73-830: Kiekko-Espoo is a Finnish professional ice hockey club founded in 2018 as a continuation of the Kiekko-Espoo team originally founded in 1984. Kiekko-Espoo men's team plays in the Liiga , where they were promoted for the 2024–25 season , and the women's team plays in the Auroraliiga , where they hold the most championships of any club. Kiekko-Espoo's junior teams play at national league levels in U16, U18 and U20 juniors. The junior teams of Espoo Blues and Kiekko-Espoo played under Kiekko-Espoo Juniorit ry until 2014. In 2017, Espoon Kiekkoseura [ fi ] and Espoon Palloseura , which split from
146-493: A 2–0 home win, but lost the following four games as JYP won their second championship in three years. The final two games of the series were decided in overtime. Lasch lead the league also in playoff scoring with 16 points in 17 games. Smolenak's eight goals tied him alongside team captain Arttu Luttinen in the lead for goals scored. During the 2012–13 off-season, the team saw a mass exodus of key players, three of whom left for
219-553: A 4–2 home win in game 5. Game 6 in Oulu was decided in overtime by Radek Smoleňák 's goal. A late- season acquisition, Smoleňák scored the game-winning goal also in Game 7 as the Pelicans won 3–2 and advanced to semi-finals for the first time in club history. In the semi-finals, the Pelicans defeated Blues in five games to earn a place in the finals against JYP . The Pelicans started the series with
292-461: A best-of-five format. Tero Lehterä scored the winning goal and Jere Lehtinen assisted. Kiekko-Espoo ended its first two seasons in SM-liiga in 11th place out of 12 teams. In the 1994–95 season, the team made the playoffs for the first time, losing to Lukko in quarter-finals. In 1997–98, Kiekko-Espoo caused a huge upset by beating regular season winner TPS in the quarter-finals. Kiekko-Espoo ended
365-406: A career season with 55 points while Jan Latvala 's 35 points were a club record for defenceman. The 2000–01 postseason would prove out to be short as Pelicans lost 3–0 to TPS , who would eventually win their third straight championship. The 2001–02 season saw a strong start for the team as they went nine games unbeaten and topped the league. The Pelicans could not maintain the momentum throughout
438-448: A massive overhaul. Only a few players from the 1993–94 roster remained and many spots were filled by players from the under-20 team. Russian Sergei Grisintshov was appointed as head coach. 1994–95 season saw the team finish eighth, missing the playoffs. The following season saw the return of veteran defenceman Kari Eloranta from Rögle BK and a slight improvement on ice as the team finished sixth. Even with improved results, Grisintshov
511-427: A six-game losing streak, Toivola was terminated on October 24, 2010. His replacement was assistant coach Pasi Räsänen. Despite a promising start with two wins in the first three games, Räsänen failed to turn the team around and during November, with starting goaltender Niko Hovinen injured, the Pelicans recorded a nine-game losing streak. The Pelicans finished last with 59 points, just one point adrift of safety. During
584-513: Is a common abbreviation for Suomen mestaruus , "Finnish Champion". The SM-liiga was established in 1975 to replace the amateur competition SM-sarja. Kalervo Kummola was elected to become the first chief executive officer of the SM-liiga, who served until 1987. The SM-liiga wasn't established unter the Finnish ice Hockey Association that oversees all the other leagues and cups in the country. The playoffs are introduced in Finnish ice hockey for
657-572: Is completed around mid-March and preliminary playoffs ensue almost immediately. The playoffs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the World Championships . The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the Kanada-malja , the championship trophy of the Liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy ( Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto ) as well, though it
730-550: Is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs. These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points These are the top-ten regular season point-scorers for import players in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points These are
803-453: The 2004–05 season , but the team did not fare any better. Under the guidance of rookie coach, Petri Matikainen , the team finished last for the second time in a row, recording just seven regulation time wins in 56 games. In April 2005, finally saw the arrival of new ownership led by Pasi Nurminen , who had played 16 games for the Pelicans during the season due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout . Matikainen left Pelicans after just one season and he
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#1733085230851876-620: The 2016–17 season , as Pelicans finished sixth with 93 points. The season saw the return of many familiar players as Justin Hodgman, Karri Rämö , Mikko Kousa and Antti Tyrväinen were all signed during the season. However, injuries limited Hodgman to 26 and Kousa to 20 appearances. The playoffs turned out disappointing as Pelicans were eliminated 4–1 in the quarter-finals by KalPa. To add further controversy, captain Antti Erkinjuntti and Hodgman were healthy scratches in Game 5. In 2017-18
