Salla Kyhälä
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Ringette player, Kyhälä (3rd from left) at the start of a race during the 2011 edition of the Extreme Downhill Skating World Championships: Red Bull Crashed Ice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 January 1983 Ylivieska, Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shoots | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on August 28, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salla Kyhälä[1] (born January 28, 1983, in Espoo) is a retired elite Finnish ringette player and world champion in both ringette and ice cross downhill. She played semi-pro ringette as a centre for Espoon Kiekkoseura[2] in the elite Finnish semi-professional league, SM Ringette[3],and the Saskatoon Wild and BC Thunder in Canada's semi-pro National Ringette League. Kyhälä was also a member of the Finland national ringette team several times.
Kyhälä was also the Women's World Champion in the World Extreme Downhill Skating Championships in ice cross downhill (a.k.a. Extreme Downhill Skating) three times.
World Ringette Championships
Salla Kyhälä has been playing ringette since she was 6 years old.
Kyhälä played for the Finland national ringette team under-20 team (U20) in the World Ringette Championships.[citation needed]
At the 2010 World Ringette Championships, in the final game against Canada, she scored four goals giving her country the gold medal and world title.[4]
SM Ringette
Kyhälä reached the semi-professional ranks in Tuusula in 1999 where she played for three seasons for club Tuusulan ringeten in the SM Ringette league, Finland's elite semi-pro ringette league.
Kyhälä helped her club achieve their first silver medal at the Finnish National Championship in 2000 and their first bronze medal in 2001. She was then traded to club Espoon Kiekkoseura in 2003. In 2005, she was voted among the Kentälliseen All Stars of the elite SM Ringette league.
National Ringette League
Kyhälä moved to Canada in 2008 to play in the National Ringette League. She played 2 seasons for the Saskatoon Wild and later for the BC Thunder. In 2009, the honour of the most valuable player (Most Valuable Player) was awarded to her by the Canadian league.
Statistics
Club
International
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | World Ringette Championships | ? | ? | ? | ? | - | ? |  Gold | ||
| 2007 | World Ringette Championships[5] | 4 | 10 | 8 | 18 | - | 0 | Gold | ||
| 2010 | World Ringette Championships | 5 | 14 | 7 | 21 | - | 0 | Gold | ||
| 2013 | World Ringette Championships | ? | ? | ? | ? | - | ? | Gold |
Awards
- 2 (SM Ringette) Finnish championship titles (all won with Espoon Kiekkoseura).
Gold Medal at the 2007 World Ringette Championships- Gold Medal at the 2010 World Ringette Championships
Individual honours
- Voted to the All-Star Team for the 2004–05 season in Finland's elite semi-pro ringette league, SM Ringette.
- Voted MVP player in the National Ringette League - Canada for the 2008–09 season
- Voted to the 2010 World Ringette Championships All-Star Team[6]
Extreme downhill skating
Kyhälä was a gold medalist at the Red Bull Crashed Ice races in Quebec in 2011 and 2014. In 2015 Kyhälä won the first Extreme Downhill Skating World Championship in women's extreme downhill skating finishing in front of Jacqueline Legere, thanks to her victories at Saint Paul and Edmonton.[7]