The SM-liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. 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".
JYP is an ice hockey team playing in the Finnish top division Liiga. They play in Jyväskylä, Finland, at the LähiTapiola Areena.
Jarkko Samuli Ruutu ; born August 23, 1975) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks. He is currently serving as a European development coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Kultainen kypärä is an ice hockey award given to the best player in the Finnish Liiga. It is voted for by the players. It has been awarded since 1987.
The Lasse Oksanen trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish Liiga to the best player of the season during regular season play.
The Aarne Honkavaara trophy is an ice hockey trophy given by the Finnish Liiga to the player who scores the most goals during regular season play.
The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best defenceman of the season. In 1995 the award was renamed to carry the name of its first winner Pekka Rautakallio. In 2019 it was awarded to Oliwer Kaski of Pelicans.
The Kalevi Numminen trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best coach of the season. In 2019 it was awarded to Antti Pennanen of HPK.
Ville Sakari Peltonen is a Finnish ice hockey coach and a former professional ice hockey forward. Peltonen was drafted by the San Jose Sharks as their third round pick, 58th overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. During his professional career, he has played 382 NHL games for Sharks, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers. Internationally, he represented the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2016.
Erkka Westerlund was the head coach of the Finnish national men's ice hockey team. He was appointed head coach on November 1, 2004, and his contract ended in May 2007, after winning World Championship Silver in Moscow's World Championship tournament. He followed Raimo Summanen as head coach of the national team.
Kimmo Kuhta is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward.
Harri Lauri Linnonmaa is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga. He played for HJK and HIFK. He was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.
Siim Liivik is an Estonian-Finnish professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent.
HIFK is a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland that plays in the Liiga, the sport's top-level league in Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall.
Mikael Antero Granlund is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played professionally in Finland with Oulun Kärpät and HIFK of the SM-liiga and the Minnesota Wild of the NHL. He was selected by the Wild as the ninth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Matti Mounir Lamberg is a Finnish ice hockey player. He is currently playing for HIFK in the Finnish SM-liiga.
Miro Karjalainen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player, currently playing for HIFK of the Liiga.
HIFK Naiset, also known as Stadin Gimmat, are an ice hockey team in the Finnish Naisten Liiga. They play in the Pirkkola district of Helsinki at the Pirkkolan jäähalli. The team is operated by Oy HIFK-Hockey Ab, the same organization that owns the HIFK men's ice hockey team of the Liiga – HIFK Naiset are one of only two Naisten Liiga teams owned directly by a Liiga team.
Raimo Hirvonen is a Finnish retired ice hockey defenseman who mainly played for HIFK. He is a two time Liiga champion.
The 2022–23 Naisten Liiga season was the fortieth season of the Naisten Liiga, the premier level of women's ice hockey in Finland, since the league's establishment as the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982. The regular season began on 10 September 2022 and concluded on 19 February 2023.