949-512: The Espoo Blues junior organization, launched their own junior representative team and founded Kiekko-Espoo ry. The team plays in U16, U18 and U20 junior leagues under the name Kiekko-Espoo. When Espoo United collapsed in the spring of 2018, the organization decided to also establish a representative team for adults in Kiekko-Espoo. It started playing in the 2018–2019 season in the Suomi-sarja . In
1022-788: The Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland . The league comprises 16 teams from all around Finland with relegation and promotion between the Mestis . The winner of the Liiga playoffs is awarded the Kanada-malja at the end of each season. Teams from the Liiga participate in the IIHF 's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for
1095-527: The Liiga , Finland. Founded in 1996, they play in the city of Lahti at Isku Arena. The team is co-owned by (among others) former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender Pasi Nurminen and Formula One racecar driver Valtteri Bottas . Viipurin Reipas was a sports club located in Vyborg . They won the first ever Finnish Ice Hockey Championship in 1928 with a team consisting mostly of bandy players. After Vyborg
1168-447: The Mestis finals in the 2021–22 season but lost to Imatran Ketterä in 5 games. The team made to the Metis finals again in the 2022–23, this time defeating Imatran Ketterä to become champions. Kiekko-Espoo will try to enter SM-liiga in the 2024–2025 season, and applied for the license on 30 October 2023. The license for the 2024–25 season got accepted on 20 December 2023. Kiekko-Espoo won
1241-487: The National Hockey League 's Philadelphia Flyers , the 1992–93 season was a disaster, as the team recorded a new league record of 39 losses in 48 games. When Reipas lost the first game of the relegation series against KooKoo, Nokelainen was finally fired from the club. He was replaced by Kari Mäkinen. Reipas went unbeaten for the rest of the series, winning four of the remaining five games. Reipas finished first in
1314-421: The qualifying series . Kiekkoreipas spent nine seasons in SM-liiga. In 1978–79 they achieved their highest regular season position, finishing fifth. Their sole playoff appearance came in 1981–82 when they finished sixth and lost to eventual champions Tappara 2–0 in the opening round. After the 1981–82 season, many key players left the club and the team started to gradually fall in the standings. Kiekkoreipas
1387-450: The 2007–08 season, the Blues set a new team record by winning 12 games in a row. They finally ended the regular season in second place and beat local rivals HIFK in the quarter-finals and other local rivals Jokerit in the semi-finals, proceeding to the finals and thus ensuring their first medal ever. The team eventually ended up second after losing in the finals to Kärpät. In the next season,
1460-639: The 2019–2020 season, the Blues women's representative team also moved to Kiekko-Espoo. The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984–85 in the Finnish Second Division. In 1988, they achieved promotion to the Finnish First Division and in 1992, they celebrated their promotion to the SM-liiga by beating Joensuun Kiekkopojat with a 3–2 series win in
1533-676: The European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League ). The Liiga was established in 1975 to replace the former SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur competition. The Liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association , but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation. SM
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#17330852308511606-593: The Finnish esports organization ENCE. This was announced as ENCE revealed the signing of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player allu . 2018-19 saw the team achieve their second-highest position and point totals as they finished third with 104 points. The finish also saw the team qualify for the Champions Hockey League for the first time. Defenseman Oliwer Kaski led the team in scoring with 19 goals, 32 assists and 51 points, each
1679-473: The Liiga qualifiers were replaced by a license system where the winner of Mestis can apply for a Liiga license. If granted, the club will be promoted to the league after a transition period of one season. The league changed its marketing name to just Liiga for the 2013–14 season , and introduced a new logo to match. The 2019–20 Liiga season was terminated on March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to
1752-884: The Mestis bronze medal in 2024. Kiekko-Espoo plays their home games in the 1999 built Espoo Metro Areena located in the Tapiola sporting park in Espoo. The arena has a capacity of 6,982. The 2018 established Kiekko-Espoo does not claim any achievements before the year 2018. [REDACTED] Aaro Kivilinna Memorial Trophy (7) : 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 [REDACTED] Kanada-malja : Finnish championship (2) : 2008, 2011 [REDACTED] Winner (1): 2022 [REDACTED] Runner-up (1): 2021 Updated 21 September 2024 List of retired numbers: 2005–2006 (player) 2011–2015 (coach) Liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), colloquially called
