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The SM-liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagues of the Champions Hockey League and currently allocated five spots - the maximum number - based on success in previous editions. 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".
Helsingin Jokerit are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga. Jokerit plays its home games at the Hartwall Arena. The team has been a part of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Western Conference since the 2014–15 season, making Finland the first Nordic country to have a team in the league.
Sami "Helge" Helenius is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played predominately in the SM-liiga and National Hockey League. He most recently was in a coaching role with Haukat of the Suomi-sarja.
Tomasz Valtonen is a Polish-born Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He is currently the head coach for the HK Dukla Ingema Michalovce of the highest Slovak Tipos Extra League and the Poland men's national ice hockey team. Valtonen was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings as their second-round draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.
Curt "Curre" Lindström is a Swedish ice hockey coach.
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. It had initially been the highest hockey league in Finland that could be reached through playing merits alone; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000. After the 2004–05 season, KalPa was promoted to the SM-liiga, and the Liiga was re-opened in the 2008–09 season. Vaasan Sport was promoted in 2014–15, KooKoo was promoted in 2015–16, and Jukurit was promoted in 2016–17. Mestis, however, is an open league, with promotion and relegation between it and Suomi-sarja. However there will be no relegation during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ari Juhani Sulander, nicknamed Sulo, is a retired Swiss-Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender.
Hannu Aravirta is a Finnish ice hockey player and an ice hockey coach for the Finnish national men's team, SM-liiga and Elitserien.
Erik Vesa Hämäläinen is a left-handed retired Finnish ice hockey defenceman. Hämäläinen currently is an Ice hockey coach, employed by SM-liiga team Lukko
Marko Anttila is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Anttila was selected by Chicago Blackhawks in the 9th round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. His large physical stature has earned him the nickname the Groke.
Jukka Jalonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey coach and former player. In 2011 and 2019, 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 2016–18 before returning to coach the Finnish national team.
Tero Juhani Lehterä is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the SM-liiga. He played for Tappara, Jokerit, HPK, and Espoo Blues. He also had stints in Elitserien, the IHL, Russia, Switzerland and Germany. He also won a bronze medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics and World Championship with Finland's 1995 Ice Hockey World Championships team.
Waltteri Immonen is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman and former coach of SM-liiga team Jokerit.
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".
Pierre-Claude Drouin is a former Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Boston Bruins, various teams in Europe, and the Fort Wayne Komets of the Central Hockey League.
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.
KeuPa HT are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Keuruu, Finland. They are members of the second highest league in Finland, Mestis. The club was founded in 1995 in the Finnish fourth division II-Divisioona after the ice hockey club decided to part company with the Keuruu sports club. They play their home games in the Keuruu Ice Hall, which holds 1200 spectators.
The U20 SM-sarja is the premier junior men’s ice hockey league in Finland. It was previously known as the A-nuorten SM-sarja during 1945 to 1991 and the Nuorten SM-liiga during 1991 to 2020. The league was founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 1945 and a Finnish Champion in men’s under-20 ice hockey has been named annually since the league’s inaugural season – with the exception of the 2019–20 season, in which the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighteen to twenty teams compete in the U20 SM-sarja regular season, which is played in a preliminary ranking stage followed by a divisional or group stage.
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. Until 2017, it was called the Naisten SM-sarja. The league has 12 total teams between two divisions and is organized by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
Stadin Gimmat or HIFK Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga. They play in the Malmi district of Helsinki, at the Malmi Ice Hall. As the representative women's ice hockey team of the Helsinki-based multi sport club HIFK, Stadin Gimmat is closely affiliated with the HIFK men's ice hockey team of the Liiga.
References
- ↑ "Pelaajat: Immonen, Santeri". Liiga (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ↑ Tynkkynen, Jyri (8 March 2018). "RoKin uusi päävalmentaja on Santeri Immonen". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
