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The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish,[1][2] is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mestis.[3][4] The winner of the Liiga playoffs is awarded the Kanada-malja at the end of each season.[5]
Current season, competition or edition: 2024–25 Liiga season | |
 | |
| Formerly | SM-sarja (1933–1975) SM-liiga (1975–2013) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1975 |
| First 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 |
Teams from the Liiga participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League).
The Liiga was established in 1975 to replace the former SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur competition. The 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 Champion".
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The SM-liiga was established in 1975 to replace the amateur competition SM-sarja. Kalervo Kummola was elected to become the first chief executive officer of the SM-liiga, who served until 1987.[6] The SM-liiga wasn't established unter the Finnish ice Hockey Association that oversees all the other leagues and cups in the country. The playoffs are introduced in Finnish ice hockey for the first time during the inaugural SM-liiga season.[7]
At first there were 10 clubs in the SM-liiga. The league expanded to 12 teams in the 1988–89 season. In 2000, the SM-liiga was expanded by one team, after which the league was closed so that teams could not drop out of the league or move up from a lower league. For the 2005–2006 season, the Mestis winner KalPa was promoted to the series, which met the criteria required for a place in the league.[8] The league qualifiers were brought back for the 2008–09 season. However, as a condition for promotion, the Mestis team that cleared the qualifiers should have bought the shares of the losing Liiga team at the price determined by the league. Otherwise, the losing Liiga team would have continued playing in the league.[9][10] Starting from the 2013–2014 season, the Liiga qualifiers were replaced by a license system where the winner of Mestis can apply for a Liiga license. If granted, the club will be promoted to the league after a transition period of one season.[11][12]
The league changed its marketing name to just Liiga for the 2013–14 season, and introduced a new logo to match.[13][14][15] The 2019–20 Liiga season was terminated on March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the decision, the final round of the regular season and the playoffs were not played, and the 2020 Finnish hockey championship was not awarded.[16]
For the 2024–25 season, Kiekko-Espoo were promoted to the Liiga as the league expanded to 16 teams.[17] The league was opened for relegation and promotion between the Mestis for the first time since 2013.[18]
According to a 2023 article by The Hockey Writers, the SM-liiga is considered one of the best leagues in Europe and the world along with the Swedish Hockey League and behind the Kontinental Hockey League.[19] Going into the 2024–25 CHL season, the Liiga was ranked the No. 3 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top four teams to compete in the CHL.[20]
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List of 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 Finnish and Swedish respectively.
| Team name | Club's registered name | Location | Home venue | Capacity | 2023–24 season standing (playoffs) | Titles SM-liiga | Titles overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIFK | Oy HIFK Hockey Ab |  Helsinki |
Helsinki Ice Hall | 8,200 | 6th (7th) | 4 | 7 |
| HPK | HPK Liiga Oy |  Hämeenlinna |
Patria-areena | 5,360 | 14th (did not qualify) | 2 | 2 |
| Ilves | Ilves-Hockey Oy |  Tampere |
Nokia Arena | 12,700 | 2nd (5th) | 1 | 16 |
| Jukurit | Jukurit HC Oy |  Mikkeli |
Ikioma Areena | 4,200 | 5th (6th) | 0 | 0 |
| JYP | JYP Jyväskylä Oy |  Jyväskylä |
Synergia-areena | 4,437 | 13th (did not qualify) | 2 | 2 |
| KalPa | KalPa Hockey Oy |  Kuopio |
Olvi Arena | 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 | 5,950 | 12th (did not qualify) | 0 | 0 |
| Kärpät | Oulun Kärpät Oy |  Oulu |
Oulun Energia Areena | 6,300 | 4th (3rd) | 8 | 8 |
| Lukko | Rauman Lukko Oy |  Rauma |
Kivikylän Areena | 4,500 | 8th (9th) | 1 | 2 |
| Pelicans | Lahden Pelicans Oy |  Lahti |
Isku Areena | 4,403 | 3rd (2nd) | 0 | 0 |
| SaiPa | Liiga-SaiPa Oy |  Lappeenranta |
Kisapuisto | 4,820 | 15th (did not qualify) | 0 | 0 |
| Sport | Hockey-Team Vaasan Sport Oy |  Vaasa |
Vaasa Arena | 5,185 | 10th (10th) | 0 | 0 |
| Tappara | Tamhockey Oy | Tampere |
Nokia Arena | 12,700 | 1st (1st) | 13 | 20 |
| TPS | HC TPS Turku Oy |  Turku |
Gatorade Center | 10,500 | 9th (8th) | 10 | 11 |
| Ässät | HC Ässät Pori Oy |  Pori |
Isomäki Ice Hall | 6,150 | 11th (did not qualify) | 2 | 3 |
SM-liiga timeline
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Regular season: All teams play 60 matches. 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. Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout, 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.
