# Viivi Vainikka on Staying Grounded, Representing Finland, and the Pursuit of the PWHL

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rinkside-rundown-6723498/viivi-vainikka-on-staying-grounded-representing-finland-and-the-pursuit-of-the-pwhl
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/rinkside-rundown-6723498/viivi-vainikka-on-staying-grounded-representing-finland-and-the-pursuit-of-the-pwhl.md
Podcast: [Rinkside Rundown](https://stenobird.com/podcast/rinkside-rundown-6723498)
Published: 2026-06-04T19:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/946db84c9d6fa42150a5576bbed51d0127513e1b5f68772ecd6ed9d926646a65/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI1NDg5ZDdmNS0wNjJjLTRlYTUtYWRjMi1hNTFjNzgzNzdjNTAiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiI5MTUyMWU3Ni02MjVlLTQ3OTQtOGY4ZS04Njc4OWZmYzI3OWMiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2NjY0ZGU5YWQ1OTk1NGIwNmY3ZTMyMGEiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmExYzc5ZGU3ODQwNzY5M2JlZjRkM2ViL3JpbmtzaWRlLXJ1bmRvd24tY29tcG9zZXItMjAyNi01LTMxX18yMC0xMS00Mi5tcDMifQ==.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2128

## Resource

This week on the show, I'm joined by Viivi Vainikka, Finnish national team member and forward with Brynäs IF of the SDHL, as she shares her journey from Espoo, Finland, where she started playing the game as a way to spend time with friends to becoming a star in the Swedish league. Viivi talks about how her competitive nature helped her to discover a passion for hockey, how that passion drove her to make the leap to Naisten Liiga, the top league in Finland, when she was only 15 years old, and how she's continued to see success at every step of the way, including internationally. We also discuss why she spent an extra season in the SDHL before declaring for the upcoming PWHL Draft, and why now is the right time for her to take the next step and play in the best league in the world. Discover more at www.rinksiderundown.ca , and follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rinksiderundownpod .

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