HIFK (ice hockey)

HIFK (a traditional abbreviation of Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors, English: "Sporting Society Fellows, Helsinki") is a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland that plays in the Liiga, the sport's top-level league in Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. The club was founded in 1897 and started participating in ice hockey in 1929. Since then, HIFK has won the Finnish national championship seven times (1969, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1983, 1998, and 2011). HIFK has the highest number of audience in the Liiga and is one of the wealthiest sports clubs in Finland.

This article is about the ice hockey team. For other sports clubs using the same name, see HIFK.
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors
CityHelsinki
LeagueLiiga
Founded1897 (1897)
Home arenaHelsingin jäähalli
ColoursRed, white, dark blue
              
Owner(s)HIFK Ligaföreningen rf.
General managerJukka Valtanen
Head coachJarno Pikkarainen
CaptainJere Sallinen
Parent club(s)HIFK
Farm club(s)Jokipojat
Championships1969, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1983, 1998, 2011
Websitehifk.fi
Active departments of
HIFK
Bandy Floorball Football
Handball Ice hockey (men's) Ice hockey (women's)
Athletics Bowling Golf
eSports

The derbies against local rivals Jokerit were often sold out and were among the fiercest in Nordic ice hockey, but are no longer played following Jokerit's withdrawal from Liiga after the 2013–14 season to join the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Following a history of even series of games, HIFK won the game total with 106–105 after a 2–1 victory in a classical outdoor game in March 2014, claiming the title of Helsinki's dominion.[1]

HIFK's general manager starting from May 1, 2008, is Jukka Valtanen. He is the successor of Pentti Matikainen, who coached Team Finland to its first hockey Olympic medal (silver) in Calgary 1988.

HIFK won the Finnish national championship in the 2010–11 season when they defeated Espoo Blues.

The championship team from 1998 is widely recognized as one of the best ever to have skated together in the top flight of Finnish ice hockey. Players on the 1998 championship team included a number of future (and former) NHL players – including Tim Thomas, Jan Čaloun, Johan Davidsson, Bob Halkidis, Olli Jokinen, Jere Karalahti, Jarno Kultanen, Brian Rafalski, Christian Ruuttu, Jarkko Ruutu, Kimmo Timonen and Marko Tuomainen.

History

One of the major influences to HIFK was the NHL veteran and Stanley Cup winner Carl Brewer. Hired in 1968 as a playing coach, he advocated a North American style of play which has persisted in HIFK since. Brewer's influence on the way ice hockey is played in Finland led to his posthumous induction to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

Honors

SM-sarja

SM-liiga

International

Other awards for the club:

  • Harry Lindblad trophy (SM-Liiga regular season winner, since 1975): 2016

Current roster

(Updated 3 August 2018)[2]

Goalies
# Player Catches Contract Birthplace
53  Finland Atte Engren L 2019+1 Rauma, Finland
Defense
# Player Shoots Contract Birthplace
8  Finland Ville Varakas (A) L 2019 Helsinki, Finland
11  Finland Niko Seppälä L 2021 Helsinki, Finland
29  Finland Tobias Winberg L 2021 Helsinki, Finland
34  Finland Aleksi Laakso L 2019+1 Seinäjoki, Finland
44  Finland Elias Ulander L 2020 Helsinki, Finland
57  Sweden Johan Motin R 2020 Karlskoga, Sweden
Forwards
# Player Shoots Position Contract Birthplace
4  Finland Iikka Kangasniemi L RW 2019+1 Oulu, Finland
14  Finland Teemu Engberg L RW 2020 Loviisa, Finland
15  Finland Anton Lundell L C 2021 Espoo, Finland
32  Finland Lennart Petrell (C) L LW/RW 2019 Helsinki, Finland
45  Finland Micke-Max Åsten L LW/RW 2021 Helsinki, Finland
51  Finland Juha Jääskä L C/W 2019 Helsinki, Finland
80  Finland Thomas Nykopp L C 2020 Helsinki, Finland

Honored members
Ville Peltonen served as captain of HIFK in 2010–2014.

NHL alumni

References
  1. "HIFK vei ikuisen Stadin herruuden (in Finnish)". Ilta-Sanomat. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  2. http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=38
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