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 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 ...

league in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It is one of the six founding leagues of the

Champions Hockey League The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe. Backgrou ...

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 The Finnish Ice Hockey Association ( fi, Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto, sv, Finlands Ishockeyförbund) is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and, throu ...

, but the league and association have an

agreement Agreement may refer to: Agreements between people and organizations * Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law * Trade agreement, between countries * Consensus, a decision-making process * Contract, enforceable in a court of law ** Meeting o ...

of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation for ''Suomen mestaruus'', "Finnish championship". The SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues ...

in place between itself and the

Mestis Mestis (from fi, Mestaruussarja, meaning 'Championship series') 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 ('First Division' ...

, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000. The league was opened in 2005 and allowed

KalPa Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena. Team history Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuop ...

to get a promotion. In 2009, a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the

champion in a best of seven playout series. In 2013, the relegation system was abandoned again and replaced by a procedure in which successful clubs of

may apply for a promotion if they fulfill definite financial criteria. Since 2013,

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 h ...

joined the

KHL The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs b ...

and

Espoo Blues The Espoo Blues were an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They played in Espoo, Finland, at the Espoo Metro Areena. The club went bankrupt at the end of the 2015–16 Liiga season. History The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo ...

went bankrupt, but

Sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

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 ...

and

Jukurit 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 (known since 2016 as Ikioma Areena). The team has won 7 Mestis (2nd highest lev ...

were promoted. Therefore Liiga is a competition of 15 teams since the 2016–17 season.

History

The SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top-level Finnish

, and pave the way towards professionalism. Its predecessor, the SM-sarja, being an amateur competition, had its disadvantages, which were perceived as impeding Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey. One of the main problems was that the governing of the SM-sarja was based on the annual meeting of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, where all important issues were decided by

vote Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an Constituency, electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision making, decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election camp ...

. Since all clubs registered under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs prevailed over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of top-level Finnish ice hockey by the motivated and financially capable clubs proved arduous. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. The SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run according to amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes. However, in 1974,

accounting reform Accounting reform is an expansion of accounting rules that goes beyond financial measures for both individual economic entities and national economies. It is advocated by those who consider the focus of the current standards and practices wholly ...

in Finland extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit raids. The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and other sports. Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance and pensions. The SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal

sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

was also forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list. Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practice, the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities. These changes led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in the 1970s, and many players, especially the young, would settle for a contract in the SM-liiga without a wage. A major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland was the introduction of

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. Gate receipts and other income from playoffs were pooled and distributed as a placement bonus. Although playoffs were the standard way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, at the time they were not common in Europe. The SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated at the 1974 annual meeting, and the SM-liiga was launched for the 1975–76 season. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had been rising in the previous decade. The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs. The four best of the regular season were to proceed to the playoffs. The system of promotion and relegation from the SM-sarja remained in force: last-placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series. The combined attendance for the first eleven regular seasons hovered around 900,000. In 1986–87, the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44, reaching its current level of 56 games in 2000–01, and the SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the 1988–89 season. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through international success of the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1.8 million. This prompted an increase in the profitability of the ice hockey business and the completion of the transition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into

limited companies In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the lia ...

. In late 1990s and early 2000s the SM-liiga was the strongest hockey league in Europe and the second strongest in the world. At that time many Finnish, Czech and North American players made their professional breakthroughs in Finland. Particularly

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 ...

and TPS had many former and future NHL players in their rosters during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgment of the board of the SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. Without the threat of relegation, the weaker clubs were supposed to be able to recuperate and improve. This had, however, a side effect: clubs with a losing record that had lost their hopes of reaching the playoffs often disposed of high-salary star players, letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 clubs each season from among the 13 total in the league. The league changed its name to just Liiga for the 2013–14 season, and introduced a new logo to match. Today, there are 15 teams in the league. Nowadays the SM-liiga is considered one of the strongest leagues in Europe along with the SHL and behind the

Clubs

The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. ''Oy'' and ''Ab'' are the abbreviations for

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

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 ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

respectively.

