" Tuominen (born 26 June 1990) is a Finnish ice hockey player, currently signed with the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) for the 2022–23 season. A member of the Finnish national ice hockey team si ...
, 2014–2016
*
Linda Leppänen (), 2016–17
* Minttu Tuominen, 2017–2020
*
Annina Rajahuhta
Annina Rajahuhta (born 8 March 1989) is a Finnish retired ice hockey forward, currently serving as co-head coach of the Kiekko-Espoo girl's under-16 and under-18 teams. She played ten seasons with the Finnish national team, winning bronze medal ...
, 2020–21
* Minttu Tuominen, 2021–22
*
Emmi Rakkolainen
Emmi Rakkolainen (born 9 August 1996) is a Finnish ice hockey player and member of the Finnish national team, currently playing in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with HV71 Dam.
Playing career
Rakkolainen previoisly served as captain ...
, 2022–
Head coaches
*
Johanna Ikonen, 1998–99
*
Jari Kalho, 2000–01
*
Hannu Saintula, 2001–02
* Jari Peltonen, 2002–2006
*
Sami Haapanen
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
, 2008–2011
*
Kai Jansson, 2012–13
* Sami Haapanen, 2013–
Team honours
Finnish Championship
*
Aurora Borealis Cup
The Aurora Borealis Cup ( fi, Aurora Borealis -malja) is the trophy awarded to the Finnish Champion in women's ice hockey, the victorious team of the Naisten Liiga playoffs. The Aurora Borealis Cup was created to honor the quality of play in Na ...
''(16)'': 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
,
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
* Runners-up ''(2)'': 2010, 2017
* Third Place ''(8)'': 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2016
IIHF European Women's Champions Cup
IIHF European Women's Champions Cup (EWCC) was an annual women's ice hockey club tournament, contested by the national women's ice hockey champions from several European ice hockey playing nations. The event was established and organized by th ...
* Silver ''(3)'':
2005,
2007–08,
2009–10
* Bronze ''(3)'':
2008–09,
2013–14,
2014–15
Season-by-season results
''This is a partial list of the most recent seasons completed by the franchise. The team was called the “Espoo Blues” during the 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons; “Espoo United” in the 2016–17 season, and “Kiekko-Espoo” from the 2019–20 season on.''
Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played; W = Wins (3 points); OTW = Overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
wins (2 points); OTL = Overtime losses (1 point); L = Losses (0 points); GF = Goals for
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Source(s): Finnish Ice Hockey Association
Franchise records and leaders
Single-season records
*Most
goals
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
in a season:
Karoliina Rantamäki, 39 goals (24 games; 2002–03)
*Most
assists in a season:
Minttu Tuominen
Minnamari "Minttu" Tuominen (born 26 June 1990) is a Finnish ice hockey player, currently signed with the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) for the 2022–23 season. A member of the Finnish national ice hockey team si ...
, 50 assists (30 games; 2018–19)
*Most
points in a season:
Michelle Karvinen
Michelle Karvinen (born 27 March 1990) is a Danish-Finnish ice hockey player and member of the Finnish national team, currently signed with Frölunda HC Dam of the Damettan. Karvinen has been described as "the world's best technical player" an ...
, 81 points (22 games; 2008–09)
*Most points in a season,
defenceman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
: Minttu Tuominen, 62 points (30 games; 2018–19)
*Most
penalty minutes
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...
in a season:
Tea Villilä, 76 PIM (16 games; 2008–09)
*Best
save percentage
Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic.
In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...
in a season, over ten games played:
Noora Räty
Noora Helena Räty (born 29 May 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender, playing in the Naisten Liiga (NSML) with HPK Kiekkonaiset. She is affiliated with the Minnesota chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and ...
, .954 SVS% (19 games; 2006–07) /
Isabella Laiho (), .954 SVS% (19 games; 2013–14)
*Best
goals against average
Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending ...
in a season, over ten games played: Noora Räty, 1.21 GAA (19 games; 2006–07)
Career records
*Most career goals: Karoliina Rantamäki, 355 goals (338 games; 1992–2007)
*Most career assists:
Petra Vaarakallio, 351 assists (286 games; 1992–1994, 1995–2006)
*Most career points: Karoliina Rantamäki, 639 points (338 games; 1992–2007)
*Best career points per game, over 30 games played: Michelle Karvinen, 3.667 points per game (39 games; 2007–2009)
*Most career points, defenceman: Minttu Tuominen, 313 points (208 games; 2006–2009, 2013–2016, 2017–2020)
*Most career penalty minutes: Tea Villilä, 353 penalty minutes (169 games; 2008–2010, 2016–2021)
All-time scoring leaders
The top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, 1982 through the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.
