Angela Ruggiero (L), Julie Chu (M) and Hilary Knight (R) of Team USA showing off their gold medals after beating Canada in the final of the 2009 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.
photo: Jukka Rautio / HHOF-IIHF Images
It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Finland last hosted an IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. We chatted with several important players from the medal-winning countries about their memories.
Hameenlinna, a beautiful, historic city of 68,000 inhabitants in southern Finland, was the site of the 2009 tournament. It’s best-known as the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius (Finlandia) and for its 13th-century red brick castle next to Lake Vanajavesi. However, talented hockey players from nine different nations came there to battle on the ice and make a different kind of history. The U.S. won gold, Canada silver, and Finland bronze.
“Oh gosh, that was so long ago!” exclaimed American defender Kacey Bellamy, who captured her second of seven career Women’s Worlds gold medals in 2009. “It was really fun, I remember. There were a lot of new players on both sides for Canada and the U.S. That’s when the generation of the last eight, nine years was starting out. I think Finland did a good job hosting and just made it so accommodating for all the teams.”
Bellamy also has fond memories of fellow blueliner Caitlin Cahow, who scored twice in the 4-1 final win over Canada that gave the U.S. its second straight championship: “She’s been such a role model for me, and I looked up to her so much while she was playing. She’s done just a phenomenal job. Now she’s a lawyer and has just really made a nice life for herself outside the game.”
Meanwhile, 2009 was a breakout tournament for Hilary Knight. Then 19 and playing for the University of Wisconsin, the budding U.S. superstar had registered just one assist in 10 games in her first two Women’s Worlds. But Knight exploded for a tournament-high seven goals in Hameenlinna, establishing herself as a dominant force.
Looking back, Knight credits her veteran teammates: “I felt extremely empowered as a player. That just speaks to our leadership. I had Angela Ruggiero sort of mothering me under her wing, and Jenny Potter, and all these amazing role models, really building up my confidence and saying: ‘This is the world stage. This is your world stage. Go out there and go hunt the puck.’”
Gina Kingsbury, who became Team Canada’s general manager back in July, retired from international competition in 2010 as a two-time Olympic gold medalist. The dependable forward from Uranium City, Saskatchewan found a way to mine Hameenlinna for inspiration.
Asked what she remembers about the 2009 tournament, where she scored a goal and two assists en route to the silver medal, Kingsbury offers a wry laugh: “That we lost! Yeah, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. But you know, the memories that always come back from those World Championships, now that I’m this old and have been retired from it for a long time, it’s about the teammates. It’s the experience and the camaraderie we had. That one, I remember the loss, because I remember going into 2010 with a bad taste in our mouth. We were able to turn that around with a gold medal in Vancouver, which was great.”
Star Finnish goalie Noora Raty enjoyed playing in Hameenlinna, which is just an hour from her hometown of Espoo. Beating Sweden 4-1 for Finland’s ninth Women’s Worlds bronze medal of all time was a good feeling. But today, the 2018 Olympic all-star, who just finished her season with the CWHL’s KRS Vanke Rays in Shenzen, China, is more excited about getting ready for Espoo than reminiscing about 10 years ago.
“It’s always cool to play for your home crowd,” Raty said. “But now, I think we have a better, bigger momentum going from the Olympics, because we’re coming off an Olympic bronze medal. So people are actually paying attention to us in Finland.”
The best way for the host nation to make history in Finland’s second-largest city would be to knock off one of the North American superpowers in the playoff round. However, that’s a mammoth task.
Canada is determined to top the Women’s Worlds podium for the first time since 2012. And if Knight has anything to say about it, the Americans – the defending Olympic champions from PyeongChang – will win their fifth consecutive world title.
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “Whenever you’re representing your country, you want to bring back number one.”
Hameenlinna, a beautiful, historic city of 68,000 inhabitants in southern Finland, was the site of the 2009 tournament. It’s best-known as the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius (Finlandia) and for its 13th-century red brick castle next to Lake Vanajavesi. However, talented hockey players from nine different nations came there to battle on the ice and make a different kind of history. The U.S. won gold, Canada silver, and Finland bronze.
“Oh gosh, that was so long ago!” exclaimed American defender Kacey Bellamy, who captured her second of seven career Women’s Worlds gold medals in 2009. “It was really fun, I remember. There were a lot of new players on both sides for Canada and the U.S. That’s when the generation of the last eight, nine years was starting out. I think Finland did a good job hosting and just made it so accommodating for all the teams.”
Bellamy also has fond memories of fellow blueliner Caitlin Cahow, who scored twice in the 4-1 final win over Canada that gave the U.S. its second straight championship: “She’s been such a role model for me, and I looked up to her so much while she was playing. She’s done just a phenomenal job. Now she’s a lawyer and has just really made a nice life for herself outside the game.”
Meanwhile, 2009 was a breakout tournament for Hilary Knight. Then 19 and playing for the University of Wisconsin, the budding U.S. superstar had registered just one assist in 10 games in her first two Women’s Worlds. But Knight exploded for a tournament-high seven goals in Hameenlinna, establishing herself as a dominant force.
Looking back, Knight credits her veteran teammates: “I felt extremely empowered as a player. That just speaks to our leadership. I had Angela Ruggiero sort of mothering me under her wing, and Jenny Potter, and all these amazing role models, really building up my confidence and saying: ‘This is the world stage. This is your world stage. Go out there and go hunt the puck.’”
Gina Kingsbury, who became Team Canada’s general manager back in July, retired from international competition in 2010 as a two-time Olympic gold medalist. The dependable forward from Uranium City, Saskatchewan found a way to mine Hameenlinna for inspiration.
Asked what she remembers about the 2009 tournament, where she scored a goal and two assists en route to the silver medal, Kingsbury offers a wry laugh: “That we lost! Yeah, that’s the first thing that comes to mind. But you know, the memories that always come back from those World Championships, now that I’m this old and have been retired from it for a long time, it’s about the teammates. It’s the experience and the camaraderie we had. That one, I remember the loss, because I remember going into 2010 with a bad taste in our mouth. We were able to turn that around with a gold medal in Vancouver, which was great.”
Star Finnish goalie Noora Raty enjoyed playing in Hameenlinna, which is just an hour from her hometown of Espoo. Beating Sweden 4-1 for Finland’s ninth Women’s Worlds bronze medal of all time was a good feeling. But today, the 2018 Olympic all-star, who just finished her season with the CWHL’s KRS Vanke Rays in Shenzen, China, is more excited about getting ready for Espoo than reminiscing about 10 years ago.
“It’s always cool to play for your home crowd,” Raty said. “But now, I think we have a better, bigger momentum going from the Olympics, because we’re coming off an Olympic bronze medal. So people are actually paying attention to us in Finland.”
The best way for the host nation to make history in Finland’s second-largest city would be to knock off one of the North American superpowers in the playoff round. However, that’s a mammoth task.
Canada is determined to top the Women’s Worlds podium for the first time since 2012. And if Knight has anything to say about it, the Americans – the defending Olympic champions from PyeongChang – will win their fifth consecutive world title.
“That would be wonderful,” she said. “Whenever you’re representing your country, you want to bring back number one.”