SM-liiga
Encyclopedia
The SM-liiga is the top professional
ice hockey
league in Finland
. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF
as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975
to replace the SM-sarja
, which was fundamentally an amateur
league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association
, but the league and association have an agreement
of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation
for Suomen mestaruus, "Finnish championship".
In the 2010-11 season there are 14 teams. HIFK
is the reigning champion. The SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic promotion and relegation
in place between itself and the Mestis
, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000. The league was opened in 2005 and allowed KalPa
to get a promotion. In 2009 a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the Mestis
champion in a best of seven playout series.
, and pave the way towards professionalism
. Its predecessor, the SM-sarja
, being an amateur
competition, had its disadvantages, which were perceived as impeding Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey.
One of the main problems was that the governing of the SM-sarja was based on the annual meeting of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, where all important issues were decided
by vote. Since all clubs registered under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs prevailed over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of top-level Finnish ice hockey by the motivated and financially-capable clubs proved arduous. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
The SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run according to amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes
. However, in 1974, accounting reform
in Finland extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit
raids. The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and other sports. Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance
and pension
s.
The SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal sponsorship was also forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list. Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practice the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities.
These changes led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional
. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in the 1970s, and many players, especially the young, would settle for a contract in the SM-liiga without a wage.
A major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland was the introduction of playoffs. Gate receipts and other income from playoffs were pooled and distributed as a placement bonus. Although play-offs were the standard way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, at the time they were not common in Europe.
The SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated in the 1974 annual meeting, and the SM-liiga was launched for the 1975–76 season. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had been rising in the previous decade.
The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs. The four best of the regular season were to proceed to the play-offs. The system of promotion and relegation from the SM-sarja remained in force: last-placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series.
The combined attendance for the first eleven regular seasons hovered around 900,000. In 1986–87, the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44, reaching its current level of 56 games in 2000–01, and the SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the 1988–89 season. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through international success of the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1.8 million. This prompted an increase in the profitability of the ice hockey business and the completion of the transition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies
.
Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgment of the board of the SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. Without the threat of relegation, the weaker clubs were supposed to be able to recuperate and improve. This had, however, a side effect: clubs with a losing record that had lost their hopes of reaching the playoffs often disposed of high-salary star players, letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 clubs each season from among the 13 total in the league.
, Oyj public limited company
and Ry association
respectively.
in the year shown, and are there today unless noted otherwise.
For the 2010-11 a new addition was introduced. In January 2011, each team will play 2 games (1 home, 1 away) against the same opponent. The match-ups will be decided by a system where the bottom (14th) placed team at that time chooses its opponent 1st, followed by the 13, 12th and so on. The 7th placed team is the last one to choose an opponent. The system has been criticized by many, for reasons such as "awarding" a bad position in the table and the way the match-ups are decided, since there are worries that teams will choose their opponents from the higher profile teams and their biggest rivals to achieve maximum attendance and more income through ticket sales.
Scoring: A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points and loss by sudden death overtime one point. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by goal differential. Teams tied by goal differential as well are ranked by number of goals scored.
Play-offs: The six best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between seventh and tenth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-three - the two winners take the last two slots to quarter-finals. Starting from the season 2007-2008 all series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results, so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams play the first match at home, then by turns away, home, away, etc. Each play-off match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins.
Scheduling: The regular season starts around mid-September. It takes a two-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland
plays in a European competition. There is a two-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games
. The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary play-offs ensue almost immediately. The play-offs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the World Championships
.
The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja
, the championship trophy of the SM-liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy (Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto) as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs, similar to the difference in the National Hockey League
between the status of the Stanley Cup
and the Presidents' Trophy
.
In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors.
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975
1975 in sports
1975 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
to replace the SM-sarja
SM-sarja
SM-Sarja was the top level of ice hockey in Finland from 1928 to 1975. SM-sarja is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruussarja, "Finnish Championship Series"....
, which was fundamentally an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association
Finnish Ice Hockey Association
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and through that organization, Finland joined the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1928. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
, but the league and association have an agreement
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
for Suomen mestaruus, "Finnish championship".
In the 2010-11 season there are 14 teams. HIFK
HIFK (ice hockey)
HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897...
is the reigning champion. The SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic promotion and relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
in place between itself and the Mestis
Mestis
Mestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000...
, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000. The league was opened in 2005 and allowed KalPa
KalPa
The Kalevan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu.-Team history:Established in 1929, the full name of the company that runs the representative team is KalPa Hockey Oy. The majority of the company is owned by NHL players Sami Kapanen and...
to get a promotion. In 2009 a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the Mestis
Mestis
Mestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000...
champion in a best of seven playout series.
History
The SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top level Finnish ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and pave the way towards professionalism
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
. Its predecessor, the SM-sarja
SM-sarja
SM-Sarja was the top level of ice hockey in Finland from 1928 to 1975. SM-sarja is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruussarja, "Finnish Championship Series"....
