Emma Laaksonen – A Women’s Hockey Pioneer at Ohio State and Internationally – Ohio State Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As a player on one of Ohio State’s first women’s hockey teams and in the first women’s hockey tournament held at the Olympic Games, Emma (Laaksonen) Terho has established herself as a pioneer both for the Buckeyes and for the sport internationally.

Laaksonen lettered for the Scarlet and Gray from 2001 to 2004 and served as an assistant captain during her junior and senior season. During her collegiate career, she became the first Buckeye women’s hockey player to earn All-America status, receiving second team honors in 2002. Her other accomplishments include being a 2002 Patty Kazmaier Award Top 10 finalist and earning Second Team All-WCHA honors. In recognition for her triumphs as a Buckeye, the program retired her jersey number, No. 3, when she became the first women’s hockey player inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

Alongside her on-ice career at Ohio State, Laaksonen was a very successful student. She was named the 2004 WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year. The Espoo, Finland native was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree (2003, 2004), a two-time AWHCA Scholar All-American (2003, 2004) and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection (2002, 2003, 2004).

Once her Buckeye career ended, Laaksonen continued to have a successful international career. She was a five-time Olympian for Finland, playing in the inaugural Olympic women’s ice hockey tournament in 1998 and continued to compete with Finland in the Olympics in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The Finnish team earned bronze at the 1998 tournament in Nagano, Japan and Laaksonen went on to win a second Olympic bronze medal at the 2010 games in Vancouver. She also played in nine IIHF Women’s World Championships, taking home bronze in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009.

While her playing days may be over, Laaksonen remains involved with the sport in off-ice roles with a global impact. She is currently the chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission, a position to which she was elected to in 2021. She served as a member of the Coordination Commission for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games held in Beijing and continues to serve as a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s Committee.

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