Boston Fleet's Amanda Pelkey delivers 2-word reaction to Minnesota Frost fan's sign demanding Susanna Tapani's return

Professional Women's Hockey League star Susanna Tapani’s unexpected trade earlier last year in February had left many Minnesota fans disheartened. Her trade was the first player swap in the inaugural season of the PWHL and came only six weeks into the league’s first season.

While it has been about a year since Tapani and Minnesota teammate Abby Cook were sent to Boston in exchange for defenseman Sophie Jaques, it seems fans can’t get over their beloved player just yet. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Frost hosted the Boston Fleet in a 2-1 victory at the Xcel Energy Center. During the game, one of the fans was captured holding out a placard that read:

“WE STILL WANT TAPANI BACK!”

Boston Fleet forward Amanda Pelkey shared a clip of the moment on her Instagram stories and added a short message in response to the placard.

“Can’t…sorry”

via Instagram/@pelkey21

Pelkey’s response is understandable, as Susanna Tapani has clearly found her home in Boston. Just last week, Tapani earned the title of PWHL First Star of the Week for her performance from Dec. 30 to Jan. 5. She made history by scoring the fastest two goals in PWHL history during a game against Minnesota. With four goals in just eight games this season, she has matched her total from the previous year.

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Sussana Tapani was ‘in a shock’ after she heard of the trade

When the trade was announced in February 2024, Sussana Tapani had just returned from representing Finland’s national team. She was mentioned as being jet lagged upon her return to Minnesota when she heard the news.

“I’m pretty sure I was kind of like laughing, and I was like in a shock,” Tapani said. “I didn’t even make it home, and you’re telling me that I got traded. It was like, ‘Oh, my God. OK.’ It was hard to believe.” [HT/AP]

However, Tapnai had previously played in professional leagues across Finland, Sweden and Russia, which made the transition to Boston smoother.

“I just try to be myself and play to my strengths,” Tapani added. “I knew that it’s a possibility to get traded. But it’s definitely a professional league, and it’s a business. You just have to prepare for anything.”

Tapani mentioned that being traded with her teammate, Abby Cook, provided some comfort as they had become roommates and could go through the adjustment together.