, being an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
competition, had its disadvantages, which were perceived as impeding Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey.
One of the main problems was that the governing of the SM-sarja was based on the annual meeting of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, where all important issues were decided
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
by vote. Since all clubs registered under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs prevailed over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of top-level Finnish ice hockey by the motivated and financially-capable clubs proved arduous. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
The SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run according to amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
. However, in 1974, accounting reform
Accounting reform
Accounting reform is an expansion of accounting rules that goes beyond the realm of financial measures for both individual economic entities and national economies...
in Finland extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit
Financial audit
A financial audit, or more accurately, an audit of financial statements, is the verification of the financial statements of a legal entity, with a view to express an audit opinion...
raids. The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and other sports. Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s.
The SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal sponsorship was also forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list. Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practice the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities.
These changes led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in the 1970s, and many players, especially the young, would settle for a contract in the SM-liiga without a wage.
A major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland was the introduction of playoffs. Gate receipts and other income from playoffs were pooled and distributed as a placement bonus. Although play-offs were the standard way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, at the time they were not common in Europe.
The SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated in the 1974 annual meeting, and the SM-liiga was launched for the 1975–76 season. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had been rising in the previous decade.
The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs. The four best of the regular season were to proceed to the play-offs. The system of promotion and relegation from the SM-sarja remained in force: last-placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series.
The combined attendance for the first eleven regular seasons hovered around 900,000. In 1986–87, the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44, reaching its current level of 56 games in 2000–01, and the SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the 1988–89 season. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through international success of the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1.8 million. This prompted an increase in the profitability of the ice hockey business and the completion of the transition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
.
Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgment of the board of the SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. Without the threat of relegation, the weaker clubs were supposed to be able to recuperate and improve. This had, however, a side effect: clubs with a losing record that had lost their hopes of reaching the playoffs often disposed of high-salary star players, letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 clubs each season from among the 13 total in the league.
Clubs
The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. Oy and Ab are short for limited companyLimited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
, Oyj public limited company
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
and Ry association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
respectively.
| Team name | Club's registered name | Location | Home venue, capacity | 2010-11 series standing(playoff standing) | Championships |
| Blues | Blues Hockey Oy | Espoo Espoo Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen.... |
Barona Areena Barona Areena Barona Areena is an arena in Espoo, Finland, located by the ice rink and the fair center, in Tapiola. It was opened in 1999 and holds 7,036 people... , 7,017 |
9th (2nd) | 0 |
| HIFK HIFK (ice hockey) HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897... |
HIFK Hockey Ab | Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
Helsinki Ice Hall, 8,200 | 3rd (Champions) | 7 |
| HPK HPK HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight... |
HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry | Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the... |
Patria-areena, 5,360 | 7th (wild card) | 1 |
| Ilves | Ilves-Hockey Oy | Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... |
Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli is a sports arena in Tampere, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga... , 7,600 |
10th (quarter finals) | 16 |
| Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships... |
Jokerit HC Oyj | Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
Hartwall Areena Hartwall Areena Hartwall Areena is a large multifunctional indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland... , 13,506 |
6th (quarter finals) | 6 |
| JYP | JYP Jyväskylä Oy | Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded... |
Synergia-areena, 4,500 | 1st (4th) | 1 |
| KalPa KalPa The Kalevan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu.-Team history:Established in 1929, the full name of the company that runs the representative team is KalPa Hockey Oy. The majority of the company is owned by NHL players Sami Kapanen and... |
KalPa Hockey Oy | Kuopio Kuopio Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest... |
Kuopion jäähalli, 5,224 | 5th (quarter finals) | 0 |
| Kärpät Kärpät Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:... |
Oulun Kärpät Oy | Oulu Oulu Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world.... |
