HV71 was formed in 1971 through the fusion of two local hockey clubs, Husqvarna IF and Vätterstad IF. In 1979 the club qualified for the Swedish top league for the first time and have been playing the top league continuously since 1985. The club won the championship for the first time in 1995 and has won four more times since then, including the most recent SHL title in 2016-17, when they defeated Brynas Gavle in seventh-game overtime. Since 2000, HV71 has played in the 7,000-seat Kinnarps Arena, located in the Rosenlund area of Jönköping. HV71 has four retired numbers, #14 Fredrik Stillman, #15 Stefan Örnskog, 7 Per Gustafsson and #1 Stefan Liv.