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Hall of Fame portrait marks international greatness
The Hockey Hall of Fame honored Sallinen as the first European women’s player inducted in 2022.
Riikka Sallinen
Rs
Professional Hockey Player
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Essentials
- Full name
- Riikka Sallinen
- Years active
- 1988–2003 2013–2019
- Position
- Forward
- Jersey number
- 10
- Nationality
- —
- Hometown
- Jyväskylä, Finland
- College
- —
- Agent
- —
riikka's story
Hanna-Riikka Sallinen (née Nieminen, previously Välilä; born 12 June 1973) is a Finnish retired ice hockey, bandy, rinkball, and pesäpallo player. She is one of the most highly decorated players to have ever competed in international ice hockey.
Sallinen played sixteen seasons with the Finland women's national ice hockey team and earned two Olympic bronze medals, one World Championship silver and six bronze medals, and three European Championship gold medals. In 2007, Sallinen was one of the first two women inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, along with defenceman Marianne Ihalainen.
She 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 and the first European woman to receive this honor. She is currently the leading all-time European scorer in World Championships and Olympics.
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Awards/Honors
Individual Awards
—IIHF Women's World Championship All-Star Team
Team & Competition
—Multiple IIHF Women's World Championship medals
—Multiple Olympic medals with Finland
Legacy
—First European woman inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame
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