1825-695: The NHL: defenceman Joonas Järvinen signed with the Nashville Predators , Lasch left for the Anaheim Ducks and goaltender Niko Hovinen joined the Philadelphia Flyers. Other notable departures were Arttu Luttinen and centres Justin Hodgman and Tero Koskiranta . Pelicans' summer signings included two former NHL first-round draft picks: centres Angelo Esposito and Ryan O'Marra , journeyman winger Lee Goren and defenceman Danny Richmond . None of
1898-629: The SM-liiga is considered one of the best leagues in Europe and the world along with the Swedish Hockey League and behind the Kontinental Hockey League . Going into the 2024–25 CHL season , the Liiga was ranked the No. 3 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top four teams to compete in the CHL. The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by
1971-523: The SM-liiga was expanded to 13 teams and closed from promotion. Despite adding much needed veteran presence to the team, the 2000–01 season started slowly and by late November, the Pelicans was placed second-to-last, just few points ahead of Ässät. A five-game winning streak before Christmas turned the season around and the team finished seventh, securing their second-ever playoff appearance and recording club records in wins (22), ties (11), goals scored (170) and points (55). Journeyman winger Tommi Turunen had
2044-494: The acquisitions finished the entire 2012–13 season with Pelicans. During the 2012–13 season , Pelicans was at the bottom of the table with Ilves. A strong second half saw the team move back into playoff contention. They were eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the season, finishing 11th. After the season, Suikkanen left for TPS and he was replaced with Hannu Aravirta. The 2013–14 season started strongly, and with just 1 overtime loss in 11 games as Pelicans topped
2117-429: The beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not. Scoring: A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points, a loss by sudden death overtime one point and a loss in regulation time zero points. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by
2190-512: The best-of-seven series in six games. The 2014–15 season saw yet another head coach change as Aravirta was replaced by Tomi Lämsä . The team struggled with injuries throughout the season and when being out of playoff contention by February, key players like centres Tyler Redenbach and Tommi Paakkolanvaara and wingers Michal Řepík and Jordan Smotherman were released in order to cut financial losses. Pelicans finally finished 12th with 68 points. The poor showing cost Lämsä his position as he
2263-413: The campaign with two wins, a 17-game winless streak with just three ties followed. The team recorded just eight wins and 24 points in 54 games, finishing last 15 points behind Ässät . On the first round of relegation playoffs, the Pelicans swept Diskos 3–0 and went on to face Oulun Kärpät in the final round. The Pelicans lost the series 3–1 and were relegated. However, their top flight status was restored as
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2336-405: The criteria required for a place in the league. The league qualifiers were brought back for the 2008–09 season. However, as a condition for promotion, the Mestis team that cleared the qualifiers should have bought the shares of the losing Liiga team at the price determined by the league. Otherwise, the losing Liiga team would have continued playing in the league. Starting from the 2013–2014 season,
2409-406: The decision, the final round of the regular season and the playoffs were not played, and the 2020 Finnish hockey championship was not awarded. For the 2024–25 season, Kiekko-Espoo were promoted to the Liiga as the league expanded to 16 teams. The league was opened for relegation and promotion between the Mestis for the first time since 2013. According to a 2023 article by The Hockey Writers ,
2482-408: The finals, HIFK swept the series in four games, and the Blues were awarded the silver medal for the second time in team history. In the 2011–12 season, the Blues finished eighth in the regular season. After beating Lukko in the wild card round, the team faced KalPa in the quarter-finals. The Blues made history again, becoming the first team in SM-liiga history to win the series after being down 0–3. In
2555-408: The first round. In the final round, the Pelicans beat KalPa 3–0 and were promoted to SM-liiga after a five-year absence. The Pelicans allowed just six goals in nine games during the playoff run. Acquired mid-season, veteran winger Jouko Myrrä scored a team-leading seven goals in the playoffs. The 1999–2000 season, the team's first season in SM-liiga, would prove to be a difficult one. Despite opening
2628-411: The first time during the inaugural SM-liiga season. At first there were 10 clubs in the SM-liiga. The league expanded to 12 teams in the 1988–89 season. In 2000, the SM-liiga was expanded by one team, after which the league was closed so that teams could not drop out of the league or move up from a lower league. For the 2005–2006 season, the Mestis winner KalPa was promoted to the series, which met
