| Nickname(s) | Leijonat / Lejonen (The Lions) |
|---|---|
| Association | Finnish Ice Hockey Association |
| GM |  Jari Kurri |
| Head coach | Jukka Jalonen |
| Assistants | Petri Matikainen Pasi Nurminen |
| Captain | Saku Koivu |
| Most games | Raimo Helminen (331) |
| Most points | Raimo Helminen (207) |
| IIHF code | FIN |
| IIHF ranking | 4 |
| Highest IIHF ranking | 3 (2007) |
| Lowest IIHF ranking | 7 (2005) |
| First international | |
 Sweden 8 - 1 Finland  (Helsinki, Finland; January 29, 1928) | |
| Biggest win | |
Finland 20 - 1 Norway  (Hämeenlinna, Finland; March 12, 1947) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
 Canada 24 - 0 Finland (Oslo, Norway; March 3, 1958) | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 51 (first in 1939) |
| Best result |  (1995) |
| Canada Cup and World Cup | |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Best result | Runner-up: 1 - 2004 |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 14 (first in 1952) |
| Medals |  Silver: 1988, 2006  Bronze: 1994, 1998, 2010 |
| International record (W-L-T) | |
| 637-720-155 | |
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, (Finnish: Leijonat, Swedish: Lejonen) ("The Lions"), as it is called in Finland is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Finland is considered a member of the "Big Seven", along with Canada, Russia, the USA, Slovakia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. Finland has a total of 52,597 registered players (1.0 % of its population).
At the 1995 World championships Finland won a gold medal, beating Sweden in the final by a score of 4–1.
In the 2006 Winter Olympics Finland won a silver medal, coming close to winning in the final but succumbing 3–2 to Sweden. Finland's goaltender Antero Niittymäki was named the MVP of the tournament (only 8 goals against in the whole tournament) and Teemu Selänne the best forward of the tournament.
Doug Shedden coached the Finnish national men's ice hockey team in the 2007–08 season. Under Shedden, Finland won bronze. His then-assistant coach Jukka Jalonen succeeded him as the head coach after the tournament.
The national team has retired Jari Kurri's #17 jersey. It currently hangs in Hartwall Areena in Helsinki. Jari Kurri is currently the general manager of the team.
Olympic record
Edit
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1988 Calgary | Ice Hockey |
| Bronze | 1994 Lillehammer | Ice Hockey |
| Bronze | 1998 Nagano | Ice Hockey |
| Silver | 2006 Torino | Ice Hockey |
- 1952 - Finished in 7th place
- 1956 - did not participate
- 1960 - Finished in 7th place
- 1964 - Finished in 6th place
- 1968 - Finished in 5th place
- 1972 - Finished in 5th place
- 1976 - Finished in 4th place
- 1980 - Finished in 4th place
- 1984 - Finished in 6th place
- 1988 - Won silver medal
- 1992 - Finished in 7th place
- 1994 - Won bronze medal
- 1998 - Won bronze medal
- 2002 - Finished in 6th place
- 2006 - Won silver medal (roster)
Canada Cup recordEdit
- 1976 - Finished in 6th place
- 1981 - Finished in 6th place
- 1984 - Did not participate
- 1987 - Finished in 6th place
- 1991 - Finished in 3rd place
World Cup recordEdit
World championship recordEdit
| Olympic medal record | ||
| World Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1992 Czechoslovakia | Finland |
| Silver | 1994 Italy | Finland |
| Gold | 1995 Sweden | Finland |
| Silver | 1998 Switzerland | Finland |
| Silver | 1999 Norway | Finland |
| Bronze | 2000 Russia | Finland |
| Silver | 2001 Germany | Finland |
| Bronze | 2006 Latvia | Finland |
| Silver | 2007 Russia | Finland |
| Bronze | 2008 Canada | Finland |
| Year | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Zürich / Basel, Switzerland | Finished in 13th place |
| 1949 | Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 7th place |
| 1950 | London, Great Britain | Did not participate |
| 1951 | Paris, France | Finished in 7th place |
| 1953 | Basel / Zurich, Switzerland | Did not participate |
| 1954 | Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 6th place |
| 1955 | Krefeld / Dortmund / Cologne, West Germany | Finished in 9th place |
| 1957 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Finished in 5th place |
| 1958 | Oslo, Norway | Finished in 6th place |
| 1959 | Prague / Bratislava, Czechoslovakia | Finished in 6th place |
