HIFK

HIFK ("Helsingfors IFK" or "Helsingin IFK", originally "Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna i Helsingfors") is a sports association from Helsinki, Finland. HIFK has activities in many sports, including ice hockey, football, bandy, floorball, handball, athletics and bowling. It is the oldest IFK club in Finland, established in 1897.

Ice hockey

SM-liiga Team
team_name = HIFK
bg_color = red
text_color = blue
logo_

league = SM-liiga
founded = 1897
history = HIFK
1897 - presentHockey Section from 1927 - present
arena = Helsinki Ice Hall (capacity 8,200)
city = Helsinki, Finland
colors = Red, white, blue
generalmanager = Jukka Valtanen
headcoach = Kari Jalonen
teamcaptain = Kim Hirschovits

The club undertook ice hockey activities after 1927. Since then, HIFK has won the Finnish National Championship title six times (1969, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1983, 1998).

The team plays in Helsinki, Finland at the Helsinki Ice Hall. The derbys against local rivals Helsingin Jokerit are often sold out and are one of the fiercest in Nordic hockey.

HIFK's general manager starting from May 1st 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.

The last Finnish championship title is from 1998, when the team was widely recognized as one of the best ever to have skated together in the top flight of Finnish ice hockey.

Players who featured 1998 championship team included a number of future (and former) NHL stars – including Tim Thomas (Boston), Jan Caloun (Columbus), Johan Davidsson (Anaheim), Miika Elomo (Washington), Bob Halkidis (Buffalo, Detroit), *Olli Jokinen (LA Kings, Florida), *Jere Karalahti (LA Kings), Jarno Kultanen (Boston), *Brian Rafalski (New Jersey), Christian Ruuttu (Buffalo, Chicago), *Jarkko Ruutu (Vancouver, Pittsburgh), Kimmo Timonen (Nashville) and Marko Tuomainen (LA Kings).

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 to the way hockey is played in Finland led to his posthumous induction to the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

Players

Current Players

30 Jani Nieminen

31 Juha Pitkämäki

33 Aleksis Ahlqvist

2 Matias Loppi

4 Max Wärn

9 Kimmo Kuhta

12 Markus Kankaanperä

14 Mikko Turunen

15 Tom Walsh

18 Robert Nyholm

21 Jerry Ahtola

24 Jermu Porthen

26 Jani Honkanen

27 Eetu Pöysti

28 Rony Ahonen

29 Jussi Pesonen

32 Lennart Petrell

34 Joni Haverinen

36 Ilkka Pikkarainen

37 Kip Brennan

39 Arttu Luttinen

41 Ilari Melart

44 Kim Hirschovits 45 Janne Keränen

46 Teemu Ramstedt 47 Juha-Petteri Purolinna

48 Hannu Pikkarainen

49 Ilkka Heikkinen

50 Aleksi Holmberg

55 Mike Vaskivuo

72 Siim Liivik

Notable Players

*Carl Brewer
*Matti Hagman
*Jan Caloun

Other notables

*Esa Tikkanen
*Darren Boyko
*Christian Ruuttu
*Jere Karalahti
*Bob Halkidis
*Lauri Mononen
*Pekka Rautakallio
*Kimmo Kuhta
*Johan Davidsson
*Terry Ball
*Ilkka Sinisalo
*Lasse Pirjetä
*Tommi Salmelainen
*Tony Salmelainen
*Sakari Lindfors
*Cory Murphy
*Toni Söderholm
* Steve Guolla
* Raymond Murray
* Iiro Järvi
* Kari Laitinen
* Juha Rantasila
* Lalli Partinen
* Heikki Riihiranta
* Esa Peltonen
* Matti Murto
* Harri Linnonmaa
* Stig Wetzell
* Carey Wilson
* Juhani Tamminen
* Hannu Kapanen
* Sami Kapanen
* Pertti Lehtonen
* Matti Forss
* Simo Saarinen
* Frank Neal
* Anssi Melametsä
* Tony Arima
* Pekka Tuomisto
* Raimo Hirvonen
* Hannu Lassila
* Timo Pärssinen
* Valeri Krykov
* Esa Isaksson

Former HIFK players currently in NHL

*Olli Jokinen
*Tuomo Ruutu
*Jarkko Ruutu
*Brian Rafalski
*Marek Zidlicky
*Tomas Vokoun
*Toni Lydman
*Ville Peltonen
*John Madden
*Niklas Bäckström

Retired Numbers

*1 Stig Wetzell, 1972-1983
*5 Heikki Riihiranta, 1967-1983
*7 Simo Saarinen, 1980-1996
*17 Matti Murto, 1964-1983
*20 Matti Hagman, 1972-1992
*22 Mika Kortelainen, 1987-2002
*23 Pertti Lehtonen, 1976-1998
*35 Sakari Lindfors, 1985-2002

External links

* Meltzer, Bill. [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=280862 "Jokerit, HIFK Renew Longstanding Rivalry" at NHL.com] . Retrieved 10-11-06.
* [http://www.hifk.fi HIFK Hockey official web site]
* [http://www.hifksoccer.fi HIFK Football official web site]