Do not be surprised if someday the IIHF decides to name the Best Defender Award
 after Jenni Hiirikoski. If anyone even petitioned the International Ice Hockey
 Federation to do so, the governing body would probably welcome the notion. It
would be necessary to wait until Hiirikoski has retired - something we hope is
many moons from now. Since she began representing Finland in Women';s World
Championships in 2004, Hiirikoski has won the award herself six times -
including five consecutive - 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Keep in
mind that the tournament was not held in 2010, 2014 or 2018 because of the
Winter Olympics, or otherwise she would at least have one more.

Aside from international competition, Hiirikoski is currently
captaining Luleå HF in the SDHL (Svenska damhockeyligan) - top women's
league in Sweden, and one of the best in the world. This is the start of her
third season with Luleå and the second one that she has captained. The team
are the reigning champions of the SDHL. With the 2018-19 season just getting
underway, Hiirikoski is poised to be in top form as always.Finland defenseman
Jenni Hiirikoski (6) shoots the puck against Sweden in the women';s ice hockey
quarterfinals during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. (Geoff
Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

THW had the opportunity to catch up with Hiirikoski for a one-on-one interview.
 We gathered her thoughts on the upcoming Women';s Worlds in April on her
native soil in Finland, the current SDHL season, and then we opened the
discussion up to a bit of fun. Hiirikoski shared some great thoughts in a way
only she would know how.2019 IIHF Women';s Worlds in Espoo

The 2019 IIHF Women';s World Championships will be played from Apr. 4 through
14 and will be held in Espoo, Finland. Since Hiirikoski';s first Women';s
Worlds nearly 15 years ago, the tournament has been in her native country only
one other time (2009). This upcoming tournament will be the first of its kind
to include teams from 10 different nations. Hiirikoski hails from Lempäälä,
 Finland, which is a little more than an hour-and-a-half drive from Espoo. She
is understandably excited for the 2018 tournament to get underway. The
consummate leader that she is, Hiirikoski considered what Finland';s success on
 home soil will mean for future generations of players in her country.

"We have home World's this coming April," Hiirikoski grinned. "That will be so
awesome to play in there and have the home crowd behind us. Of course, we want
to succeed there. And it would be nice to help the younger players to come into
 the national team."

#Naisleijonat kapteeni Jenni Hiirikoski pronssiottelusta: "Me olemme hakemassa
mitalia täältä, ja meillä on upea joukkue, jossa on paljon kokemusta.
Olemme varmasti valmiita, kun kiekko putoaa jäähän." #PyeongChangFI
#OlympicTeamFI pic.twitter.com/q5ZnUfqnhV

- Olympic Team Finland (@OlympicTeamFI) February 19, 2018

To Hiirikoski';s point, there are number of talented Finnish youngsters on the
horizon. Finland has already brought current 16-year-olds Elisa Holopainen and
Nelli Laitinen onto the roster of players preparing for April. An opportunity
to step up to the big team is invaluable to these youngsters, particularly from
 experience the they will gain alongside Hiirikoski. The veteran defender will
turn 32 years old just days before the 2019 tournament gets underway. Laitinen
- a defender too - will not turn 17 until after the tournament is already over.

Hiirikoski has played in 61 games at Women';s World Championships, scoring nine
 goals and 20 assists for 29 points. In the process she has helped Finland
capture six bronze medals. At the most recent 2017 Women';s Worlds
Hiirikoski';s three goals in six games tied her with Susanna Tapani and Petra
 Nieminen for the most on Finland, while her five total points tied her for
second most on the team.Defending the Championship with Luleå

It is difficult to summarize Hiirikoski';s 2017-18 SDHL season in words.
Astounding would likely make the most sense. Not only was she a vital cog in
delivering the championship to Luleå, but it was how she did it. As a
defender no less, Hiirikoski finished in the top-five in scoring for the entire
 league. In just 36 regular season games she scored 22 goals and 33 assists for
 55 points. Hiirikoski finished the season as a plus-54 for plus/minus. Two of
her Luleå HF teammates also finished in the top ten in scoring with the
team';s Michelle Karvinen leading the league outright. Hiirikoski recognizes
that the team is in a very good place for defending their title now that the
2018-19 campaign has gotten underway.

"With couple of new players, we have a really good team," she said. "And of
course we will defend our title. I think it will be a lot of tight games this
season. I'm so proud to be part of this club team."Jenni Hiirikoski is primed
to help Luleå HF defend their SDHL crown in 2018-19 (Photo Credit: Mats
Bekkevold).

Hiirikoski has a very keen eye for the inner workings out on the ice. She
places immense value on a player like Karvinen and her other teammates, and how
 they in turn bolster her own game. The offense is very high-flying
when Luleå takes to the ice, and Hiirikoski';s play is critical in making the
 team the scoring juggernaut that it routinely has been.

"I have to say skating is one of my strengths," Hiirikoski explained. "I try to
 do my best to help our forwards on offense. I play with players like Karvinen
and (Emma) Nordin, so you just have to be ready to shoot - the pass will always
 come," she smiled.More Left to Learn and Accomplish

In addition to the World Championships and her SDHL successes, Hiirikoski has
four Finnish championships and two Olympic bronze medals. At the 2014 Sochi
Winter Games - when Finland did not medal - Hiirikoski was named Best Defender
and a Media All-Star. Taking the bronze at the recent 2018 PyeongChang Winter
Games, she again earned the exact same accolades. Humble and as much of a
student of the game that she is, can you believe that Hiirikoski still feels
that there is more she can learn and improve upon?

"I want to be better all the time," Hiirikoski stated. "So I like to watch my
own shifts from previous games, and also see how other defenders play. I work
with my shooting a lot. I like to use my slap shot and one-timers."Jenni
Hiirikoski (#6) dishing out a pass in her own zone (Photo Credit: Mats
Bekkevold).

Hockey season is just getting started, and there is much for Hiirikoski to be
excited over. The SDHL is mere games into their year so she has the entire
season to relish and enjoy. Once that is wrapped up, she will be playing in
Espoo right in front of friends, family and her fellow countrymen. Though she
has competed many times over on hockey';s grandest stages, Hiirikoski
appreciates every moment of it.

We asked her what her loved ones will be thinking when she takes those first
strides in Espoo. What will they be proud of? What will they be feeling?

"This question is hard to say," Hiirikoski said. "But I think they are happy to
 see me just on ice. Doing what I love to do - play hockey."Fun Facts with
Jenni Hiirikoski

At the completion of our interview, Jenni Hiirikoski decided to indulge us with
 a little bit of fun. We asked her five more playful questions not necessarily
having to do with hockey. Hiirikoski enjoyed responding, and we hope that you
will enjoy getting to know her a little better too.

Okay, ready Jenni?

If you were a general manager for a women';s hockey team, who would be the
first player - past or present - that you would sign and why this player?

"I will take Michelle Karvinen. The way she sees the game, good passing,
shooting and how she can handle the puck. She wants to make her teammates
better in every game."

What is your favorite board game to play?

"Mexican Train."

What book would you recommend to others to read?

"The Core - Better Life, Better Performance by Aki Hintsa"

If you could visit anywhere in the world that you haven';t visited yet, what
would it be and why?

"Nepal in the Himalaya Mountains. That place has always fascinated me.

Last question - what is something you know now about life or hockey that you
would tell your 12-year-old self about, or that you wish you knew when you were
 12?

"Just go for it. Enjoy and do what you love to do."

Thank you, Jenni!

The post Jenni Hiirikoski Goes One-On-One & Shares Some Fun Facts appeared
first on The Hockey Writers.

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