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)	Tappara (13th title) (2023–24)
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 SM-liiga) is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It's often called the Finnish Elite League. This league started in 1975. It took over from the SM-sarja, which was more of an amateur league.

Liiga is made up of 16 teams. Teams can move between Liiga and the second-highest league, Mestis. This is called relegation and promotion.

Liiga teams also play in the IIHF's yearly Champions Hockey League (CHL). They compete for a European trophy. Teams get to play based on how strong their league is in Europe. For the 2023–24 CHL season, Liiga was ranked the third-best league in Europe. This means its top four teams got to compete in the CHL.

SM-liiga's 30-year anniversary badge (1975–2005)

History of the Liiga Hockey League

Old jerseys from SM-liiga clubs

SM-liiga logo from 2005 to 2013

SM-liiga logo from 1984 to 1997

The SM-liiga was created in 1975. The goal was to make Finnish top-level ice hockey better. It also aimed to help the sport become more professional. The league before it, the SM-sarja, was for amateur players. This made it hard for Finland to become a top ice hockey country.

One big problem was how the SM-sarja was run. All decisions were made by a vote at the Finnish Ice Hockey Association's annual meeting. Many amateur clubs had a say, which made it hard for the few business-like clubs to make changes. The new SM-liiga would be run by its own board. This board would only include the teams playing in the league.

The old SM-sarja followed old amateur rules. Clubs were not supposed to pay players much money. But by the 1970s, many clubs were already paying players secretly. The SM-liiga changed this. It allowed clubs to pay players proper wages. It also made sure clubs followed rules about player contracts. This helped players get things like insurance and pensions.

The old league also had rules that limited players. For example, a player could only play for one club in a season. Also, players couldn't have personal sponsors. The SM-liiga removed these limits. It also introduced a system for players to transfer between clubs.

These changes helped Finnish ice hockey become more professional. At first, only a few players made a living from hockey. But the league was moving towards full professionalism.

How Playoffs Changed the Game

A big step for professional hockey in Finland was adding playoffs. Money from ticket sales and other income during playoffs was collected. Then, it was shared among the teams based on how well they finished. Playoffs were common in North American sports. But they were new in Europe at that time.

The SM-liiga was set up quite quickly. It started for the 1975–76 season. It was Finland's first professional sports league. People had been wanting these changes for a while. Ice hockey was becoming very popular in Finland.

The SM-liiga started with the same 10 clubs as the SM-sarja. The top four teams from the regular season would go to the playoffs. Teams could still move up or down between the SM-liiga and the second-highest league.

Growth and Changes Over Time

In the first eleven seasons, about 900,000 people watched games each year. In 1986–87, each team started playing more games. The league also grew to 12 clubs in 1988–89. Ice hockey became even more popular. This was helped by the Finnish national team doing well in international games.

By the 1990s, about 1.8 million people watched games. This made hockey a more profitable business. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time professionals. By 2000, most clubs became limited companies. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the SM-liiga was one of the strongest hockey leagues in Europe. Many future NHL players started their careers here.

Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been "closed." This means teams don't automatically move down to a lower league. This was supposed to help weaker clubs get better. But sometimes, teams that couldn't make the playoffs would trade away their best players. To fix this, the playoffs were expanded. Now, the top 10 teams out of 13 make the playoffs.

In the 2013–14 season, the league changed its marketing name to just Liiga. It also got a new logo. Today, there are 15 teams in the league. Liiga is still seen as one of Europe's strongest hockey leagues.

Liiga Clubs and Teams

The team names are usually the club's traditional name. Everyone knows the clubs by their team name. Oy and Ab are short for "limited company" in Finnish and Swedish.

Team name	Club's registered name	Location	Home venue, ice dimensions, capacity	2023–24 season standing (playoffs)	Titles SM-liiga	Titles overall
HIFK	Oy HIFK Hockey Ab	Helsinki	Helsinki Ice Hall, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 8,200	6th (7th)	4	7
HPK	HPK Liiga Oy	Hämeenlinna	Patria-areena, 58 m × 30 m (190 ft × 98 ft), 5,360	14th (did not qualify)	2	2
Ilves	Ilves-Hockey Oy	Tampere	Nokia Arena, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 12,700	2nd (5th)	1	16
Jukurit	Jukurit HC Oy	Mikkeli	Ikioma Areena, 60 m × 30 m (197 ft × 98 ft), 4,200	5th (6th)	0	0
JYP	JYP Jyväskylä Oy	Jyväskylä	Synergia-areena, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 4,437	13th (did not qualify)	2	2
KalPa	KalPa Hockey Oy	Kuopio	Olvi Arena, 60 m × 30 m (197 ft × 98 ft), 5,300	7th (4th)	0	0
Kiekko-Espoo	Kiekko-Espoo Oy	Espoo	Espoo Metro Areena, 6,982	4th (3rd) in Mestis (promoted)	0	0
KooKoo	KooKoo Hockey Oy	Kouvola	Lumon arena, 60 m × 30 m (197 ft × 98 ft), 5,950	12th (did not qualify)	0	0
Kärpät	Oulun Kärpät Oy	Oulu	Oulun Energia Areena, 60 m × 29 m (197 ft × 95 ft), 6,300	4th (3rd)	8	8
Lukko	Rauman Lukko Oy	Rauma	Kivikylän Areena, 59 m × 29 m (194 ft × 95 ft), 4,500	8th (9th)	1	2
Pelicans	Lahden Pelicans Oy	Lahti	Isku Areena, 58 m × 28 m (190 ft × 92 ft), 4,403	3rd (2nd)	0	0
SaiPa	Liiga-SaiPa Oy	Lappeenranta	Kisapuisto, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 4,820	15th (did not qualify)	0	0
Sport	Hockey-Team Vaasan Sport Oy	Vaasa	Vaasa Arena, 58 m × 28 m (190 ft × 92 ft), 5,185	10th (10th)	0	0
Tappara	Tamhockey Oy	Tampere	Nokia Arena, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 12,700	1st (1st)	13	20
TPS	HC TPS Turku Oy	Turku	Gatorade Center, 60 m × 28 m (197 ft × 92 ft), 10,500	9th (8th)	10	11
Ässät	HC Ässät Pori Oy	Pori	Isomäki Ice Hall, 58 m × 28 m (190 ft × 92 ft), 6,150	12th (did not qualify)	2	3

