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".
Kiekko-Espoo Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga. They play in the Tapiola district of Espoo, Finland at the harjoitusareena ('training arena') of the Tapiolan urheilupuisto. The team was founded as Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS) in 1989 and has also been known as Espoo Blues Naiset and Espoo United Naiset during its tenure in the Naisten Liiga. Kiekko-Espoo have won the Aurora Borealis Cup as the Finnish Champions in women's ice hockey sixteen times, six more wins than any other team in league history; at least one Finnish Championship medal (gold, silver, or bronze) was won under each of the four names.
Sanna Kristiina Lankosaari is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and current head coach of Oulun Kärpät Naiset in the Naisten Liiga (NSML). She was a right winger with the Finnish national ice hockey team during 1994 to 2003 and won bronze in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.
Hanna-Riikka Sallinen is a Finnish retired ice hockey, bandy, rinkball, and pesäpallo player. She is one of the most highly decorated players to have ever competed in international ice hockey.
Päivi Anneli Salo is a Finnish retired ice hockey player. She played 73 matches with the Finnish national team, including in the women's tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where she won a bronze medal, and in the women's tournament at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She also competed at the 1997 IIHF World Championship, where she won a bronze medal with the Finnish national team, and at the 2001 IIHF Women's Championship, where Finland placed fourth.
Rosa Lindstedt is a Finnish ice hockey coach and retired ice hockey defenseman, currently serving as assistant coach to Brynäs IF Dam in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). As player with the Finnish national ice hockey team, she was a three-time Olympian, two-time Olympic bronze medalist, and four-time IIHF Women's World Championship medalist.
Sari Kärnä is a Finnish retired ice hockey player. She won a silver medal at the 2011 Winter Universiade and bronze medals at the IIHF World Women's Championships in 2015 and 2017 as a member of the Finnish national team. Her club career was played in the Naisten SM-sarja with the Tampereen Ilves Naiset, Oulun Kärpät Naiset, and JYP Jyväskylä Naiset.
Susanna "Suski" Tapani is a Finnish multi-sport elite athlete who competes in ice hockey, ringette, and in-line hockey, and is a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team and Finnish national ringette team. She currently plays ice hockey in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Metropolitan Riveters.
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.
Ella Viitasuo is a Finnish ice hockey player and member of the Finnish national team, currently signed with HV71 Dam of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) for the 2022–23 season.
Pirjo Hannele Ahonen is a Finnish retired ice hockey defenceman and bandy player and a former member of the Finnish women's national ice hockey team and national bandy team.
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.
The Aurora Borealis Cup is the trophy awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the victorious team of the Naisten Liiga playoffs, the Finnish Champion in women's ice hockey.
Essi Sieversnée Hallvar is a Finnish retired ice hockey defenceman. She played 91 international matches with the Finnish national team and won bronze at the 2011 IIHF Women's World Championship. Sievers competed at the elite club level for 15 seasons; she played 14 seasons in the Finnish Naisten SM-sarja and one season in the German Women's Ice Hockey Bundesliga (DFEL).
Riikka Noronen is a Finnish ice hockey coach and retired forward, currently an assistant coach with HPK Kiekkonaiset. 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.
JYP Naiset or JYP Jyväskylä Naiset is a Finnish ice hockey team in the Naisten Mestis. Their home is the Jyväskylän harjoitusjäähalli in Jyväskylä, Central Finland. JYP Naiset have won the Aurora Borealis Cup three times, in 1997, 1998, and 2016.
Katariina "Kati" Ahonen is a Finnish retired ice hockey goaltender. A ten-season member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, she won bronze medals at the IIHF Women's World Championships in 1992 and 1994, and participated in five IIHF European Women Championships, winning gold at the tournaments in 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1995, and bronze at the 1996 tournament.
Sanna Kanerva is a Finnish retired ice hockey player. A member of the Finnish national ice hockey team during 1994 to 1999, she won a bronze medal at the 1999 IIHF Women's World Championship and a gold medal at the 1995 IIHF European Women Championship.
Piia Kotikumpunée Lallukka is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and former member of the Finnish national ice hockey team. She represented Finland at the IIHF Women's World Championships in 2008 and 2009, winning bronze at both tournaments.
Katja Lavonius is a Finnish retired ice hockey player and former general manager of the Espoo Blues Naiset. As a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, she won bronze medals at the IIHF Women's World Championships in 1990 and 1994, and gold medals at the IIHF European Women Championships in 1991 and 1993.
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