2701-484: The greater number of wins in regulation. Playoffs: The four best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between fifth and twelfth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-five – the four winners take the last four slots to quarter-finals. All series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results so that
2774-415: The highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams get home advantage. Each playoff match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of 5-on-5 sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins. Relegation: The 16th and 15th placed teams will play in
2847-412: The league in goals scored with 28. The season would also prove to be the last for many veteran players such as Marko Jantunen, Erik Kakko and Toni Koivunen. The start of the 2010–11 season saw the team struggling under the guidance of Toivola despite a number of high-profile summer signings such as NHL veteran Mike York , Dwight Helminen , Matias Loppi and defenceman Jyri Marttinen . Finally, after
2920-468: The league. However, an 11-game losing streak around Christmas saw the team to fall out of the playoff spots. Another turnaround followed and just six regulation time losses in 25 final games were enough to land the team eighth place, which guaranteed a return to playoffs after a one-year absence. Pelicans beat HIFK in the preliminary round 2–0. Both games were decided in overtime. In the quarter-finals, Tappara would prove to be too strong an opponent, winning
2993-443: The most successful season by that point. The team finished second and set new club records in points (111), wins (39) and goals scored (213). Forward Ryan Lasch led the league in scoring with 62 points and Markus Seikola 's 16 goals were a league high for defencemen. In the quarter-finals, the Pelicans met Kärpät, but despite winning the first game 5–0, they lost three-straight and were facing elimination. The Pelicans rebounded with
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3066-460: The name of their team. Oy and Ab are the abbreviations for limited company in Finnish and Swedish respectively. Regular season: All teams play 60 matches. Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in the event of a tie, the winner is decided by a three-on-three sudden death, 5-minute overtime . Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout , where each team has three shooters in
3139-402: The opening round of the playoffs 2–1, despite losing the series opener in overtime, and went on to face regular season leaders HIFK in the quarter-finals. After trailing the series 2–0, the Pelicans tied the series with a 4–2 away win in Game 3 and an overtime win at home in Game 4. The Pelicans were eliminated when HIFK won the next two games, both ending 2–1. The steady improvement continued in
3212-411: The playoffs in 2001 and 2005. In 2002–03, the Blues had their best regular season, finishing in fourth place, only to lose against eventual champion Tappara in overtime of the seventh quarter-final. The team took a step forward in 2006–07 when they reached the semi-finals for the first time, although they lost against Kärpät in three straight games, and lost the bronze medal game against HPK . During
3285-404: The playoffs, the Pelicans first swept FPS 3–0 and came close to relegating KalPa, losing the best-of-five series 3–2. The final game was decided in overtime. In 1998–99 , the Pelicans finished second with 67 points, 19 points behind the winners Oulun Kärpät . The playoffs were a different story, as Pelicans swept both Hermes and Sport in three games while Kärpät were eliminated by TuTo in
3358-544: The playout series to decide which team plays against the Mestis champion. Scheduling: The regular season begins around mid-September. It takes a one-and-half-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland competes in Karjala Tournament . There is a one-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years, a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games . The regular season
3431-421: The relegation playoffs, they beat Vaasan Sport in four-straight games. Räsänen's contract was not renewed for the next season. The Pelicans' initial choice was Kari Jalonen , but he opted to coach in the Kontinental Hockey League instead. Finally, Kai Suikkanen , who had won the championship with TPS in 2010, was recruited as head coach on March 30, 2011. The 2011–12 season would prove out to be by far
3504-411: The season in fourth place. The following summer, the team name was changed to Espoo Blues . The name came from the dominant colour of their home jersey. During the 1998–99 season, the team moved to its current home, LänsiAuto Areena (renamed in 2009 to Barona Areena due to sponsorship change). The first seasons in their new home were difficult despite the team signing many big names. The Blues missed
3577-417: The season, finishing fifth, and tying the club record for highest ever SM-liiga finish. The team also set new club records in wins (31) and points (68). Mikko Peltola's 38 assists were a new club record. In the playoffs, the Pelicans were eliminated by TPS 3–1, but managed to record club's first ever playoff win by winning Game 2 in overtime by Toni Koivunen's goal. After the successful 2001–02 season, six of