Former Liiga Teams

Some teams have changed names or left the Liiga.

Teams That Changed Names

• JyP HT and Jyp are now called JYP.
• Kiekkoreipas, Hockey-Reipas, and Reipas Lahti are now Pelicans.
• Blues is now Kiekko-Espoo.

Teams That Moved to a Lower League

These teams moved down to the second-tier Mestis league.

• FoPS (moved down in 1977, now FPS)
• KOO-VEE (moved down in 1980)
• JoKP (moved down in 1992, now Kiekko-pojat)
• TuTo (moved down in 1996, now TUTO Hockey)

Teams That Left the League

• Jokerit left after the 2013–14 season. They joined the KHL. Jokerit is currently in Mestis.

Liiga Timeline: How Teams Have Played Over the Years

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 matches in the regular season. Each game lasts 60 minutes. If there's a tie, they play a 5-minute overtime period. Three players from each team are on the ice during overtime. If it's still tied after overtime, they have a shootout. Each team gets three shots. If it's still tied, players take turns shooting until one scores and the other doesn't.

A win in regular time gives three points. An overtime win gives two points. An overtime loss gives one point. A loss in regular time gives zero points. Teams are ranked by points. If teams have the same points, the one with more wins in regular time ranks higher.

The 2010–11 season had the first Talviklassikko (Winter Classic) outdoor game. It was played at Helsinki's Olympic Stadium. Since then, seven more outdoor games have been played.

Playoff Format

The top four teams from the regular season go straight to the quarter-finals. Teams ranked fifth to twelfth play in preliminary play-offs. These are best-of-five series. The four winners from these games join the quarter-finals. Starting from the 2024–2025 season, all playoff series are best-of-seven.

The teams that lose in the semi-finals play a game for the bronze medal. Teams are matched up based on their regular season ranking. The highest-ranked team plays the lowest-ranked, and so on. Higher-ranked teams play the first game at home.

Each playoff game has a 60-minute regular time. If it's a tie, they play extra 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden death overtime. The first team to score wins the game.

Relegation Rules

The teams in 15th and 16th place play a series to decide which team will play against the Mestis champion. This game decides who stays in Liiga.

Season Schedule

The regular season usually starts in mid-September. There's a short break in late October or early November. This is when Team Finland plays in the Karjala Tournament. There's also a one-week break for Christmas. In years with the Winter Olympic Games, there's a break for those games too. The regular season ends around mid-March. Playoffs start almost right away and finish by mid-April. This makes sure players can join the World Championships.

Liiga Champions and Trophies

The Kanada-malja trophy

The team that wins the playoffs gets gold medals and the Kanada-malja. This is the championship trophy of the Liiga. The team that finishes first in the regular season also gets a trophy. It's called the Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto. But this trophy is not as important as the bronze medals from the playoffs. It's like the difference between the Stanley Cup and the Presidents' Trophy in the National Hockey League.

Past Liiga Winners

Liiga Player Statistics

These tables show the top players in Liiga history.

Top 10 Regular Season Scorers

These are the players with the most points in regular season games.

•  *  – This player is still active.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Top 10 Regular Season Scorers (International Players)

These are the players from other countries with the most points in regular season games.

•  *  – This player is still active.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Top 10 Goaltenders by Games Played

These are the goaltenders who have played the most regular season games in Liiga history.

•  *  – This player is still active.

Liiga Awards and Trophies

The Liiga gives out several awards. These trophies are named after famous Finnish hockey legends. Before 1995, they were named after sponsors.

• Harry Lindblad memorial trophy – Awarded to the winner of the regular season.
• Kultainen kypärä – Given to the best player, voted by other Liiga players.
• Kalevi Numminen trophy – For the best coach.
• Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy – For 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 most gentlemanly player (fair play).
• Urpo Ylönen trophy – For 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 with 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 players.

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