Note: Pos = Position
Position often refers to:
* Position (geometry), the spatial location (rather than orientation) of an entity
* Position, a job or occupation
Position may also refer to:
Games and recreation
* Position (poker), location relative to the dealer
* ...
; GP = Games played; G = Goals
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = 2022–23 Kiekko-Espoo player
Source(s): Elite Prospects
Notable alumnae
Years active with Kiekko-Espoo listed alongside players' names.
*
Kati Ahonen, 1996–1999
*
Mira Huhta, 2013–2019
*
Sanna Kanerva
Sanna Kanerva (born 24 June 1974) is a Finnish retired ice hockey player. A member of the Finnish national ice hockey team during 1994 to 1999, she won a bronze medal at the 1999 IIHF Women's World Championship and a gold medal at the 1995 IIHF ...
, 1998–2001
*
Liisa Karikoski, 1990–1994
*
Piia Kotikumpu (), 2000–2009 & 2011–12
*
Linda Leppänen (), 2010–2017
*
Pia Lund, 2006–2013
*
Katri-Helena Luomajoki, 1990–1994 & 1995–2002
*
Sari Marjamäki (), 2003–2007
*
Terhi Mertanen, 2001–02, 2008–2011, 2012–13 & 2014–15
*
Emma Nuutinen, 2011–2016 & 2020–21
*
Oona Parviainen, 1999–2010
*
Annina Rajahuhta
Annina Rajahuhta (born 8 March 1989) is a Finnish retired ice hockey forward, currently serving as co-head coach of the Kiekko-Espoo girl's under-16 and under-18 teams. She played ten seasons with the Finnish national team, winning bronze medal ...
, 2008–09 & 2012–2021
*
Karoliina Rantamäki, 1992–2007
*
Tiia Reima
Tiia-Riitta Johanna Reima (born 1 February 1973) is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and coach.
Playing career
A trailblazer of women's ice hockey in Finland, her career with the Finnish national ice hockey team began in the mid-1980s, th ...
, 2009–2011
*
Meeri Räisänen, 2008–2011
*
Noora Räty
Noora Helena Räty (born 29 May 1989) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender, playing in the Naisten Liiga (NSML) with HPK Kiekkonaiset. She is affiliated with the Minnesota chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and ...
, 2005–2009
*
Maria Saarni (), 1994–2000
*
Essi Sievers, 2002–2010 & 2011–2014
*
Jenna Silvonen, 2015–2019
*
Hanna Teerijoki, 1991–1994
*
Emma Terho (), 1996–2000, 2004–2007 & 2008–2015
*
Noora Tulus, 2013–2016
*
Satu Tuominen, 2001–2009
*
Petra Vaarakallio, 1992–2006
*
Päivi Virta (previously Halonen), 1997–2006
*
Marjo Voutilainen
Marjo Hannele Voutilainen (born 22 March 1981) is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and current head coach of Ilves Naiset in the Naisten Liiga (NSML). During her playing career, she competed internationally with the Finnish national team, wi ...
, 2004–2008
*
Heidi Wiik, 1999–2005
International players
*
Susanne Ceder
Susanne Ceder (born 30 June 1967) is a Swedish retired ice hockey player. She played with the Swedish national team from the beginning of women's international ice hockey competition in 1988 until her retirement in 2000. With the team she played ...
, 1998–2000
*
Minna Dunder
Minna is a city in Middle Belt Nigeria. It is the capital city of Niger State, one of Nigeria's 36 federal states. It consists of two major ethnic groups: the Gbagyi and the Nupe.
History
Archaeological evidence suggests settlement in the ...
, 1993–94
*
Moeko Fujimoto, 2014–15
*
Nikola Gápová
Nikola Gápová (born 19 June 1989) is a Slovak retired ice hockey forward.
International career
Gápová was selected for the Slovakia national women's ice hockey team in the 2010 Winter Olympics. She played in all five games, but did not sc ...
, 2015–2018
*
Sheila Gagnon, 2001–02 & 2008–09
*
Jin Fengling
Jin Fengling (; born 20 November 1982) is a Chinese retired ice hockey forward. She was a member of the Chinese women's national ice hockey team from 2000 to 2013 and represented China at nine IIHF World Championships, three Asian Winter Game ...
, 2005–06
*
Marianne Mattila, 1996–1998
*
Danielle Rozon, 2017–18
*
Sun Rui, 2005–06
*
Arina Zvezdina, 2011–12
References
External links
* Team information and statistics fro
Eliteprospects.coman
an
(in French)
{{Naisten Liiga, state=collapsed
Naisten Liiga (ice hockey) teams
Sport in Espoo
Kiekko-Espoo
1989 establishments in Finland