Anna Vanhatalo

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Anna Vanhatalo
Born (1984-02-29) 29 February 1984 (age 37)
Helsinki, Finland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Played for
SKIF Nizhny Novgorod
Espoo Blues

Women's national ice hockey
National team  Finland
Playing career 2002–present
Medal record
Women's ice hockey
Ringette
Representing  Finland
Women's International Championships
IIHF Women's World Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Switzerland
Winter Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver
Universiade
Silver medal – second place 2011 Turkey
4 Nations Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Canada
World Ringette Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 World Ringette Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 World Ringette Championship

Anna Vanhatalo (born February 29, 1984) is a Finnish retired ice hockey and ringette player who competed with the Finland women's national ice hockey team and the Finland national ringette team.

Ringette career[]

Beginning in 2002, Vanhatalo played in the professional Finnish ringette league, , and was a member of the Finland national ringette team. Vanhatalo won two World Ringette Championship gold medals, one in the 2004 World Ringette Championship held in Stockholm where she was elected the best goaltender of the tournament,[1] and the other gold medal in the 2007 World Ringette Championship held in Ottawa.[2]

In 2006, Vanhatalo went to Canada to play one season for the Montreal Mission team in Canada's National Ringette League.[3] In exchange, her Finnish team [4] received Claudia Jetté, the Montreal Mission goalkeeper.[5]

Ice hockey career[]

In autumn, 2009, Vanhatalo started playing goaltender in ice hockey with the women's team of the hockey club Espoo Blues in the SM-liiga of Finland. The performances of Vanhatalo with the Espoo Blues and in the Europe Cup allowed her to obtain the goaltender's post holder with the national women's ice hockey team of Finland. Vanhatalo played in the Tournament of 4 nations, in the Vancouver Winter Olympics and in the 2011 World championship in Switzerland.[6]

Vanhatalo also played for the , a team which competes in the Russian Women's Ice Hockey Championship.

Personal life[]

During her stay in Quebec in 2006, she learned the French language. In 2009, she obtained her master's degree of Economics from Helsinki School. The subject of her thesis was the sponsoring for the women's sports. She is multi-lingual and speaks Finnish, Swedish, German, English and French.

Honors[]

  • Won 3 National Ringette Championships in Finland.
  • Won Gold Medal Gold medal icon.svg in the 2004 World Ringette Championships
  • Won Silver Medal Silver medal icon.svg in the 2007 World Ringette Championships
  • Won Silver Medal Silver medal icon.svg in women's ice hockey at the 2009 Europe Cup of the clubs
  • Won Bronze Medal Bronze medal icon.svg in women's ice hockey at the 2010 Tournament of four nations
  • Won Bronze Medal Bronze medal icon.svg in women's ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
  • won 1 title National Women Championship of Russia in 2010.
  • Won Silver Medal Silver medal icon.svg in women's ice hockey at the 2011 Winter Universiade
  • Won Bronze Medal Bronze medal icon.svg in women's ice hockey at the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship

References[]

External links[]


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