Liiga (Finland)

Ice hockey as the national sport

In Finland, ice hockey is the most popular team sport. The Liiga sits at the top of the system. It was founded in 1975 as SM-liiga – "SM" stands for Suomen mestaruus, Finnish championship. It has been known as Liiga since 2013. The clubs come from large cities such as Helsinki, Tampere and Turku, but also from smaller towns where the club is the centre of winter life.

Format and Kanada-malja

The regular season is followed by the playoffs, sometimes with a preliminary round for teams in the middle of the table. The champion receives the Kanada-malja, literally the Canada Cup. For years the Liiga was organised as a closed league, with access from the second division, Mestis, tied to licensing criteria. The rules on promotion and relegation have been adjusted several times.

The Finnish school

Finland has developed from a mid-sized ice hockey nation into a world power. The national team has won several World Championships and, in Beijing in 2022, its first Olympic gold. The foundation is systematic development with well-trained coaches and a strong emphasis on tactics, game intelligence and discipline. Finnish goaltenders have been considered particularly strong for years, and many of them play in the NHL.

Style

The Liiga is considered a tactical league with strong defence and many close games. Games are played on international-size rinks. Young players are given responsibility early, and many are drafted from the Liiga into the NHL.

Links to Germany

Finnish coaches and players have been present in the DEL and DEL2 for decades. Conversely, some German talents use the Liiga as a development stop. Compared with the Swedish SHL, the Liiga is considered somewhat more defensive, but the two leagues are closely related and rivals in the Champions Hockey League.

Season and atmosphere

The season runs from September to April. The arenas range from modern venues to traditional, cramped stadiums. A large new arena opened in Tampere in 2021, which has also hosted World Championship games. Chants, drums and full stands are a hallmark especially of the playoffs.

Moving to North America

Many Liiga talents are drafted early by NHL teams but initially continue to play in Finland to gain experience at a high level.

Finland's successes

The Finnish national team won world titles in 1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022, among others. In that same year, 2022, it also won its first Olympic gold in Beijing. A large proportion of the players came from the Liiga or had learned the game there.

Well-known clubs

The best-known clubs include Tappara and Ilves from Tampere, HIFK from Helsinki, Kärpät from Oulu and TPS from Turku. Tappara won several consecutive championships in the early 2020s. The traditional club Jokerit left the Liiga for the Russian KHL in 2014 and later returned to the Finnish leagues.

Stars from the Liiga

Many world stars started in the Liiga, including Teemu Selänne, who began as a Jokerit player and later became the most prolific Finnish goalscorer in the NHL.

Goaltending school

Finnish goaltenders such as Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask shaped the NHL for years.

The Liiga on TV

Liiga games are broadcast live in Finland, and the playoffs are among the most-watched sporting events of the spring. For fans abroad, streaming services provide access to the league.