3650-420: The season, starting goalie Antti Niemi signed with NHL's Chicago Blackhawks . Loppi set new club records in points (58) and assists (40). After losing key players Niemi and Loppi, the 2008–09 season started slowly. A second-half surge was enough to land the team ninth, securing a third consecutive playoff appearance. During the preliminary round, the Pelicans eliminated Ilves in three games. The last game
3723-666: The semi-finals, the Pelicans beat the Blues 4–1. After declining ticket income and increasing expenses after a reacquisition by Jääkiekko Espoo Oy in 2012, the Blues were declared bankrupt in March 2016. Their final ranking in the 2015–2016 season was 15th, the lowest in the league. After the collapse of the Espoo Blues and Espoo United , Kiekko-Espoo was established in 2018. The new Kiekko-Espoo played its first season in Suomi-sarja from where it got promoted to Mestis. Kiekko-Espoo made it to
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#17330852308513796-455: The series and secured a place in SM-liiga for the next season. The 1993–94 off-season saw the departures of another two prospects, defenceman Erik Kakko and centre Toni Sihvonen. Poor finances limited the summer signings, but former crowd favourite Oldřich Válek returned after his two-year spell in Norway. Válek was a shadow of his former self, recording just 2 goals in 17 games before his contract
3869-404: The series. Jantunen lead the team in scoring with 41 points alongside centre Matias Loppi . During the 2007–08 season, the Pelicans set new records in wins (33), goals scored (176), fewest goals against (142) and total points (98), finishing sixth and earning a place in the quarter-finals. Their quarter-final match-up was Jokerit , who went on to win the best-of-seven series in six games. After
3942-434: The spring of 1991, the team's poor financial status was apparent and many key players left the team. Hockey Reipas spent most of the 1991–92 season in the bottom two. However, a season-ending six-game unbeaten streak and a replay win against Tappara was enough to lift the team into tenth place and out of relegation playoffs. Hockey Reipas finally went bankrupt after the 1991–92 season. A new organization, titled Reipas Lahti,
4015-409: The team ended the regular season in ninth place and then beat eighth-placed Kärpät in the wild card round of the playoffs. The team then made history by becoming the first team in the SM-liiga to advance from the wild card round to the semi-finals, eventually beating Ässät in six games. In the semi-finals, the Blues continued their string of upsets and beat regular season winners JYP in five games. In
4088-433: The team in scoring with 36 points while Juha Leimu 's 18 goals were a league-high for defencemen. The regular season was filled with controversy, as multiple players from Pelicans earned suspensions during the season. Defenceman Ben Blood was suspended for a total of 15 games for five incidents, while winger Dane Byers was suspended for a total of seven games for two separate incidents. The Pelicans eliminated KalPa in
4161-489: The team into the playoffs. The Pelicans finished 12th, five points adrift of the last playoff spot. The 2006–07 season saw the return of Marko Jantunen as well as a return to playoffs after a five-year absence. The Pelicans finished tenth and recorded their first ever playoff series win by beating TPS in the preliminary round 2–0. During the quarter-finals, they were eliminated in four-straight games by eventual champions Kärpät. The Pelicans managed to score just two goals in
4234-401: The team made their third consecutive playoff appearance despite falling to 10th place with 83 points. Pelicans were eliminated in the opening round by SaiPa in three games. Matikainen left after the season as his contract expired. He was replaced by former Stanley Cup winner Ville Nieminen as the new head coach on April 10, 2018. On March 3, 2018, the Pelicans announced a partnership with
4307-491: The team mascot and the traditional colours of white, orange and black were abandoned in favour of green and yellow. On ice, the team also continued to improve, finishing third in the regular season with 55 points. A new image and improved results also sparked a new-found interest by the public, as the average attendance rose to over 1,400 per game. In the playoffs, Pelicans were eliminated in the first round by Haukat 3–2. The 1997–98 season would see another top three finish. In
4380-421: The team was again second after the regular season, but lost against Kärpät in the semi-finals, as well as the bronze medal game against KalPa . The season also included participation in the Champions Hockey League , where the Blues lost in the semi-finals against eventual champion ZSC Lions of Switzerland. The 2009–10 season was difficult for the team, and the Blues failed to reach the quarter-finals. In 2010–11,
4453-411: The ten leading scorers and head coach Kari Eloranta left the team. His replacement was his former assistant coach, Petteri Hirvonen. The following season 2002–03 saw a turn for the worse as the Pelicans finished second-to-last with 36 points, seven points ahead of bottom-placed Ilves. The 2003–04 season started dismally and on October 22, 2003, after just two wins and four ties in 15 games, Hirvonen
