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".
Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK) is a professional ice hockey team in the Liiga, the top men's ice hockey league in Finland. Their home ice is the Ritari-areena in Hämeenlinna. HPK was established in 1929. The parent club of the team is HPK Edustusjääkiekko ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights," with a logo representing a knight's helmet. HPK won their first SM-liiga championship in 2006 and the second in 2019.
Riku Markus Hahl is a Finnish former professional ice hockey centre, who played most notably for HPK in the Finnish Liiga and the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Mika Juhani Strömberg is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques as their eleventh-round pick, #211 overall, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.
Antti Markus Miettinen is a Finnish ice hockey coach and former professional forward, who last played professionally with HPK of the Liiga. He had previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets.
Jukka Pertti Juhani Jalonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey coach and former player. In 2011, 2019 and 2022, he led the Finnish national team to the gold medal in the IIHF World Championship, and at the 2022 Winter Olympics, he coached the team that won Finland's first ever Olympic gold in ice hockey. He was the head coach of Jokerit in the Kontinental Hockey League during 2016–2018 before returning to coach the Finnish national team.
Juuso Hietanen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for HPK of the Liiga.
Janne Kolehmainen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He most recently played with the Sheffield Steelers in the UK EIHL. He previously iced with Jyp in the Finnish Liiga. Kolehmainen was originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators 115th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft but did not sign.
Kristian Vesalainen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for HIFK of the Finnish Liiga. Vesalainen was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Roope Laavainen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for HPK of the Finnish Liiga. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fourth round, 119th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Naisten Liiga, also called the Naisten SM-liiga (NSML) and Jääkiekon naisten SM-liiga, is the elite league for women's ice hockey in Finland. Founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association as the Naisten SM-sarja in 1982, it was so known until being rebranded as the Naisten Liiga in 2017. The league comprises approximately 250 players across ten teams.
HPK Kiekkonaiset or HPK Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga (NSML), the premier women's ice hockey league in Finland. They play in Hämeenlinna, a city in the Finnish south-central province of Kanta-Häme, at the Hämeenlinnan harjoitushalli, a secondary ice rink at Ritari-areena. HPK were the first team to be awarded the Aurora Borealis Cup as the winners of the Finnish Championship in 2011 and also won bronze in the 2011–12 IIHF European Women's Champions Cup.
Jutta Stoltenberg is a Finnish ice hockey defenseman with HPK Kiekkonaiset of the Naisten Liiga.
Pekka Peltola is a Finnish former ice hockey left winger. He played in the SM-liiga for HPK, Lukko, HIFK and Ässät.
Riikka Noronen is a Finnish ice hockey coach and retired forward, currently an assistant coach with Tampereen Ilves Naiset. The all-time leading point scorer in the Naisten Liiga, she also holds the records for youngest player to ever play in the Naisten Liiga and for most career games played.
The 2021 Aurora Borealis Cup playoffs or the 2021 Naisten Liiga playoffs was the playoff tournament of the 2020–21 Naisten Liiga season. The Naisten Liiga playoffs began on 3 March and the Aurora Borealis Cup was awarded to Kiekko-Espoo, the 38th Finnish Champion in women's ice hockey, on 25 March.
The 2021–22 SM-liiga season was the 47th season of the SM-liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975.
The 2021–22 Naisten Liiga season was the thirty-ninth 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 season began on 11 September 2021 and concluded on 20 March 2022.
Antti Pennanen is a Finnish former ice hockey player and current head coach for Ilves of the Finnish Liiga and Finland men's national junior ice hockey team. He previously served as the head coach for Jukurit and HPK in the Finnish Liiga.
Jari Risku is a Finnish ice hockey coach, currently serving as head coach of HPK Kiekkonaiset in the Naisten Liiga. He had a brief career as a professional ice hockey defenceman with Jokerit during 1984 to 1987, appearing in a total of 41 SM-liiga games across three seasons.
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