The 2009–10 SM-liiga season the 35th season of the SM-liiga

SM-liiga

The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...

, the top level of ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, since the league's formation in 1975. TPS

TPS (ice hockey)

TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...

 won the Kanada-malja

Kanada-malja

The Kanada-malja is an ice hockey club championship trophy, awarded annually to the SM-liiga playoffs champion. Kanada-malja is Finnish for "Canada Cup", and is so named because it was donated by Canada's Finnish community in 1951....

 and Ilari Filppula

Ilari Filppula

Ilari Filppula is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the SM-liiga team Jokerit. He is the older brother of Valtteri Filppula of the Detroit Red Wings.-Playing career:...

 from TPS won the Jari Kurri trophy

Jari Kurri trophy

The Jari Kurri trophy is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish SM-liiga to the best player in the SM-liiga playoffs. The trophy is named after Jari Kurri....

. In the regular season, JYP finished atop the league, Jori Lehterä

Jori Lehterä

Jori Lehterä is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre. He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 3rd round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft...

 led the league in points and assists, and three players – Jukka Hentunen

Jukka Hentunen

Jukka Hentunen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward, who plays for KalPa.- Draft :He was drafted by the Calgary Flames as their sixth-round pick, #176 overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft....

, Jonas Enlund

Jonas Enlund

Jonas Enlund is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger, currently playing for HC Sibir Novosibirsk in the Russian KHL.- Career :...

, and Juhamatti Aaltonen

Juhamatti Aaltonen

Juhamatti Aaltonen is a Finnish ice hockey winger who now plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League .He began his career in Kärpät and played with the team until 2009...

 – tied for the league lead in goals.

