Liiga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liiga

Formerly	SM-sarja (1933–1975) SM-liiga (1975–2013)
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1975; 50 years ago (1975)
Inaugural season	1975–76
CEO	Mikko Pulkkinen
Motto	Se on totta (It's for real)
No. of teams	16
Country	Finland
Most recent champion(s)	KalPa (1st title) (2024–25)
Most titles	Tappara (13 titles)
TV partner(s)	Telia Company, TV5
Level on pyramid	Level 1
Relegation to	Mestis
International cup(s)	Champions Hockey League
Related competitions	Naisten Liiga
Official website	Liiga.fi

The Liiga, also known as the Finnish Elite League, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It has 16 teams from all over Finland. Teams can move up to Liiga from a lower league called Mestis, or move down to Mestis from Liiga. The team that wins the Liiga playoffs each season gets a special trophy called the Kanada-malja.

Teams from the Liiga also play in an international competition called the Champions Hockey League (CHL). This competition is organized by the IIHF. Teams qualify for the CHL based on how strong their league is in Europe.

The Liiga started in 1975. It took the place of an older league called SM-sarja, which was mostly for amateur players. The Liiga is not directly managed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, but they work together. The letters "SM" stand for Suomen mestaruus, which means "Finnish Champion" in Finnish.

History of Liiga Hockey

The SM-liiga, which is now called Liiga, began in 1975. It replaced the older amateur league, SM-sarja. Kalervo Kummola was the first leader of the SM-liiga. He worked in that role until 1987. Unlike other leagues in Finland, the SM-liiga was not set up under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

The first SM-liiga season also introduced playoffs to Finnish ice hockey. This was a new and exciting way to decide the champion.

When the league first started, it had 10 teams. It grew to 12 teams in the 1988–89 season. In 2000, another team was added. After that, the league became "closed," meaning teams couldn't move up or down between leagues.

However, this changed later. For the 2005–2006 season, KalPa, a team that won the Mestis league, was allowed to join the Liiga. This happened because they met certain requirements.

The idea of teams moving up or down (promotion and relegation) came back for the 2008–09 season. But it was a bit complicated. A Mestis team that won the qualifiers had to buy shares from the Liiga team that lost. If they didn't, the losing Liiga team would stay in the league.

Starting from the 2013–2014 season, the system changed again. Now, the Mestis winner can apply for a Liiga license. If they get it, they can join the league after one transition season.

SM-liiga clubs' former jerseys

The league changed its name to just Liiga for the 2013–14 season. They also got a new logo. The 2019–20 Liiga season ended early on March 13, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The playoffs were not played, and no champion was named that year.

For the 2024–25 season, Kiekko-Espoo joined the Liiga, making it 16 teams. Also, the system for teams moving up and down between Liiga and Mestis was fully reopened for the first time since 2013.

Experts like The Hockey Writers say that Liiga is one of the best ice hockey leagues in Europe and the world. It's often ranked highly, allowing its top teams to play in the Champions Hockey League. For the 2024–25 CHL season, Liiga was ranked the third-best league in Europe.

Liiga Teams

Meet the Clubs

The teams in Liiga usually use their traditional club names. Oy and Ab are short for "limited company" in Finnish and Swedish.

Team name	Club's registered name	Location	Home venue	Capacity	2024–25 Season Rank	Liiga Titles	Total Titles
HIFK	Oy HIFK Hockey Ab	Helsinki	Helsinki Ice Hall	8,200	4th (5th)	4	7
HPK	HPK Liiga Oy	Hämeenlinna	Patria-areena	5,360	10th (11th)	2	2
Ilves	Ilves-Hockey Oy	Tampere	Nokia Arena	12,700	2nd (3rd)	1	16
Jukurit	Jukurit HC Oy	Mikkeli	Ikioma Areena	4,200	16th (15th)	0	0
JYP	JYP Jyväskylä Oy	Jyväskylä	Synergia-areena	4,437	14th (did not qualify)	2	2
KalPa	KalPa Hockey Oy	Kuopio	Olvi Arena	5,300	3rd (1st)	1	1
Kiekko-Espoo	Kiekko-Espoo Oy	Espoo	Espoo Metro Areena	6,982	8th (10th)	0	0
KooKoo	KooKoo Hockey Oy	Kouvola	Lumon arena	5,950	6th (9th)	0	0
Kärpät	Oulun Kärpät Oy	Oulu	Oulun Energia Areena	6,300	13th (did not qualify)	8	8
Lukko	Rauman Lukko Oy	Rauma	Kivikylän Areena	4,500	1st (4th)	1	2
Pelicans	Lahden Pelicans Oy	Lahti	Isku Areena	4,403	15th (16th)	0	0
SaiPa	Liiga-SaiPa Oy	Lappeenranta	Kisapuisto	4,820	5th (2nd)	0	0
Sport	Hockey-Team Vaasan Sport Oy	Vaasa	Vaasa Arena	5,185	11th (8th)	0	0
Tappara	Tamhockey Oy	Tampere	Nokia Arena	12,700	9th (7th)	13	20
TPS	HC TPS Turku Oy	Turku	Gatorade Center	10,500	12th (12th)	10	11
Ässät	HC Ässät Pori Oy	Pori	Isomäki Ice Hall	6,150	7th (6th)	2	3