Oulun Energia Areena Oulun Energia Areena Oulun Energia Areena is an arena in the Raksila district of Oulu, in Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Kärpät. It opened in 1975 and holds 6,612 people. The arena's former name was Raksilan jäähalli... , 6,768 |
8th (wild card) | 5 |
| Lukko Lukko Lukko is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga, formed 1936. The full name of the club is Rauman Lukko. They play in Rauma, Finland at the Äijänsuo Arena. They have won the national championship once, in 1963... |
Rauman Lukko Oy | Rauma Rauma, Finland Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage... |
Kivikylän Areena Äijänsuo Arena Äijänsuo Arena is an arena in Rauma, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Lukko. It opened in 1970 and holds 5400 people. The name of the arena was changed to "Lännen Puhelin Areena" in autumn 2006.... , 5,400 |
4th (3rd) | 1 |
| Pelicans Pelicans (ice hockey) Pelicans is an ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga, and formed in 1996. They play in the city of Lahti, Finland at Isku Arena. The team is partially owned by retired NHL goaltender Pasi Nurminen.-Notable players:* Sean Avery* Jason Bonsignore... |
Lahden Pelicans Oy | Lahti Lahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki... |
Isku Areena Isku Areena Isku Areena is an arena in Lahti, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Pelicans. It opened in 1973 and holds 5 530 people.... , 5,530 |
14th (did not qualify) | 0 |
| SaiPa SaiPa Saimaan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the Finnish SM-liiga. They play their home games at Kisapuisto in Lappeenranta, Finland.-History:The team's best achievement is from the 1965-1966 season, when they won bronze medals for placing third... |
Liiga-SaiPa Oy | Lappeenranta Lappeenranta Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland... |
Lappeenrannan jäähalli, 4,825 | 12th (did not qualify) | 0 |
| Tappara Tappara Tappara is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Tampere, Finland at Tampereen jäähalli. The team have won 15 league championships .... |
Tamhockey Oy | Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... |
Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli is a sports arena in Tampere, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga... , 7,600 |
11th (did not qualify) | 15 |
| TPS TPS (ice hockey) TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:... |
HC TPS Turku Oy | Turku Turku Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland... |
HK-Areena, 11,820 | 13th (did not qualify) | 11 |
| Ässät Ässät Ässät is an ice hockey team in the Finnish elite league, SM-liiga. They play in Pori, Finland at the Porin jäähalli.-Team history:... |
HC Ässät Pori Oy | Pori Pori Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki river, which is the largest in Finland. Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region.... |
Porin jäähalli Porin jäähalli Porin jäähalli is an arena in Pori, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of hockey team Ässät. It opened in 1971 and holds 6,500 people.... , 6,466 |
2nd (quarter finals) | 2* |
Renamed, still in SM-liiga
- JyP HT (now JYP)
- Kiekko-Espoo (now Blues)
- Kiekkoreipas, Hockey-Reipas, and Reipas (now Pelicans)
Relegated prior to 2000
Teams relegated were relegated to second-tier MestisMestis
Mestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000...
in the year shown, and are there today unless noted otherwise.
- SportSport (Vaasa)Sport, known by its full name as Hockey Team Vaasan Sport OY, is a Finnish ice hockey team based at Vaasa Arena in Vaasa. The team was established in 1939 as IF Sport .- History :Vaasan Sport was founded in 1939...
(relegated 1976) - FoPS (relegated 1977, now FPSFPS (ice hockey)FPS is a Finnish ice hockey team based in Forssan jäähalli , Forssa, established in 1931. Forssan Palloseura has two lower level teams: FoPS which plays in lower divisions and FoPS Flames which plays in the 2...
in third-division Suomi-sarjaSuomi-sarjaThe Suomi-sarja is Finland's third-highest ice hockey league. Suomi-sarja has 4 divisions. Suomi-sarja has been played since the 1999-2000 season. Prior to this, Finland's third league had been Division II since 1975 and before that the Provincial Series since 1947. During the 1990s the series also...
) - KOO-VEEKoo-Vee (ice hockey)KOO-VEE is a Finnish sport club based at Tampere. It was founded at 1929 and soon it expanded to many different kinds of sports. Full name of the club is KOO-VEE Ry .Koovee is one of the biggest sport clubs in Finland....
(relegated 1980) - KooKooKouvolan EdustuskiekkoKooKoo is a Finnish ice hockey team based at Kouvolan jäähalli , Kouvola. Established in 1965. Full name of the club is Kouvolan Edustuskiekko.-Current Team:-Retired numbers:* 36 Mikko Outinen...
(relegated 1990) - JoKP (relegated 1992, now JokipojatJokipojatJokipojat is a Finnish semi-professional ice hockey team that plays in the Mestis. Full name of the club is Joensuun Kiekko ry. The club has spent three seasons in top flight of Finnish hockey, season 1971-72 in SM-sarja and seasons 1989-90 and 1991-92 in SM-liiga...
) - TuToTuToTuTo is a Finnish ice hockey team based at the new Kupittaan jäähalli , Turku. Established in 1929. TuTo plays in Turku, Finland, and is one of two clubs in that city . Full name of the club is TuTo Hockey...
(relegated 1996)
Format
Regular season: all teams play 60 matches, a quadruple round robin with extra local double rounds (every team plays four matches against every other team, plus two or four extra matches against defined local opponents). Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in the event of a tie, winner is decided by a four-on-four sudden death, 5-minute overtime. Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout, where each team has three shooters in the beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not.For the 2010-11 a new addition was introduced. In January 2011, each team will play 2 games (1 home, 1 away) against the same opponent. The match-ups will be decided by a system where the bottom (14th) placed team at that time chooses its opponent 1st, followed by the 13, 12th and so on. The 7th placed team is the last one to choose an opponent. The system has been criticized by many, for reasons such as "awarding" a bad position in the table and the way the match-ups are decided, since there are worries that teams will choose their opponents from the higher profile teams and their biggest rivals to achieve maximum attendance and more income through ticket sales.
