The Swedish Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Swedish ice hockey champions have been crowned through various formats since 1922, the title and the Le Mat Trophy have been awarded to the winner of the SHL playoffs since the league's inaugural 1975–76 season.
Johan Markus Davidsson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player, who played last with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League, SHL. He was a long-time Elitserien/SHL player and captain of HV71 for eleven seasons, with which he has won the Swedish championship four times.
Ulf Reinhold Dahlén is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player, and former head coach for HV71 and Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League. His son Jonathan Dahlén was drafted 42nd overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
The Håkan Loob Trophy is the annual award for the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) player who scores the most goals during the regular season. It was created by Svenska Hockeyligan and Canal+ in honour of Håkan Loob, who holds the SHL record for most goals in a season. It was first handed out for the 2005–06 season, on Elitserien's 30 year anniversary.
Guldhjälmen comprises two Swedish annual ice hockey awards that recognize the most valuable player of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) as judged by each league's players, respectively. Guldhjälmen is sponsored by the Swedish Magasinet Hockey in cooperation with CCM Hockey and TV4.
The Karjala Tournament, also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual ice hockey event held in Finland. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand Karjala.
Mark Aloysius Opoya Owuya is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He most recently played for the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. He formerly played for KHL Medveščak Zagreb, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League.
The 2007–08 Frölunda HC season began with the retirement of goaltender Tommy Salo.
The Le Mat Trophy is the trophy awarded to Swedish champions in ice hockey. The trophy has been awarded since the 1926 season and starting with the 1975–76 season – it has been awarded to the winners of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) playoffs.
Magnus "Mange" Johansson, is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. He was a defenceman and captain for Linköpings HC in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, and is a former member of the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers of the NHL and Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL
Per Fredrik Bremberg is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted in the third round, 55th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played eight games in the National Hockey League with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1998–99 season.
David Rundblad is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing with Modo Hockey in the SHL. Rundblad was drafted 17th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He began his NHL career with the Ottawa Senators before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. On 4 March 2014, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2015.
Karl Johan Marcus Vinnerborg is a Swedish professional ice hockey referee, currently working in the Swedish Hockey League—Sweden's premier ice hockey league—and with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Vinnerborg has won Guldpipan three times, awarded to the premier official in Elitserien as voted by the players. Vinnerborg has officiated at seven IIHF sanctioned events, among them four consecutive World Championships between 2006—2009, and at the 2010 Olympics. He has officiated the World Championship gold medal game twice, 2007 in Moscow and 2008 in Québec. In 2010, Vinnerborg made history when he became the first European referee to officiate in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The 2009–10 Elitserien season was the 35th season of Elitserien. It started on September 21, 2009, and ended on March 13, 2010. The playoffs started on March 18, 2010, and ended on April 24, 2010. HV71 won the playoffs, beating Timrå IK 4–1 in the quarter final series, Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the semifinal series, and Djurgårdens IF 4–2 in the final series. The season had a mid-season break that started on February 9 and ended on February 26 to allow participation of Elitserien players in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The 2010–11 Elitserien season was the 36th season of Elitserien. The regular season ran from 15 September 2010 to 5 March 2011, and the following playoffs ended on 14 April. HV71 won the regular season, scoring the game-winning empty net goal against Södertälje SK in the final round. Färjestads BK won the playoffs and thus became Swedish champions, beating Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the finals. All of the local derby games between AIK and Djurgårdens IF were played in the Ericsson Globe.
The 2011–12 Elitserien season was the 37th season of Elitserien. The regular season began on 13 September 2011 and ended on 6 March 2012. The following playoffs began on 10 March 2012 and ended on 19 April. Färjestad BK were the defending Swedish Champions. Brynäs IF won their first Swedish Championship title since 1999, as well as their 13th in history, after defeating Skellefteå AIK in six games.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
The 2012–13 Elitserien season was the 38th season of Elitserien. The regular season began on 13 September 2012 and ended on 5 March 2013. The playoffs began on 12 March 2013 and ended on 18 April 2013. The 2012–13 Elitserien season was the last season under the name "Elitserien"; on 17 June 2013, the league was renamed "Swedish Hockey League" (SHL).
Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) playoffs' most valuable player (MVP), as decided by SICO. It was installed in 2010 and resembles the Conn Smythe Trophy of the NHL. The trophy was renamed in honour of Stefan Liv in 2013. Stefan Liv, aged 30, was killed in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, along with his teammates and team staff of Russian club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The 2013–14 SHL season was the 39th season of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). The regular season began on 14 September 2013 and ended on 8 March 2014. The following playoffs began on 15 March 2014 and ended on 21 April 2014. It was the first season since the league changed name from Elitserien to Swedish Hockey League in June 2013.
