Ilves (ice hockey)
| Ilves | |
|---|---|
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| City | Tampere, Finland |
| League | Liiga |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Home arena | Hakametsä |
| Colours | Green, yellow, black |
| General manager |
 Risto Jalo
|
| Head coach |
Karri Kivi
|
| Captain |
Tapio Laakso
|
| Affiliate(s) | LeKi Lempäälä |
| Website | ilves.com |
| Active departments of Ilves |
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|---|---|---|
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| Football | Futsal | Ice hockey |
Ilves (Finnish for "Lynx", Finnish pronunciation: [ˈilʋes]) is a Finnish ice hockey team. They play in the Liiga at the Hakametsä.
The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the city of Tampere.
With 16 championships, Ilves is the second most successful hockey team in the Finnish championship league, the Liiga, after their local rival Tappara. The club was founded in the spring of 1931, and it played its first game against Tampereen Palloilijat the next winter. In the late 1930s, Ilves won three Finnish championship titles.
After World War II, Ilves started playing its home games at the then new Koulukatu ice rink. It had another championship spree in 1945–47 when it stayed undefeated for over four years (albeit playing only 36 games during that period).
In 1954, Ilves was for the first and so far only time relegated to the second highest level of Finnish hockey but managed to return to the top tier only one year later.
The current logo was designed by Rauno Broms in 1963. In 1965, Ilves moved, along with its local rivals Tappara and KooVee, to the new Hakametsä arena, where they still play.
The last Finnish Cup competition in hockey was held in 1971. Ilves won the title and has therefore been the reigning champion since. In 1972, it also won another league championship; its 15th championship in total.
During the late 1970s, Ilves went through lean times. Finally, when Koovee, which was in no better condition, was relegated at the end of the 1979–80 season, the two clubs decided to sign an agreement of cooperation. The best players of Koovee moved to Ilves, the most notable of them being Risto Jalo.
In 1985, Ilves claimed its 16th and most recent championship. Along with Risto Jalo, the key players of that team were Raimo Helminen, Mikko Mäkelä, Ville Siren, and Jukka Tammi. Repeating this success proved difficult, however, when in the following summer four players left the team to play in the NHL.
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Wikipedia