TPS Turku have won 11 Finnish championships but have fallen on hard times recently. Nevertheless, they're one of Finland's most iconic clubs which hopes to have a bright future.

by Vilja Paatalo

TPS Turku are a forward-thinking club with a glorious past. The team has struggled in the 2010s, but that does not take away their achievements. TPS have won 11 Finnish Liiga gold medals and are one of the most iconic clubs in hockey-crazy Finland. Loved by the people of Turku and sharing a rivalry with many of their fellow Liiga teams, Since winning their 11th title in 2010, TPS fell onto some hard times, missing the playoffs four times in five years before returning to the quarter-finals in 2016. 

The iconic Turku club

TPS, short for Turun Palloseura or “Ball Club of Turku”, was founded in 1922, but they only started playing ice hockey in 1937. Initial success came fast, as the Turku team achieved silver in 1943. This was followed by a decade of tougher seasons, and it was not until the 1950s that the Turku team shone again. The highlight of this era was their first Finnish championship, which they won in 1956.

It was not all sunshine even after this. Struggling with not having an arena of their own, TPS had both good and bad seasons. In 1975 the previous Finnish system called SM-sarja became the SM-liiga, and at the end of the same season the rival Turku team TuTo was relegated to a lower division. Their best players came to play for TPS – and the team won the championship next season.

The golden seasons of TPS were yet to come, and they were from 1989 to 2001. During these years TPS were in the SM-liiga finals 11 times and won them eight times.

Six out of the club’s 11 championships were achieved under the lead of head coach Hannu Jortikka, a Turku-native hockey player turned coach who has spent recent seasons working in the KHL.

Meanwhile, TPS will start their 69th season in the Finnish league. Not a decade has passed since the '70s without the Turku team celebrating a championship, which makes the TPS fans from different generations hungry for success in both the Liiga and in international games.

Turku stars and hockey culture

Easily recognizable in their simple yet timeless sweaters – at home they play in black and white, while in away games their sweaters are white and black – Turku is the home to both an impressive venue and some of the nation’s top players.

One of the most notable hockey arenas in Finland is located in Turku. Named Turkuhalli, it can host almost 12,000 spectators, which makes it a venue worth experiencing for the CHL players and fans too. Another famous feature is the song that is played when TPS scores. "Maali se on hunajata" is loved by the fans and hated by everyone else.

TPS is famous for being the youth club of two brothers who are both famous NHL stars. Saku Koivu, who was the captain of the Montreal Canadiens for more than a decade, and his younger brother Mikko, currently the captain of the Minnesota Wild, and both are also World Champions. They own a share of HC TPS and both have successfully played for their youth team during NHL lockouts.

Hopes for a brighter future

TPS won their latest Finnish League gold in 2010 despite having a modest budget that season. The head coach, Kai Suikkanen, earned the reputation of a coaching wizard, and the TPS fans were ecstatic when he returned to Turku for the 2013–14 season. TPS had had, after all, a rough time after the 2010 title – during the next three seasons they finished twice in the 13th place and once in 10th.

Suikkanen’s return was not as glorious as expected, and the team finished yet again in the familiar 13th place – he was replaced mid-season in 2014–15 by Miika Elomo, in which TPS finished unlucky 13th for the fourth time in five years. Then in 2015–16, the team finished 7th in the regular season under coach Ari-Pekka Selin, returning to the quarter-finals for the first time since their last title.

Despite the recent string of bad luck, the team is always looking to the future, and that seems to be starting to pay off. Young players that are already regulars in their lineup include 20-year-old Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev, 20-year-old defenceman Miro Keskitalo and 21-year-old forward Julius Vahatalo. Mentored by team leaders Tomi Kallio, Eric Perrin, Henrik Tallinder, Harri Tikkanen and Dave Spina, they have bright futures ahead of them.

TPS have had their ups and downs during the decades in which they have been in the hockey business. The team’s loyal fans are hoping that it will soon be time for more success after some tough seasons.

Team facts

CHL seasons

2015–16: 1st in Group G, Quarter-Finals
2014–15: 2nd in Group F, Round of 16

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