HIFK Hockey

This article is about the ice hockey team. For other sports clubs using the same name, see HIFK.
HIFK
NicknameRöda (The Reds)

Röda pantrar (The Red Panthers)
Punainen Stadista (Red from Helsinki)

Stadens Stolthet (Pride from the Capital)
CityHelsinki
LeagueSM-liiga
Founded1897 (1897)
Home arenaHelsingin jäähalli
(capacity: 8,200)
ColoursRed, white, dark blue
     
Owner(s)HIFK Ligaföreningen rf.
General managerJukka Valtanen
Head coachOlli Jokinen
CaptainIlari Melart
Parent club(s)HIFK
Farm club(s)Jokipojat
Websitehifk.fi
Championships
Playoff championships1969, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1983, 1998, 2011
Active departments of HIFK
Bandy Floorball Football
Handball Ice hockey
(women's)
Athletics Bowling Golf
eSports

HIFK (a traditional abbreviation of the Swedish name Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors, English: "Sporting Society Comrades, Helsinki") is a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland that plays in the SM-liiga, the sport's top-level league in Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall.

History

IFK Helsingfors was founded in 1897 and started participating in ice hockey in 1928. Since then, HIFK has won the Finnish national championship seven times, of which three (1969, 1970, 1974) were in SM-sarja and four (1980, 1983, 1998, 2011) were in the SM-liiga. HIFK has the highest number of audience in the SM-liiga and is one of the wealthiest sports clubs in Finland.

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.

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.

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.

Team identity

Logos and jerseys

HIFK uses a shield for their logo, with a four pointed star and text I.F.K. and year of formation 1897 on it. They wear red, white and blue colored jerseys, and have worn those colors since their beginnings. For the 1993-94 season, HIFK changed their logo to a five pointed star with text saying HIFK Hockey on it. Unpopular with fans, and HIFK wanting to modernize their brand, changed their logo again in 1996 to a red big cat on a blue circle. Commonly referred to as "petologo" (English: "beast logo") among fans. When the beast logo became HIFK's primary logo for the 1996-97 season, they reintroduced the original shield logo to become their jersey's new shoulder patches. For the 2008-09 season, HIFK made their original shield logo the primary logo once again. It would swap places with the beast logo on the jerseys, making the beast logo their new shoulder patches until the 2017-18 season, when the beast logo was eliminated from the jerseys entirely.

  • HIFK's multi-sport association shield logo has also previously served as the primary logo.
    HIFK's multi-sport association shield logo has also previously served as the primary logo.
  • HIFK's shield logo, used as their primary logo in 1928-1993, 2008-present; as well as their secondary Beast logo in 1996-2008.
    HIFK's shield logo, used as their primary logo in 1928-1993, 2008-present; as well as their secondary Beast logo in 1996-2008.
  • HIFK's star logo, used as their primary logo in 1993-1996.
    HIFK's star logo, used as their primary logo in 1993-1996.
  • The four-pointed star is the earliest emblem of IFK clubs (Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna).
    The four-pointed star is the earliest emblem of IFK clubs (Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna).

Home arena

Jokerit-HIFK Winter classic match played on Helsinki Olympic Stadium

HIFK play their home games at Helsinki Ice Hall. The stadium opened in 1966, and seats up to 8 200 spectators. The arena was also used and shared by rival team Jokerit until 1997, when they moved to the Hartwall Arena. During season 2024-2025, Jokerit returned to Helsinki Ice Hall for their home games due to not having access to the Hartwall Arena nor a viable replacement available. [1] HIFK is well known for playing classic hard rock music during games in Helsinki Ice Hall.

Rivalries

HIFK are rivals with Jokerit; games were often sold out and were in the later years 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.[2]

Honors

HIFK against Rauman Lukko
HIFK against Jokerit

SM-sarja

SM-liiga

International

Other awards for the club:

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

Players

Current roster

Updated 22 September 2024[3]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
50 Slovakia Rastislav Eliáš G L 21 2024 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
79 Finland Santeri Hartikainen C R 26 2023 Helsinki, Finland
85 Finland Bruno Jalasti D R 19 2024 Helsinki, Finland
61 Finland Juhani Jasu C R 37 2024 Eurajoki, Finland
82 Finland Aatu Karjalainen W L 20 2024 Hyvinkää, Finland
24 Finland Aleksanteri Kaskimäki C L 21 2022 Espoo, Finland
33 Finland Aron Kiviharju D L 19 2023 Esbjerg, Denmark
3 Czech Republic Ronald Knot D R 31 2024 Prague, Czech Republic
77 Czech Republic Petr Kodÿtek C L 27 2024 Sušice, Czech Republic
47 Finland Leo Komarov W L 38 2023 Narva, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union
21 Finland Jori Lehterä (A) C L 37 2023 Espoo, Finland
40 Finland Petteri Lindbohm (A) D L 31 2023 Helsinki, Finland
83 Finland Einari Luhanka D L 25 2022 Helsinki, Finland
14 Finland Oskari Manninen D L 34 2023 Vantaa, Finland
43 Canada Vincent Marleau RW R 26 2023 Saint-Michel, Quebec, Canada
11 Finland Ilari Melart (C) D L 36 2022 Helsinki, Finland
63 Finland Panu Mieho C L 30 2024 Helsinki, Finland
71 Finland Daniel Mäkiaho RW L 24 2024 Kauniainen, Finland
4 Finland Niklas Nykyri D L 19 2024 Joensuu, Finland
81 Finland Iiro Pakarinen (A) RW R 33 2021 Suonenjoki, Finland
55 Finland Valtteri Piironen RW L 20 2024 Helsinki, Finland
88 Finland Joonas Rask RW R 35 2023 Savonlinna, Finland
78 Finland Jesse Seppälä LW L 23 2022 Espoo, Finland
6 Finland Tony Sund D L 30 2023 Pedersöre, Finland
30 Finland Roope Taponen G L 24 2021 Espoo, Finland
10 Finland Kristian Vesalainen (A) LW L 26 2022 Helsinki, Finland
90 Finland Eemil Vinni G L 19 2022 Vantaa, Finland
45 Finland Micke-Max Åsten C L 33 2014 Helsinki, Finland

Honored members

HIFK players getting ready for a game in 1971
Ville Peltonen served as captain of HIFK in 2010–2014.
Kimmo Kuhta

NHL alumni

HIFK players, Stig Wetzell, Heikki Riihiranta, Matti Murto and Matti Hagman in a group picture in 1992.

Other notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Jokerien pomo paljasti merkittävän tiedon ensi kauden kotiotteluista (in Finnish)". MTV Uutiset. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  2. ^ "HIFK vei ikuisen Stadin herruuden (in Finnish)". Ilta-Sanomat. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. ^ https://hifk.fi/pelaajat/
  4. ^ "Dave Siciliano". Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Thunder Bay, Ontario. 1995. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Turchansky, Ray (September 20, 1996). "From bantam to junior in single bound". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta. p. 26.Free access icon
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