History of SM-liiga

The history of SM-liiga started in 1975. SM-liiga was created in 1975 to focus on the development of top level Finnish ice hockey and to guide the game toward a professional level in Finland.

To better understand the history of SM-liiga, you have to look at the league that came before SM-liiga, which was SM-Sarja. Before SM-liiga, there was SM-Sarja, which featured an amateur level of competition.

SM-Sarja was looked at by many people in Finland as one of the main reasons why Finland wasn't on the list as one of the top countries in the hockey world.

The problem that SM-Sarja had was that it was run and operated using amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes.

In 1974, new accounting reform laws were passed in Finland, which extended book keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit raids.

SM-liiga became the first Finnish professional sports league when it started play in its 1975-76 inaugural season. During this time, SM-liiga made changes to ice hockey in Finland which led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional.

However, only a few players in the 1970s were lucky enough to make a living out of ice hockey in Finland. A lot of players who wanted to play ice hockey and play in the SM-liiga settled to play without a wage.

The introduction of playoffs was a major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland. Ticket sales and other incomes that were generated by the playoffs were used and distributed as bonuses to teams and players. In North American professional sports, playoffs were the standard way of determining champions, but at the time in Europe it wasn't very common.

The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-Sarja left off with its 10 teams. (Now there are 14 teams in SM-liiga). The four best teams of the regular season advanced to the playoffs. SM-liiga kept the SM-Sarja system of promotion and relegation. It meant that the last placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series.

In 1986–87, the number of games played for each team increased from 36 to 44. In 2000-01, it was increased to its current level of 56 games.

Through the 1990s, attendance in the league rose and the popularity of ice hockey rose in Finland due to the success of Finland men's national ice hockey team.

With the increase in popularity of ice hockey in Finland came the increase of profitability of ice hockey as a business in Finland. By the mid-1990s, all players in SM-lliga were full-time. By 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies.

Currently SM-liiga is considered the second strongest league in Europe behind the KHL by the IIHF.

Throughout the history of SM-liiga there have been numerous great players(Finnish and Non Finnish) that have played in SM-liiga. Players such as Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne, Brian Rafalski, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Olli Jokinen are just some of the great players that have played in SM-liiga.

Today SM-liiga plays a big role in the guidance and development of young and talented Finnish (and non Finnish) players who are looking to play in the NHL.

To find out more information SM-liiga, its players, and teams please click here.

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