| 1961 | Geneva / Lausanne, Switzerland | Finished in 7th place |
| 1962 | Colorado Springs / Denver, Colorado | Finished in 4th place |
| 1963 | Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 5th place |
| 1965 | Tampere, Finland | Finished in 7th place |
| 1966 | Ljubljana, Yugoslavia | Finished in 7th place |
| 1967 | Vienna, Austria | Finished in 6th place |
| 1969 | Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 5th place |
| 1970 | Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 4th place |
| 1971 | Berne / Geneva, Switzerland | Finished in 4th place |
| 1972 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Finished in 4th place |
| 1973 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Finished in 4th place |
| 1974 | Helsinki, Finland | Finished in 4th place |
| 1975 | Munich / Düsseldorf, West Germany | Finished in 4th place |
| 1976 | Katowice, Poland | Finished in 5th place |
| 1977 | Vienna, Austria | Finished in 5th place |
| 1978 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Finished in 7th place |
| 1979 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Finished in 5th place |
| 1981 | Gothenburg / Stockholm, Sweden | Finished in 6th place |
| 1982 | Helsinki / Tampere, Finland | Finished in 5th place |
| 1983 | Düsseldorf / Dortmund / Munich, West Germany | Finished in 7th place |
| 1985 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | Finished in 5th place |
| 1986 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Finished in 4th place |
| 1987 | Vienna, Austria | Finished in 5th place |
| 1989 | Stockholm / Södertälje, Sweden | Finished in 5th place |
| 1990 | Berne / Fribourg, Switzerland | Finished in 6th place |
| 1991 | Turku / Helsinki / Tampere, Finland | Finished in 5th place |
| 1992 | Prague / Bratislava, Czechoslovakia | Won silver medal |
| 1993 | Dortmund / Munich, Germany | Finished in 7th place |
| 1994 | Bolzano / Canazei / Milano, Italy | Won silver medal |
| 1995 | Stockholm / Gävle, Sweden | Won gold medal ( roster) |
| 1996 | Vienna, Austria | Finished in 5th place |
| 1997 | Helsinki / Turku / Tampere, Finland | Finished in 5th place |
| 1998 | Zürich / Basel, Switzerland | Won silver medal |
| 1999 | Oslo / Lillehammer / Hamar, Norway | Won silver medal |
| 2000 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Won bronze medal |
| 2001 | Cologne / Hanover / Nuremberg, Germany | Won silver medal |
| 2002 | Gothenburg / Karlstad / Jönköping, Sweden | Finished in 4th place |
| 2003 | Helsinki / Tampere / Turku, Finland | Finished in 5th place |
| 2004 | Prague / Ostrava, Czech Republic | Finished in 6th place |
| 2005 | Innsbruck / Vienna, Austria | Finished in 7th place |
| 2006 | Riga, Latvia | Won bronze medal |
| 2007 | Moscow / Mytishchi, Russia | Won silver medal |
| 2008 | Quebec City / Halifax, Canada | Won bronze medal |
| 2009 | Berne / Kloten, Switzerland | Finished in 5th place |
European championship recordEdit
- 1929 - Not ranked
Notable players Edit
- Aarne Honkavaara 1943-1953
- Keijo Kuusela 1938-1959
- Lasse Oksanen 1962-1977
- Esa Peltonen 1965-1982
- Raimo Kilpiö 1956-1967
- Teppo Rastio 1953-1964
- Heino Pulli 1957-1965
- Juhani Tamminen 1969-1982
- Heikki Riihiranta 1967-1983
- Urpo Ylönen 1965-1979
- Unto Wiitala 1946-1956
- Jari Kurri 1979-1998
- Janne Ojanen 1986-
- Raimo Helminen 1983-2008
- Mika Nieminen 1988-2000
- Timo Jutila 1983-1997
- Saku Koivu 1992-
- Ville Peltonen 1993-
- Jere Lehtinen 1991-
- Ari Sulander 1992-
- Jarmo Myllys 1986-2001
- Jukka Tammi 1985-1998
- Esa Tikkanen 1985-2000
- Teemu Selänne 1988-
- Miikka Kiprusoff 1994-
- Olli Jokinen 1996-
- Mikko Koivu 2000-
- Petteri Nummelin 1990-
List of head coaches Edit
- Erkki Saarinen 1939–1941
- Risto Lindroos 1945–1946
- Henry Kvist 1946–1949
- Risto Lindroos 1950–1954
- Aarne Honkavaara 1954–1959
- Joe Wirkkunen 1959–1960
- Derek Holmes 1960–1961
- Joe Wirkkunen 1961–1966
- Gustav Bubnik 1966–1969
- Seppo Liitsola 1969–1972
- Len Lunde 1972–1973
- Kalevi Numminen 1973–1974
- Seppo Liitsola 1974–1976
- Lasse Heikkilä 1976–1977
- Kalevi Numminen 1977–1982
- Alpo Suhonen 1982–1986
- Rauno Korpi 1986–1987
- Pentti Matikainen 1987–1993
- Curt Lindström 1993–1997
- Hannu Aravirta 1997–2003
- Raimo Summanen 2003–2004
- Erkka Westerlund 2004–2007
- Doug Shedden 2007–2008
- Jukka Jalonen 2008–
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