Emma Laaksonen Award
{{short description|Finnish ice hockey award}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox sports award
| name = Emma Laaksonen Award
{{native name|fi|Emma Laaksonen -palkinto}}
| image =
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| sport = Ice hockey
| league = Naisten Liiga
| givenfor = Fair play player
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| presenter = Finnish Ice Hockey Association
| first = 2011
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| last =
| firstwinner = Christine Posa
| mostwins = Johanna Juutilainen (2)
Saila Saari (2)
| mostrecent = Johanna Juutilainen, 2024
| url =
}}
The Emma Laaksonen Award ({{Langx|fi|Emma Laaksonen -palkinto}}) is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the fair play player of the year of the Naisten Liiga, called the {{Lang|fi|Naisten SM-sarja}} until 2017. The award recognizes a player who best contributes to the scoring of their team while "playing fair," that is to say, while incurring very few penalty minutes. Winners typically exceed one point per game and are issued fewer than ten penalty minutes (PIM) over a full season.
It is named after defenseman Emma Terho (née Laaksonen), former captain of the Finnish women's national ice hockey team and general manager of Kiekko-Espoo Naiset. Despite being named after a defenseman, it has only ever been awarded to forwards.
The Emma Laaksonen Award was first awarded, to Christine Posa of the Espoo Blues in 2011.{{Cite web |last=Mennander |first=Pasi |date=2011-03-11 |title=Naisten SM-sarjan palkinnot 2010–11 – Tässä nimilista! |url=http://www.leijonat.fi/index.php/sarjat/naisten-liiga/kausi-2010-11/item/5482-naisten-sm-sarjan-palkinnot-2010-11-t%C3%A4ss%C3%A4-nimilista |access-date=2020-11-18 |website=Finnish Ice Hockey Association |language=fi-fi}} Johanna Juutilainen and Saila Saari are the only players to have received the trophy twice. Saari was awarded in 2013, while playing with JYP Jyväskylä, and in 2018, while playing with Oulun Kärpät. Juutilainen was the trophy recipient while playing with KalPa Kuopio in both 2021 and 2024. Emilia Vesa, recipient for the 2018–19 season, is the only honoree to have won the trophy while averaging less than one point per game. In 2022, French national team player Emmanuelle Passard became the first international to win the award and was also the first recipient to have incurred zero penalty minutes in the award season.
The {{As of|2023|June|alt=current}} trophy holder is Johanna Juutilainen, who won the award while serving as captain of KalPa for the 2023–24 season.
Award winners
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! Season ! Winner ! Team ! GP ! Pts ! PIM |
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|2010–11 | align="left" |{{sortname|Christine|Posa}} | align="left" |Espoo Blues | 26 | 28 | 4 |
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|2011–12 | align="left" |{{sortname|Satu|Niinimäki}} | align="left" |Ilves Tampere | 19 | 28 | 2 |
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|2012–13 | align="left" |{{sortname|Saila|Saari}} | align="left" |JYP Jyväskylä | 28 | 39 | 2 |
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|2013–14 | align="left" |{{sortname|Tiina|Paananen}} | align="left" |JYP Jyväskylä | 28 | 31 | 8 |
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|2014–15 | align="left" |{{sortname|Noora|Tulus}} | align="left" |Espoo Blues | 25 | 38 | 8 |
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|2015–16 | align="left" |{{sortname|Sanni|Hakala}} | align="left" |JYP Jyväskylä | 23 | 36 | 4 |
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|2016–17 | align="left" |{{sortname|Tanja|Niskanen}} | align="left" |KalPa Kuopio | 22 | 36 | 6 |
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|2017–18 | align="left" |{{sortname|Saila|Saari}} | align="left" |Kärpät Oulu | 26 | 44 | 8 |
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|2018–19 | align="left" |{{sortname|Emilia|Vesa}} | align="left" |Team Kuortane | 28 | 21 | 4 |
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| align="left" |{{sortname|Viivi|Vainikka}} | align="left" |Team Kuortane | 30 | 52 | 6 |
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| 2020–21 | align="left" |{{sortname|Johanna|Juutilainen}} | align="left" |KalPa Kuopio | 25 | 35 | 2 |
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| 2021–22 | align=left|{{sortname|Emmanuelle|Passard}} | align=left|IFK Helsinki | 28 | 33 | 0 |
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| 2022–23 | align=left|{{sortname|Jenna|Hietala}} | align=left|KalPa Kuopio | 35 | 50 | 6 |
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| 2023–24 | align="left" |{{sortname|Johanna|Juutilainen}} | align="left" |KalPa Kuopio | 32 | 46 | 2 |
All time award recipients
References
{{reflist}}
{{Naisten Liiga|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emma Laaksonen Award}}