How Liiga Games Are Played

Opening match of Tampere Deck Arena: Tappara vs. Ilves in December 2021

SM-liiga studio in the semifinals in 2006

Regular Season Rules

• All teams play 60 games.
• Each game lasts 60 minutes.
• If the game is tied after 60 minutes, there's a 5-minute overtime period. Teams play with three players each instead of five. The first team to score wins.
• If it's still tied after overtime, there's a shootout. Each team gets three shots. If it's still tied, players take turns shooting until one scores and the other doesn't.

Scoring Points

• A win in regular time gives 3 points.
• A win in overtime gives 2 points.
• A loss in overtime gives 1 point.
• A loss in regular time gives 0 points.
• Teams are ranked by points. If teams have the same points, the one with more wins in regular time ranks higher.

Playoff Structure

• The top four teams after the regular season go straight to the quarter-finals.
• Teams ranked 5th to 12th play in preliminary playoffs. These are best-of-five series. The four winners join the quarter-finals.
• From the quarter-finals onwards, all series are best-of-seven. This means a team needs to win four games to advance.
• The teams that lose in the semi-finals play one game for a bronze medal.
• In the playoffs, the highest-ranked team plays the lowest-ranked team, and so on. Higher-ranked teams get to play more games at their home arena.
• Playoff games also have 60 minutes of regular time. If tied, they play 20-minute sudden death overtime periods with five players each. The first team to score wins.

Relegation Explained

• The teams finishing 15th and 16th play a special series called a "playout."
• The loser of this playout series then plays against the champion of the Mestis league. This decides which team plays in Liiga next season.

Season Schedule

• The regular season usually starts in mid-September.
• There's a short break in late October/early November for the Karjala Tournament, where Team Finland plays.
• There's also a one-week break for Christmas.
• In years when the Winter Olympic Games happen, there's a break for that too.
• The regular season ends around mid-March, and playoffs start right away.
• The playoffs finish by mid-April, so players can join their national teams for the World Championships.

Liiga Champions

The Kanada-malja

The team that wins the playoffs gets gold medals and the Kanada-malja trophy. This is the most important trophy in Liiga. The team that finishes first in the regular season also gets a trophy, the Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto. However, winning the playoffs and the Kanada-malja is considered a bigger achievement.

Past Champions

Top Players in Liiga History

These tables show some of the best players in Liiga's regular season history. The numbers are updated after each season.

Top 10 Regular Season Scorers (Finnish Players)

This list shows players who have scored the most points (goals + assists). Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Top 10 Regular Season Scorers (Import Players)

This list shows players from other countries who have scored the most points. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Top 10 Regular Season Games Played (Goaltenders)

This list shows the goaltenders who have played the most regular season games.

Liiga Trophies

The Liiga gives out many awards each season to recognize great players, coaches, and referees. In 1995, these trophies were named after famous Finnish hockey legends.

• Harry Lindblad memorial trophy – Awarded to the team that wins the regular season.
• Kultainen kypärä – Given to the best player, as voted by other Liiga players.
• Kalevi Numminen trophy – Awarded to the best coach.
• Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy – Given to the best new player (rookie) of the year.
• Matti Keinonen trophy – For the player with the best plus/minus rating (most effective player).
• Raimo Kilpiö trophy – For the player who plays fairly and is the most gentlemanly.
• Urpo Ylönen trophy – Awarded to the best goaltender.
• Pekka Rautakallio trophy – For the best defenseman.
• Aarne Honkavaara trophy – For the player who scores the most goals in the regular season.
• Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy – For the player who gets the most points (goals + assists) in the regular season.
• Lasse Oksanen trophy – For the best player during the regular season.
• Jari Kurri trophy – For the best player during the playoffs.
• Unto Wiitala trophy – For the best referee during the regular season.
• Pentti Isotalo trophy – For the best linesman during the regular season.
• Golden whistle trophy – For the best referee of the year, voted by the players.

Liiga in Video Games

You can play with teams from the Liiga in some video games! They first appeared in NHL 2001 and have been in EA Sports' NHL series since NHL 2004.

See also

In Spanish: Liiga para niños

• List of SM-liiga seasons
• List of Finnish ice hockey champions
• Mestis
• Naisten Liiga
• SM-sarja
• Ice hockey in Finland
• Leijonat