Past participants

Renamed, still in Liiga

* ''JyP HT'' and ''Jyp'' (now ''JYP'') * ''Kiekkoreipas'', ''Hockey-Reipas'', and ''Reipas Lahti'' (now ''Pelicans'')

Relegated prior to 2000

Teams relegated were relegated to second-tier

in the year shown, and are there today unless noted otherwise. * ''FoPS'' (relegated 1977, now

FPS FPS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "F.P.S." (''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''), an episode of the TV show ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' * '' fps magazine'', a defunct magazine about animation * ''The Fabulous Picture Show'', a televi ...

in third-tier Suomi-sarja) * KOO-VEE (relegated 1980) * ''JoKP'' (relegated 1992, now

Jokipojat Joensunn Kiekko-Pojat is a Finnish semi-professional ice hockey team that plays in the Mestis. The full name of the club is ''Joensuun Kiekko ry''. It has spent three seasons in the top flight of Finnish hockey, season 1971–72 in SM-sarja and ...

) *

TuTo TUTO Hockey (Turun Toverit) is a Finnish ice hockey team based at the Kupittaan jäähalli (capacity 2,875, inauguration in November 2006). Established in 1929, TUTO plays in Turku, Finland, and is one of two clubs in that city (the other being ...

(relegated 1996, now TUTO Hockey)

Withdrew from league

(left after the 2013–14 season to join the

; looking to return in 2023–24) *

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 ...

(originally ''Kiekko-Espoo'' (or ''K-Espoo''); went bankrupt at the end of the 2015–16 Liiga season)

SM-liiga/Liiga timeline

Format

Regular season: All teams play 60 matches, a quadruple round robin with extra local double rounds (i.e., every team plays four matches against every other team, plus two extra matches against two defined local opponents). Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in the event of a tie, the winner is decided by a three-on-three sudden death, 5-minute

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

. Ties after overtime are decided by a

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

, where each team has three shooters in the beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not. The 2010–11 season also saw the inaugural ''Talviklassikko'' outdoor game at

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

. In the Helsinki derby,

defeated

4–3. Since then, seven other outdoor matches have been played. ''Scoring:'' A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points, a loss by sudden death overtime one point and a loss in regulation time zero points. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by the greater number of wins in regulation. Playoffs: The six best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between seventh and tenth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-three – the two winners take the last two slots to quarter-finals. Starting from the season 2007–2008 all series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams play the first match at home, then by turns away, home, away, etc. Each playoff match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins. ''Scheduling:'' The regular season begins around mid-September. It takes a one-and-half-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland competes in

Karjala Tournament The Karjala Tournament ( fi, Karjala-turnaus), also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual ice hockey event held in Finland. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand Karjala. History The tournament started in 1992 as the Sauna Cup. In 1995, t ...

. There is a one-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years, a break is reserved for the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary playoffs ensue almost immediately. The playoffs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Winner

The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the ''

Kanada-malja The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the Finnish Liiga playoffs. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Bowl"; the trophy is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 19 ...

'', the championship trophy of the Liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy ('' Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto'') as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs, similar to the difference in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

between the status of the Stanley Cup and the

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...

Previous winners

Previous SM-liiga winners

*1976 – TPS *1977 –

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, ...

*1978 –

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 ...

*1979 –

*1980 – HIFK *1981 – Kärpät *1982 – Tappara *1983 –

*1984 – Tappara *1985 – Ilves *1986 – Tappara *1987 – Tappara *1988 – Tappara *1989 – TPS *1990 – TPS *1991 – TPS *1992 – Jokerit *1993 – TPS *1994 – Jokerit *1995 – TPS *1996 – Jokerit *1997 – Jokerit *1998 – HIFK *1999 – TPS *2000 – TPS *2001 – TPS *2002 – Jokerit *2003 – Tappara *2004 – Kärpät *2005 – Kärpät *2006 – HPK *2007 – Kärpät *2008 – Kärpät *2009 – JYP *2010 – TPS *2011 – HIFK *2012 – JYP *2013 – Ässät *2014 – Kärpät *2015 – Kärpät *2016 – Tappara *2017 – Tappara *2018 – Kärpät *2019 – HPK *2020 – *2021 –

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 ...

*2022 - Tappara

Previous SM-liiga/Liiga playoff winners (Finnish Champions)

*1976 – TPS *1977 –

*1978 –

*1979 –

*1980 –

*1981 – Kärpät *1982 –

*1983 –

*1984 –

*1985 –

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 cit ...

