Michelle Karvinen discusses her return to Finland's national team, helping Frolunda earn promotion and growing the game, and what she thinks of the launch of the PWHL.
Michelle Karvinen discusses her return to Finland's national team, helping Frolunda earn promotion and growing the game, and what she thinks of the launch of the PWHL.
Michelle Karvinen is one of the top Finnish national team members ever to play the game. After a year away from Finland's national team, one in which she helped Frolunda earn promotion to the SDHL, Sweden's top professional league, Karvinen made her return to Finland's lineup playing on the nation's top line alongside Petra Nieminen and Susanna Tapani.
"I've been here a long time, so kind of stepping back a little bit and then coming back, it infused new motivation," said Karvinen of her year away from the program. "It was a good time for me to take a break, get some new energy and come back."
Now that she's back, it's all about getting Finland back onto the podium.
Karvinen has been growing the game in her nation and Europe for decades, but was also excited to see the success of the PWHL in North America.
"It's awesome, it's something we all have been waiting for," said Karvinen of the PWHL. "It's super exciting, it's something we all have dreamt of when we were small hockey girls and then now it's here."
Karvinen acknowledged all the women who made sacrifices and did the "dirty work" to get the league off the ground, and see it become an instant success.
Karvinen has six World Championship medals and three Olympic medals representing Finland dating back to the 2009 World Championships. She's a three time World Championship All-Star and was named the Best Forward at the Olympics once.