Teams

Team	City	Head coach	Arena	Capacity	Captain
	Pori Pori Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki river, which is the largest in Finland. Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region....	Pekka Rautakallio Pekka Rautakallio Pekka Rautakallio is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Flames and Calgary Flames.-Early years:...	Porin jäähalli Porin jäähalli Porin jäähalli is an arena in Pori, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of hockey team Ässät. It opened in 1971 and holds 6,500 people....	6,481	Matti Kuparinen Matti Kuparinen Matti Kuparinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for KalPa Kuopio of the Finnish SM-liiga. He started in KalPa in the 2011-12 season with a two-year contract that was then extended to 2015. Before joining KalPa, Kuparinen played for another SM-liiga team, Ässät Pori,...
Blues Espoo Blues The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...	Espoo Espoo Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....	Petri Matikainen Petri Matikainen Petri Matikainen is a former Finnish ice hockey player and current coach.Originally playing for SaPKo, he moved to play two seasons of junior hockey in Oshawa Generals. He was part of the team that won J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1987. In the same year, he also won IIHF World U20 Championship with...	Barona Areena Barona Areena Barona Areena is an arena in Espoo, Finland, located by the ice rink and the fair center, in Tapiola. It was opened in 1999 and holds 7,036 people...	6,798	Toni Kähkönen Toni Kähkönen Toni Kähkönen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for Espoo Blues of the SM-liiga.-External links:...
HIFK HIFK (ice hockey) HIFK is an ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team plays at Helsinki Ice Hall. It was founded in 1897...	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...	Kari Jalonen Kari Jalonen Kari Jalonen is a former professional ice hockey center. He played parts of two seasons at the NHL level, with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, but is best known for his time in SM-liiga and with the Finnish national team.Jalonen represented Finland internationally on nine occasions,...	Helsingin jäähalli	8,200	Kim Hirschovits Kim Hirschovits Kim Hirschovits is a professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted by the New York Rangers as their sixth-round pick, #194 overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. He is 6'1" tall and weighs 183 lbs.-Career:...
HPK HPK HPK is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Hämeenlinna, Finland at the Hämeenlinnan jäähalli. HPK was established in 1929. The full name of the club is HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry and the team is sometimes promoted as the "Hockey Playing Knights", with the logo representing a knight...	Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the...	Jukka Rautakorpi	Patria-areena	5,360	Jukka Laamanen
Ilves Ilves Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä...	Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...	Juha Pajuoja*	Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli is a sports arena in Tampere, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga...	7,600	Pasi Määttänen Pasi Määttänen Pasi Määttänen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for Ilves of the SM-liiga....
Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships...	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...	Hannu Jortikka Hannu Jortikka Hannu Jortikka is a former Finnish ice hockey player and current coach.Jortikka spent most of his playing career in TPS. He was a part of the championship-winning TPS team in 1976. He had to retire in 1983 due to injury.... *	Hartwall Areena Hartwall Areena Hartwall Areena is a large multifunctional indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland...	13,506	Antti-Jussi Niemi Antti-Jussi Niemi Antti-Jussi Jormanpoika Niemi is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman playing for Jokerit of the SM-Liiga.- Draft :...
JYP		Risto Dufva	Jyväskylän jäähalli Jyväskylän jäähalli Synergia-areena is an arena in Jyväskylä, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of JYP and D Team.The arena originally opened in 1982 and was then known as Jyväskylän jäähalli. It was renovated and renamed in 2008. The capacity of the arena is 4,628 people....	4,618	Juha-Pekka Hytönen Juha-Pekka Hytönen Juha-Pekka Hytönen is Finnish ice hockey forward. He has played his career in JYP, apart from one season in Jukurit and few games in Diskos....
KalPa KalPa The Kalevan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Niiralan monttu.-Team history:Established in 1929, the full name of the company that runs the representative team is KalPa Hockey Oy. The majority of the company is owned by NHL players Sami Kapanen and...	Kuopio Kuopio Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...	Pekka Virta	Niiralan monttu Niiralan monttu Niiralan Monttu, officially Kuopion jäähalli , is the common nickname for the ice hockey arena in Kuopio, Finland which is also the home arena of KalPa...	5,224	Sami Kapanen Sami Kapanen Sami Hannu Antero Kapanen is a Finnish professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for KalPa of the SM-liiga. He has played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers...
Kärpät Kärpät Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...	Oulu Oulu Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....	Mikko Haapakoski Mikko Haapakoski Mikko Haapakoski is a retired professional ice hockey defender. Haapakoski won silver in 1986 and bronze in 1987 in the Finnish national league, and was signed by the Detroit Red Wings in 1987. However, they never played him in North America.-External links:... *	Oulun Energia Areena Oulun Energia Areena Oulun Energia Areena is an arena in the Raksila district of Oulu, in Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Kärpät. It opened in 1975 and holds 6,612 people. The arena's former name was Raksilan jäähalli...	6,614	Ilkka Mikkola Ilkka Mikkola Ilkka Mikkola is a professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently plays for Oulun Kärpät in Finnish hockey league SM-Liiga...
Lukko Lukko Lukko is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga, formed 1936. The full name of the club is Rauman Lukko. They play in Rauma, Finland at the Äijänsuo Arena. They have won the national championship once, in 1963...	Rauma Rauma, Finland Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...	Rauli Urama	Äijänsuo Arena Äijänsuo Arena Äijänsuo Arena is an arena in Rauma, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Lukko. It opened in 1970 and holds 5400 people. The name of the arena was changed to "Lännen Puhelin Areena" in autumn 2006....	5,400	Antti Laaksonen Antti Laaksonen Antti Akseli Laaksonen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey left winger who last played for the Lukko of the SM-Liiga...
Pelicans Pelicans (ice hockey) Pelicans is an ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga, and formed in 1996. They play in the city of Lahti, Finland at Isku Arena. The team is partially owned by retired NHL goaltender Pasi Nurminen.-Notable players:* Sean Avery* Jason Bonsignore...	Lahti Lahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...	Mika Toivola	Isku Areena Isku Areena Isku Areena is an arena in Lahti, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Pelicans. It opened in 1973 and holds 5 530 people....	4,910	Erik Kakko Erik Kakko Erik Kakko is a professional Finnish ice hockey player.He is currently playing for the Pelicans in the Finnish SM-Liiga. He joined the club in Summer of 2004. Pelicans is also the club where Kakko started his career in 1990...
SaiPa SaiPa Saimaan Pallo is an ice hockey team in the Finnish SM-liiga. They play their home games at Kisapuisto in Lappeenranta, Finland.-History:The team's best achievement is from the 1965-1966 season, when they won bronze medals for placing third...	Lappeenranta Lappeenranta Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...	Ari-Pekka Selin	Kisapuisto Kisapuisto Kisapuisto is an arena in Lappeenranta, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of SaiPa. It opened in 1972 and holds 4,847 people....	4,847	Ville Koho Ville Koho Ville Koho is a Finnish ice hockey player who currently plays professionally in Finland for SaiPa of the SM-liiga.-External links:...
Tappara Tappara Tappara is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Tampere, Finland at Tampereen jäähalli. The team have won 15 league championships ....	Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...	Mikko Saarinen	Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli Tampereen jäähalli is a sports arena in Tampere, Finland. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga...	7,600	Janne Ojanen Janne Ojanen Janne Juhani Ojanen is a professional ice hockey player who is best known from his long time in SM-liiga team Tappara from Tampere.-Early Career in Finland:...
TPS TPS (ice hockey) TPS or Turun Palloseura is an ice hockey team and 11-time champion of SM-liiga. They play in Turku, Finland at the HK Arena. In terms of championships, TPS is the most successful team in SM-liiga history.-Team history:...	Turku Turku Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...	Kai Suikkanen Kai Suikkanen Kai Suikkanen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey left wing. He played in two games in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, and spent most of his career in Finland's SM-liiga with Kärpät and TPS Turku. Currently, he works as the head coach of Pelicans Lahti in the SM-liiga...	Turkuhalli	11,800	Aki Berg Aki Berg Aki-Petteri Berg is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted third overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft...

