Kultainen kypärä ("the Golden Helmet") is an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
award given to the best player in the
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
Liiga
The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...
. It is voted for by the players. It has been awarded since 1987.
In addition, a long running tradition by
Veikkaus
Veikkaus Oy is the Finnish government-owned betting agency which holds a monopoly in the country. It was formed in 2017 as a merger of three previously existing betting and gambling agencies of Veikkaus, Fintoto and Finland's Slot Machine Assoc ...
is for the current best scorer of a team to carry a golden helmet, also called kultainen kypärä or kultakypärä. The player that plays the most games carrying the golden helmet that also is in the top 20 of the league's scoreboard by the end of the regular season is awarded with €10,000 by Veikkaus.
Award winners
* 1986-1987:
Pekka Järvelä Pekka is a Finnish male given name. It was most popular around the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013 there were more than 100,000 people registered with this name in Finland. The nameday is the 29th of June in the Finnish tradition and the 25th ...
(
JYP)
* 1987-1988:
Jarmo Myllys
Jarmo Pentti Kalevi Myllys (born 29 May 1965) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars as their ninth-round pick, #172 overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently the goalkeeping ...
(
Lukko
Rauman Lukko (Finnish for "lock") is a Finnish sports club based in Rauma, Finland, best known for its men’s professional ice hockey team. The club was founded as Rauma Woodin Lukko in 1936. The representative team currently plays in the Fi ...
)
* 1988-1989:
Jukka Vilander
Jukka Vilander (born 27 November 1962) is a former professional Finnish ice hockey forward. He is a four time Finnish champion with HC TPS (1989, 1990, 1991, 1993) and is 1996 Danish Champion with EfB Ishockey. He has made SM-liiga ...
(
TPS)
* 1989-1990:
Jukka Tammi (
Ilves
Ilves (; Finnish for " Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Tampere Deck Arena.
The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the city ...
)
* 1990-1991:
Teemu Selänne
Teemu Ilmari Selänne (; born July 3, 1970) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger. He began his professional career in 1989–90 with Jokerit of the SM-liiga and played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Wi ...
(
Jokerit
Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...
)
* 1991-1992:
Mikko Mäkelä
Mikko Matti Mäkelä (born February 28, 1965) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey left wing. Known as the "Flying Finn", he was drafted in the fourth round, 65th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.
Mäkelä ma ...
(TPS)
* 1992-1993:
Juha Riihijärvi
Juha Riihijärvi (born 15 December 1969 in Keminmaa, Finland) is a former professional ice hockey left winger who played his last season for Bolzano-Bozen Foxes in Italian Serie A.
Playing career
Career in Finland
Juha Riihijärvi played 4 sea ...
(JYP)
* 1993-1994:
Esa Keskinen
Esa Juhani Keskinen (born 3 February 1965 in Ylöjärvi, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward.
Playing career
Keskinen was drafted by the Calgary Flames as their fifth-round pick, 101st overall, in the 1985 NHL E ...
(TPS)
* 1994-1995:
Saku Koivu
Saku Antero Koivu (; born November 23, 1974) is a Finns, Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 NHL season, 1995–96 after th ...
(TPS)
* 1995-1996: Juha Riihijärvi (Lukko)
* 1996-1997:
Kimmo Rintanen
Kimmo Rintanen (born August 7, 1973 in Rauma, Finland) is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga before getting transferred to Swiss Elite League Team Kloten Flyers, where he played from the 2001-02 season until 2010-11 ...
(TPS)
* 1997-1998:
Raimo Helminen
Raimo Ilmari Helminen (born 11 March 1964 in Tampere, Finland) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He is often called "Raipe" or "Maestro" by his fans. He is the world record holder for most international games played by a hockey p ...
(Ilves)
* 1998-1999:
Brian Rafalski
Brian Christopher Rafalski (born September 28, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, in the SM-liiga for HPK and HIFK, in ...
(
HIFK
HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK ) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...
