Ilves

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File:Nokia Arenan avajaiset 14.jpg
The match between Ilves (yellow and green) and Tappara (blue and orange) on December 3, 2021 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland

The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the city of Tampere.

History

With sixteen 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 as the first Tampere-based hockey team.[1]

After World War II, Ilves started playing its home games at the then new Koulukatu ice rink. It had another championship spree in 1945–1947 when it stayed undefeated for over four years (albeit playing only 36 games during that period).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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 played until 2021.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In the late 1980s, Ilves had another brief stint of moderate success when coached by Sakari Pietilä. It finished first after the regular season in 1988 but was eliminated in the first round of playoffs. The next year it came away with a bronze medal, and finally in 1990 it reached the finals, only to lose to TPS.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

For most of the 1990s, the club struggled with financial problems and unclear issues concerning ownership. In sports performance, the low point was in the spring of 1995, when Ilves finished last in the SM-liiga and had to fight the lower league teams SaPKo and SaiPa for their place among the elite for the next year.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Ilves managed to avoid relegation and was promptly reborn as a viable championship candidate, reaching the semifinals in 1997 and the finals a year after that.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The 2000s were a fairly mediocre period in Ilves history. After their bronze medal win in 2001, Ilves lost in the first round of the playoffs in six of the next seven seasons and missing the playoffs altogether in 2003. They managed to avoid relegation in 2010, 2012 and 2013.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Honors

SM-sarja

SM-liiga

Players

Current roster

Template:Ilves roster

File:Ilves banners.jpg
Banners commemorating championships and retired player numbers of Ilves in Tampereen jäähalli.

Honored members

File:Ilves logo 1960s.jpg
Ilves 1960s jerseys
File:Camisolas Ilves.jpg
Ilves jerseys at the club's 90th anniversary exhibition
File:Ilves 1932 jersey.jpg
The first Ilves jersey from 1932

Source: Ilves-Historia[3]

Number 24 has not been officially retired, but is not in use. It was last worn by Veikko Suominen, who died during the 1978–79 season.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Coaches

Current staff

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All-time head coaches

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Other sports

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". In addition to hockey and football, Ilves has a futsal team in Finnish league which has won the Finnish championship five times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2011) and the cup competition twice (2006, 2010), a floorball team at second highest level and a ringette team competing in the SM Ringette league. It has numerous boys' and girls' junior teams in ice hockey, soccer, floorball (boys only), and ringette (girls only), making the organization the largest sports club in Finland.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In the past, Ilves has also competed in American football, basketball, bowling, figure skating, handball, and volleyball. It has won a bronze medal in American football and a silver one in handball. Also, Ilves has won the Finnish Cup in handball.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

See also

References

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External links

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  1. 22 great Tampere momentsIIHF
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