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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.
Sport, known by its full name as Hockey Team Vaasan Sport OY or simply Vaasan Sport, is a Finnish ice hockey team playing in Liiga, and is based at Vaasa Arena in Vaasa. The team was established in 1939 as IF Sport.
Tomasz Valtonen is a Polish-born Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He is currently the head coach for HC Pustertal Wölfe of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). He coached the Poland men's national ice hockey team from 2018-2020. Valtonen was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings as their second-round draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
Mestis is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona.
Hannu Aravirta is a Finnish ice hockey player and an ice hockey coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien.
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.
Manu Juhani Tamminen is a Finnish retired professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga and World Hockey Association. He played for TPS, HJK, HIFK, Cleveland Crusaders, and Phoenix Roadrunners. He represented Finland at the 1976 Canada Cup. He was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.
Mikkelin Jukurit is a professional ice hockey team in Liiga, the top tier Finnish ice hockey league. They play in Mikkeli, Finland, at the Kalevankankaan jäähalli. The team has won 7 Mestis championships.
Linda Leppänen née Välimäki is a Finnish retired ice hockey forward and coach. Representing Finland, she won bronze medals at the Winter Olympic Games in 2010 and 2018 and at the IIHF Women's World Championships in 2015 and 2017, and a silver medal at the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship. In total, she played 167 matches with the Finnish national team. Leppänen announced her retirement from top athletic competition several months after achieving her career highlight world championship silver medal.
The 1981–82 I-Divisioona season was the eighth season of the I-Divisioona, the second level of Finnish ice hockey. 10 teams participated in the league, and JYP Jyväskylä and FoPS Forssa qualified for the promotion/relegation round of the SM-liiga.
Jonathan Iilahti is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender and coach, currently serving as the goaltending coach of Vaasan Sport Naiset in the Naisten Liiga and as the Vaasan Sportin Juniorit director of coaching for the under-15 to under-19 age group.
Lauri Marjamäki is a Finnish ice hockey coach who currently serves as head coach of Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga, a position he has held since 2022. He previously served as head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team, and of the Espoo Blues of the Liiga and Jokerit of the KHL.
The 2017–18 Liiga season was the 43rd season of the SM-liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975. Tappara was the season as a defending champion. This season included a record number of matches played on Fridays and Saturdays. In autumn, there was a national team break from 5 November until 13 November.
The 2018–19 Liiga season was the 44th season of the Liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975.
The 2019–20 Liiga season was the 45th season of the Liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975. The last two game days of the regular season were scheduled to be played in front of an empty arena due to the Finnish government advising that all public events with more than 500 attendees would be cancelled or postponed. On 13 March, the rest of the season, which included the final round of the regular season and all of playoffs, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaasan Sport Naiset were a women's ice hockey team in Finland. They played in Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland, at the Vaasan Sähkö Areena. Founded in 1983, the team most recently played in the Naisten Liiga from the 2018–19 season until being relegated at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season. The team was dissolved following relegation.
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 2021–22 Liiga season was the 47th season of the Liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since the league's formation in 1975.
Mika Väärälä is a Finnish ice hockey coach and the current head coach of KalPa Naiset in the Naisten Liiga (NSML).
