Bronze age

It's not everyday that you get a chance to hold an Olympic medal in your hand. But, thanks to MSU's Nina Tikkinen, who won a bronze with Finland's women's hockey team last week, I got that chance. Tikkinen talked about her Olympic experience during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at ALl Seasons Arena.

"I felt like I was representing MSU during the whole tournament," she said.

The medal is heavy. After a little research I discovered that it weighs just over a pound. However, it feels like more. Tikkinen said that wearing around her neck all night after the win over Sweden (and Mavs teammate Emilia Andersson) was a little tiring. I don't think she was complaining too much about it, though.

Tikkinen scored both of her Olympic goals in Finland's opening game, a victory over Russia. However, she got plenty of playing time, averaging more than 19 minutes a game, including time on the power play and penalty kill.

Read more about it here.

(Free Press photos by Pat Christman)