*1986 –

*1987 –

*1988 –

*1989 – TPS *1990 – TPS *1991 – TPS *1992 –

*1993 – TPS *1994 – Jokerit *1995 – TPS *1996 – Jokerit *1997 – Jokerit *1998 – HIFK *1999 – TPS *2000 – TPS *2001 – TPS *2002 – Jokerit *2003 – Tappara *2004 – Kärpät *2005 – Kärpät *2006 –

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 ...

*2007 – Kärpät *2008 – Kärpät *2009 – JYP *2010 – TPS *2011 – HIFK *2012 – JYP *2013 – Ässät *2014 – Kärpät *2015 – Kärpät *2016 – Tappara *2017 – Tappara *2018 – Kärpät *2019 – HPK *2020 – (cancelled) *2021 -

*2022 – Tappara

All time statistical leaders

Top 10 regular-season scoring leaders

These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers in Liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed Liiga regular season. * – current player ''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points''

Top 10 regular-season scoring leaders (imports)

These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers for import players in Liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed Liiga regular season. * – current player ''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points''

Top 10 regular-season games played (goaltender)

These are the top-ten most regular season games played by a goaltender in Liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed Liiga regular season. * – current player

Trophies

The following trophies are awarded by the Liiga: * Harry Lindblad memorial trophy – Liiga Regular season winner *

Kultainen kypärä Kultainen kypärä ("the Golden Helmet") is an ice hockey award given to the best player in the Finnish Liiga. It is voted for by the players. It has been awarded since 1987. In addition, a long running tradition by Veikkaus is for the current best ...

– best player as voted by Liiga players *

Kalevi Numminen trophy The Kalevi Numminen trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best coach of the season. In 2019 it was awarded to Antti Pennanen of HPK. Trophy Winners: 1977-78: Kari Mäkinen ( Ässät) 1978-79: Veli-Pekka Roiha ( Reipas ...

– best coach *

Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy The Jarmo Wasama Memorial Trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best rookie of the season. The trophy is named in honor of Jarmo Wasama, a young Finnish defenseman who was killed in an automobile accident in 1966. In 2020 ...

– rookie of the year *

Matti Keinonen trophy The Matti Keinonen Trophy () is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish 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 ...

– most effective player *

Raimo Kilpiö trophy The Raimo Kilpiö trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish Liiga to the player who has shown the most sportsmanship and good behaviour as well as high quality performance for their team. It is named after Raimo Kilpiö who played in the ...

– most gentlemanly player *

Urpo Ylönen trophy The Urpo Ylönen trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best goalie of the season. It is named for Urpo Ylönen, former goaltender and later goaltender coach. In 2019 it was awarded to Veini Vehviläinen of Kärpät. Troph ...

– best goaltender *

Pekka Rautakallio trophy The Pekka Rautakallio trophy is an ice hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best defenceman of the season. In 1995 the award was renamed to carry the name of its first winner Pekka Rautakallio. In 2019 it was awarded to Oliwer Kaski of Pel ...

– best defenseman *

Aarne Honkavaara trophy The Aarne Honkavaara trophy is an ice hockey trophy given by the Finnish Liiga to the player who scores the most goals during regular season play. Trophy Winners: 1977-78: Markku Kiimalainen ( Kärpät) 1978-79: Kari Makkonen ( Ässät) 1979- ...

– most goals scored in the regular season ("best goal scorer") *

Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy The Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy () is a Finnish ice hockey trophy awarded by the Liiga to the player who scores the most points during regular season play. It was first awarded to Henry Saleva of Kärpät in the 1977–78 SM-liiga season. The tro ...

– most points scored during the regular season * Lasse Oksanen trophy – best player during the regular season * Jari Kurri trophy – best player during the playoffs *

Unto Wiitala trophy The Unto Wiitala trophy is an ice-hockey award given by the Finnish Liiga to the best referee of the season. It is named after Unto Wiitala Unto Mauri Wiitala (5 July 1925 – 16 January 2019) was a Finnish professional ice hockey playe ...

– Best referee during the regular season * Pentti Isotalo trophy – Best linesman during the regular season * Golden whistle trophy – Best referee of the year, voted by players In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:liiga Sports leagues established in 1975 1975 establishments in Finland Professional ice hockey leagues in Finland Top tier ice hockey leagues in Europe