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#17330852308514526-478: The top-ten most regular season games played by a goaltender in SM-liiga history. Figures are updated after each completed SM-liiga regular season. The following trophies are awarded by the SM-liiga: In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors. Lahti Pelicans The Lahti Pelicans are a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in
4599-456: Was a modest success. Hockey Reipas finished seventh and recorded club records in wins (21) and points (44). The team remained in the playoff contention to the penultimate day of the season, but two major setbacks in the final stages of the season were too big to overcome. First, Šindel suffered a season-ending injury and shortly after, Válek was banned until November for hitting a referee in Turku. In
4672-504: Was a success on the ice as the team finished second in the First Division and earned promotion to SM-liiga by beating KooKoo in the playoffs 3–1. However, the team that won the promotion was an expensive one featuring proven talent such as center Matti Hagman , 1988 Olympic silver medalist Erkki Laine and two World Champions from Czechoslovakia's 1985 team, goaltender Jaromír Šindel and winger Oldřich Válek. The 1990–91 season
4745-449: Was decided in overtime by Olli Julkunen's goal as Pelicans won 3–2. During the quarterfinals, the Pelicans lost the series to Blues 3–4, despite leading the series 3–2. Aravirta left the Pelicans after the 2008–09 season . His replacement was Mika Toivola , who had led Ässät to the finals in 2006. The 2009–10 season saw the team miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006, finishing 12th. Summer acquisition Juhamatti Aaltonen led
4818-426: Was fired just days after the regular season ended. After Lämsä was fired, Petri Matikainen was appointed as a new head coach with a three-year contract on March 16, 2015. Pasi Nurminen joined the coaching staff as an assistant coach. The 2015–16 season saw the Pelicans climb back to playoff contention as they finished ninth with 89 points, a 21-point improvement from previous season. NHL veteran Ryan Potulny led
4891-405: Was fired. He was replaced by his assistant coach, Petteri Sihvonen, who led the team to just five regulation time wins in 41 games. The Pelicans finished last, nine points behind SaiPa . Dwindling attendance and dire financial straits led to the wholesale of key players during the season and finally in February 2004, the club applied for debt restructuring . Defenceman Erik Kakko returned for
4964-551: Was quickly formed to take over Hockey Reipas' operations. The new organization was led by chairman Kari Naskinen while Esko Nokelainen remained as a head coach. The unclear situation caused a mass exodus of players during the off-season. Prospects Marko Jantunen and Niko Marttila left for KalPa and HPK , respectively. Goaltender Jaromír Šindel was signed by Tappara. Other notable departures were forwards Tommy Kiviaho and Jyrki Poikolainen and defencemen Teemu Sillanpää and Jarmo Jokilahti. Despite signing defenceman Jiří Látal from
5037-444: Was relegated at the end of the 1984–85 season . Kiekkoreipas spent four seasons in the First Division and came close to returning to SM-liiga after the 1987–88 season when they lost the best-of-five promotion playoffs to KooKoo 3–2. After the 1988–89 season , a new organization called Hockey Reipas was formed to take over the men’s team from Kiekkoreipas, who continued to take care of junior hockey operations. The 1989–90 season
5110-430: Was replaced by Jami Kauppi. Despite stronger financial situation, the team continued to under perform and on October 26, 2005, Kauppi was fired after recording just 2 wins in 16 games. He was first replaced by general manager Ilkka Kaarna and on January 7, 2006, by former Finland national team head coach Hannu Aravirta . Coaching changes turned the 2005–06 season around, but a strong second half wasn't enough to lift
5183-404: Was sacked with just five games remaining of the regular season. He was replaced by Eloranta, who continued as a player-coach. Reipas made the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round by SaPKo . The public interest was waning and in 1995–96 the average attendance was well below 1,000 per game. Before the 1996–97 season , the team was renamed to Lahti Pelicans. " Pelican " was adopted as
5256-543: Was taken from Finland by Soviet Union during World War II , the club relocated to Lahti where it continued under its original name until renamed to Lahden Reipas . Reipas spent five seasons in SM-sarja from 1965 to 1970. Their best finish was sixth in 1965–66. Kiekkoreipas was formed in 1975 to take over hockey operations from Lahden Reipas. They finished top of the league in recently formed First Division in 1975–76 and won promotion to SM-liiga after finishing second in
5329-402: Was terminated. Mäkinen continued as a head coach but lasted just seven games, all of which the team lost. He was replaced by Jukka-Ville Jääsalmi, who managed to guide the team to just 14 points in 41 games. The 40 losses in 48 games were a new league record. On relegation series Reipas finished last, marking the end of a four-year spell in the top flight. After the relegation, the team underwent
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