Scoring: A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points and loss by sudden death overtime one point. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by goal differential. Teams tied by goal differential as well are ranked by number of goals scored.
Play-offs: The six best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between seventh and tenth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-three - the two winners take the last two slots to quarter-finals. Starting from the season 2007-2008 all series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results, so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams play the first match at home, then by turns away, home, away, etc. Each play-off match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins.
Scheduling: The regular season starts around mid-September. It takes a two-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland
Finnish national men's ice hockey team
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, or Leijonat / Lejonen , as it is called in Finland, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
plays in a European competition. There is a two-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
. The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary play-offs ensue almost immediately. The play-offs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
.
Winners
The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja
Kanada-malja
The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga playoffs champion. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Cup", and is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 1951....
, the championship trophy of the SM-liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy (Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto) as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs, similar to the difference in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
between the status of the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
and the Presidents' Trophy
Presidents' Trophy
The Presidents' Trophy is an award presented by the National Hockey League to the team that finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season. If two teams tie for the most points, then the trophy goes to the team with the most wins. The winning team is also awarded C$350,000...
.
Trophies
The following trophies are awarded by the SM-liiga:- Kultainen kypäräKultainen kypäräKultainen kypärä is an ice hockey award given to the best player in the Finnish SM-liiga. It is the most appreciated of the awards, as it is voted for by the players. It has been awarded since 1987....
- best player as voted by SM-liiga players - Kalevi Numminen trophyKalevi Numminen trophyThe Kalevi Numminen trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best coach of the season. In 2008 it was awarded to Petri Matikainen of Blues.Trophy Winners:1977-78: Kari Mäkinen 1978-79: Veli-Pekka Roiha...
- best coach - Jarmo Wasama memorial trophyJarmo Wasama memorial trophyThe Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best rookie of the season. The trophy is named in honor of Jarmo Wasama, a young Finnish defenseman who was killed in an automobile accident in 1966Trophy Winners:...
- rookie of the year - Matti Keinonen trophyMatti Keinonen trophyThe Matti Keinonen trophy is an ice-hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the "most effective player" of the season .-Trophy winners:...
- most effective player - Raimo Kilpiö trophyRaimo Kilpiö trophyThe Raimo Kilpiö trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the "gentleman player" of the season.-Trophy winners:1953–54: Esko Rekomaa 1954–55: Seppo Liitsola 1955–56: Teppo Rastio 1956–57: Aki Salonen...
- most gentlemanly player - Urpo Ylönen trophyUrpo Ylönen trophyThe Urpo Ylönen trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best goalie of the season.Trophy winners:1977-78: Antero Kivelä 1978-79: Jorma Valtonen 1979-80: Jorma Valtonen 1980-81: Hannu Kamppuri...
- best goaltender - Pekka Rautakallio trophyPekka Rautakallio trophyThe Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best defenceman of the season.-Trophy winners:*1977-78: Pekka Rautakallio *1978-79: Pekka Rautakallio *1979-80: Reijo Ruotsalainen...
- best defenseman - Aarne Honkavaara trophyAarne Honkavaara trophyThe Aarne Honkavaara trophy is an ice hockey trophy given by the Finnish SM-liiga to the player who scores the most goals during regular season play.Trophy Winners:1977-78: Markku Kiimalainen 1978-79: Kari Makkonen...
- most goals scored in the regular season ("best goal scorer") - Veli-Pekka Ketola trophyVeli-Pekka Ketola trophyThe Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the player who scores the most points during regular season play.To date, Steve Kariya and Martin Kariya are the only two brothers to win the title.Trophy winners:...
- most points scored during the regular season - Lasse Oksanen trophyLasse Oksanen trophyThe Lasse Oksanen trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best player of the season during regular season play.Trophy winners:1948-49: Unto Wiitala 1953-54: Unto Wiitala...
- best player during the regular season - Jari Kurri trophyJari Kurri trophyThe Jari Kurri trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best player in the SM-liiga playoffs. The trophy is named after Jari Kurri....
- best player during the play-offs
In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors.
External links
See Also
- Women's Ice Hockey in FinlandWomen's ice hockey in FinlandWomen's Ice Hockey in Finland has 2 593 players in 2005 and 4 694 in 2011 .The Jääkiekon naisten SM-sarja is the league elite of Women's ice Hockey. This league is organized by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association....
- List of SM-liiga seasons
- SM-sarjaSM-sarjaSM-Sarja was the top level of ice hockey in Finland from 1928 to 1975. SM-sarja is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruussarja, "Finnish Championship Series"....
- MestisMestisMestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000...