)
* 1999-2000:
Kai Nurminen
Kai Ilmari Nurminen (born March 29, 1969) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward, who last played with Herlev Hornets in the Danish Oddset Ligaen.
Career
Nurminen started and played most of his ice hockey career with TPS in SM-lii ...
(TPS)
* 2000-2001: Kimmo Rintanen, TPS
* 2001-2002:
Janne Ojanen
Janne Juhani Ojanen (born April 9, 1968) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who is the all-time leading scorer in Finland's SM-liiga with 799 points. He spent the majority of his career playing for SM-liiga team Tappara.
Playing ...
(
Tappara
Tappara (; Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga. They play at ''Tampere Deck Arena'' in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 18 Finnish league championships (1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, ...
)
* 2002-2003:
Antti Miettinen (
HPK
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 Edu ...
)
* 2003-2004:
Timo Pärssinen
Timo Pärssinen (born January 19, 1977 in Lohja, Finland) is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward.
Playing career
Timo Pärssinen began his pro career with TuTo Turku in 1994 and then moved to Kokkolan Hermes in 1997. He would mo ...
(HIFK)
* 2004-2005:
Tim Thomas, Jokerit
* 2005-2006:
Tony Salmelainen
Tony Salmelainen (born August 8, 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He last played for HIFK of the Finnish Liiga in 2013. He was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers as their second-round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry D ...
(HIFK)
* 2006-2007:
Cory Murphy (HIFK)
* 2007-2008:
Ville Leino
Ville Leino (born 6 October 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres.
Playing career
Finland
At age 17, Lei ...
(Jokerit)
* 2008-2009:
Juuso Riksman (Jokerit)
* 2009-2010:
Jori Lehterä
Jori Jonatan Lehterä (born 23 December 1987) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player currently playing for Tappara of the Liiga. A centreman, he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2008 NHL ...
(Tappara)
* 2010-2011:
Ville Peltonen
Ville Sakari Peltonen (born 24 May 1973) 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 ...
(HIFK)
* 2011-2012:
Tomáš Záborský (
Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to:
* HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club
** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (men's football)
** PATA (esports)
*, Finnish band from Oulu
*S Group, Finnish Con ...
)
* 2012-2013:
Ilari Filppula
Ilari Antti Sakari Filppula (born 5 November 1981) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the TPS in the Finnish Liiga. He is the older brother of Valtteri Filppula.
Playing career
Filppula started his pro career i ...
(Jokerit)
* 2013-2014:
Michael Keränen (Ilves)
* 2014-2015:
Kim Hirschovits
Kim Michael Hirschovits-Gerz (born 9 May 1982) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward and sports manager of Kiekko-Espoo in the Mestis. During his playing career, he skated in the Finnish Liiga (called SM-liiga until 2013) with HI ...
(
Blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
)
* 2015-2016:
Kristian Kuusela
Kristian Kuusela (born ) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey right wing. Kuusela announced his retirement on 27 April 2023 after winning the Liiga championship with Tappara. Kuusela played a total of 1107 regular season games with 7 ...
(Tappara)
* 2016-2017:
Mika Pyörälä
Mika Pyörälä (born 13 July 1981) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), Timrå IK and Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien, and Amur Khabarovsk of ...
(
Kärpät)
* 2017-2018:
Julius Junttila (Kärpät)
* 2018-2019:
Malte Strömwall (
KooKoo
''KooKoo'' is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album was recorded whilst Harry took a break from her band Blondie. I ...
)
* 2019-2020:
Justin Danforth
Justin Danforth (born March 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who can also play as a winger. He currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the ECHL Rookie of the Year in 2018 ...
(Lukko)
* 2020-2021:
Petri Kontiola
Petri Kontiola (born October 4, 1984) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Ilves of the Liiga. Kontiola has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, the organization that draft ...
(HPK)
* 2021-2022:
Anton Levtchi (Tappara)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kultainen Kypara
Liiga trophies and awards