• Head coaches with asterisk replaced original coaches mid-season.

Regular season

Team	GP	W	OTW	OTL	L	GF	GA	+/−	P
JYP	58	31	6	6	15	173	132	+41	111
KalPa	58	31	5	6	16	164	135	+29	109
Lukko	58	30	5	7	16	178	136	+42	107
HIFK	58	30	6	2	20	185	152	+33	104
HPK	58	26	3	7	22	153	154	−1	91
TPS	58	25	6	2	25	169	169	0	89
Tappara	58	24	4	6	24	181	181	0	86
Blues	58	19	9	7	23	145	155	−10	82
Kärpät	58	21	7	4	26	150	163	−13	81
Jokerit	58	22	4	4	28	144	157	−13	78
SaiPa	58	20	6	5	27	154	176	−22	77
Pelicans	58	18	6	7	27	166	197	−31	73
Ässät	58	18	7	4	29	151	170	−19	72
Ilves	58	17	0	7	34	155	191	−36	58

Wild card -round (best-of-three)

Tappara-Jokerit 2-1

Tappara-Jokerit 5-3

Jokerit-Tappara 5-4

Tappara-Jokerit 4-2

Blues-Kärpät 1-2

Blues-Kärpät 2-3

Kärpät-Blues 2-3 (3OT)

Blues-Kärpät 1-2

Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)

JYP-Kärpät 4-3

JYP-Kärpät 2-1

Kärpät-JYP 3-0

JYP-Kärpät 2-0

Kärpät-JYP 1-2 (OT)

JYP-Kärpät 3-4 (3OT)

Kärpät-JYP 3-2 (OT)

JYP-Kärpät 2-0

KalPa-Tappara 4-2

KalPa-Tappara 4-1

Tappara-KalPa 4-2

KalPa-Tappara 3-2 (OT)

Tappara-KalPa 3-2

KalPa-Tappara 4-3 (OT)

Tappara-KalPa 1-2 (OT)

Lukko-TPS 0-4

Lukko-TPS 2-4

TPS-Lukko 5-0

Lukko-TPS 0-1

TPS-Lukko 4-2

HIFK-HPK 2-4

HIFK-HPK 3-4 (OT)

HPK-HIFK 1-3

HIFK-HPK 7-0

HPK-HIFK 4-3 (OT)

HIFK-HPK 2-3

HPK-HIFK 3-1

Semi-finals (best-of-seven)

JYP-TPS 2-4

JYP-TPS 4-2

TPS-JYP 2-1

JYP-TPS 4-0

TPS-JYP 4-3 (OT)

JYP-TPS 1-2

TPS-JYP 6-1

KalPa-HPK 2-4

KalPa-HPK 2-3

HPK-KalPa 0-4

KalPa-HPK 4-1

HPK-KalPa 3-2 (OT)

KalPa-HPK 2-3 (OT)

HPK-KalPa 4-3

Finals (best-of-seven)

HPK-TPS 1-4

HPK-TPS 2-4

TPS-HPK 3-1

HPK-TPS 1-2 (OT)

TPS-HPK 1-2

HPK-TPS 2-6