IFK Helsinki has forged an identity of playing tough, rugged hockey in Finland and being one of the nation's most successful clubs. Now they're looking to return to the top of their league and the CHL as well.

by Sami Iilomo

IFK Helsinki, one of the oldest clubs in Finland, was founded in 1897 by Swedish-speaking students in Helsinki. The club played its first hockey game and attended the first national championship series that was played in cup form back in 1928. The club has also other divisions such as football, bandy, floorball and athletics. Nowadays, the hockey club is the biggest, having won the national championship title seven times.

Legends and legendary years

The most successful years for the club were the late 1960s to early '70s and again in the early '80s. In the years between 1969 and 1974, the team won three titles, two silver medals and two bronzes. A huge factor in this success was former NHL player Carl Brewer, who joined IFK in 1968 as a player-coach. That was the first season that body checking was allowed in all three zones of the ice in Finland and the Canadian Brewer had been doing that for his whole career. Brewer also helped create a new identity for IFK, which is nowadays called "the brand". It consists tough, physical play with a lot of checking. After his one season and one title in Finland, Brewer moved back to North America and made a comeback to the NHL, but that one season made him an IFK legend.

The second golden age was in the early '80s, when the club won two more titles in four years, 1980 and 1983. At that time Matti Hagman, who had won the title already back in 1974, was the team's best player, scoring 151 points in 71 games and leading the league in scoring in both 1979-80 and 1982-83).

Hagman was also the first Finnish-trained player in the NHL, visiting for the first time between 1976 and 1978 with the Boston Bruins. He returned to the NHL from 1980 to 1982, playing with the Edmonton alongside players like Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier and fellow Finnish star Jari Kurri, scoring a decent 112 points in 147 games. After two years in Edmonton, Hagman returned back to Finland and IFK. He played 432 total games for IFK, scoring 649 points and served as team captain for four years. He retired in 1992 after winning another bronze medal. Hagman's number 20 is retired by IFK and he is considered one of the greatest players in club and Finnish national league history.

The club won also one title in the 1990s, and that was in 1997-98. That team is said to be one of the greatest ever assembled in Finland. There were a few former NHL players, such as Christian Ruuttu and Bob Halkidis, and several future NHL players like Olli Jokinen, Brian Rafalski, Kimmo Timonen, Jarkko Ruutu and Johan Davidsson. IFK won the title without losing a single game in the playoffs. Jokinen was the player who sealed the title for IFK, scoring an overtime goal against Ilves Tampere.

The most recent title that IFK Helsinki has won was in 2011, which was followed by some turbulent years, but the club worked hard to re-establish themselves as one of Finland's top teams. In 2015-16 they finished 1st in the regular season and went to the Liiga finals, where they were defeated by Tappara Tampere in six games. With the additions of veteran goaltender Niklas Backstrom and forwards Juhamatti Aaltonen and Lennart Petrell, they hope to contend for many more titles for years to come, both in Finland and in Europe.

Oldest arena in Helsinki

The club plays its home games in Helsinki at Helsinki Ice Hall, which is close to the central part of the town. The Ice hall is the oldest in hockey venue in the capital, built back in 1966, and IFK has played there ever since. The first game in the rink was played in 1967, when IFK played against Töölön Vesa. Its capacity is 8200.

The club is traditional, the rink is traditional, and so is the music that is played during games. The music selection is mostly rock and roll from earlier years, from the '70s and '80s, mixed up with some newer hits.

The team's fans are very enthusiastic and there are three different fan groups. The official group is HIFK Fan Club, which was previously known as the B2 Reds, because of the section they used to sit in and the colour of IFK's jerseys. Nowadays, these fans are located in the corner, in sections C7 and F1. Another fan group is called Stadin Kingit and they are a more of general fan club who follow the club in every sport, especially football and bandy. The third group recognized by the club is called Kamraatit. This group specializes in social media, making them the way many people outside Helsinki keep in touch with the club and see what is happening behind the scenes.

Team facts

CHL seasons

2015-16: 2nd in Group A, Round of 32
2014-15: 2nd in Group J, Quarter-Finals

NOTE: This article has been updated since its original publication.

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