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 four best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between fifth and twelfth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-five – the four winners take the last four slots to quarter-finals. 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 get home advantage. 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.[21]
Relegation: The 16th and 15th placed teams will play in the playout series to decide which team plays against the Mestis champion.
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. There is a one-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years, a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games. 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.
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The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja, the championship trophy of the Liiga.[22] The winners of the regular season receive a trophy (Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto) as well,[23] though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs.[according to whom?]
Previous winners
- 1976 – TPS
- 1977 – Tappara
- 1978 – Ässät
- 1979 – Tappara
- 1980 – HIFK
- 1981 – Kärpät
- 1982 – Tappara
- 1983 – HIFK
- 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 – (cancelled)
- 2021 – Lukko
- 2022 - Tappara
- 2023 - Tappara
- 2024 - Tappara
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Top 10 regular-season scoring leaders
These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season.
- * – current player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Janne Ojanen | C | 876 | 283 | 516 | 799 |
| Arto Javanainen | C | 688 | 462 | 330 | 792 |
| Ville Vahalahti | LW | 977 | 260 | 427 | 687 |
| Kristian Kuusela | LW | 1107 | 280 | 458 | 738 |
| Jari Lindroos | C | 649 | 230 | 432 | 662 |
| Esa Keskinen | C | 478 | 215 | 443 | 658 |
| Matti Hagman | C | 432 | 217 | 432 | 649 |
| Risto Jalo | C | 594 | 275 | 409 | 646 |
| Juha-Pekka Haataja | RW | 881 | 256 | 326 | 582 |
| Raimo Helminen | C | 751 | 161 | 420 | 581 |
Top 10 regular-season scoring leaders (imports)
These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers for import players in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season.
- * – current player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Éric Perrin | C | 643 | 189 | 343 | 532 |
| Otakar Janecký | C | 450 | 133 | 346 | 479 |
| Aleksandr Barkov | LW | 518 | 135 | 281 | 416 |
| Darren Boyko | C | 476 | 171 | 236 | 407 |
| Jan Čaloun | RW | 298 | 145 | 230 | 375 |
| Vjačeslavs Fanduļs | C | 476 | 148 | 211 | 359 |
| Tomáš Záborský | C | 468 | 170 | 182 | 352 |
| Allan Measures | D | 619 | 100 | 238 | 338 |
| Shayne Toporowski | RW | 464 | 135 | 185 | 320 |
| Stefan Öhman | C | 419 | 104 | 160 | 264 |
Top 10 regular-season games played (goaltender)
These are the top-ten most regular season games played by a goaltender in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season.
- * – current player
| Player | GP |
| Eero Kilpeläinen | 518 |
| Pasi Kuivalainen | 517 |
| Jukka Tammi | 510 |
| Sakari Lindfors | 471 |
| Jussi Markkanen | 471 |
| Hannu Kamppuri | 460 |
| Ari-Pekka Siekkinen | 447 |
| Mika Lehto | 404 |
| Petri Vehanen | 399 |
| Teemu Lassila | 388 |
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The following trophies are awarded by the SM-liiga:
- Harry Lindblad memorial trophy – SM-liiga Regular season winner
- Kultainen kypärä – best player as voted by SM-liiga players
- Kalevi Numminen trophy – best coach
- Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy – rookie of the year
- Matti Keinonen trophy – most effective player
- Raimo Kilpiö trophy – most gentlemanly player
- Urpo Ylönen trophy – best goaltender
- Pekka Rautakallio trophy – best defenseman
- Aarne Honkavaara trophy – most goals scored in the regular season ("best goal scorer")
- Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy – 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 – 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.
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