Tappara
Tampereen Tappara | |
---|---|
City | Tampere |
League | Liiga |
Founded | 1932 (as Tammerfors Bollklubb) 1955 (as Tappara) |
Home arena | Tampere Deck Arena Hakametsä (1965-2021) |
Colours | Blue, orange, white |
Owner(s) | Tamhockey Oy |
General manager | |
Head coach | Jussi Tapola |
Captain | Otto Rauhala |
Championships | 1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017 |
Website | www |
Tappara (pronounced [ˈtɑpːɑrɑ]; Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga. They play at Tampere Deck Arena in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 14 Finnish league championships (1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017).[1] The team continued the traditions of TBK, who won three national championships in a row in 1953, 1954 and 1955.
Team history[]
Early days[]
Tappara was established in 1955 in Tampere and a major part of the players came to the newly founded team from local team Tammerfors Bollklubb, when Tappara inherited their place in the national top league. Tappara also borrowed TBK's colors for themselves and got their place in the top league. Tappara played its first official game in the same year, 1955. The transition was led by team president Harry Lindblad.[2]
First period of success (1956–1964)[]
Tappara went on to win three championships (1959, 1961, and 1964), three second places (1958, 1960, and 1963), and three third places (1956, 1957, and 1962) in just nine years. Their winning streak was followed by a more silent period, with Tappara even playing one season (1965–1966) at the second highest level, gaining immediate promotion back to the top flight. In 1965, an indoor arena Tampereen jäähalli was built in Hakametsä to be the home arena of Tappara and their local rivals, Ilves and Koo-Vee. 1965 World Ice Hockey Championships were also held there in the same year.
Second period of success (1975–1988)[]
Tappara fans had to wait until the mid-seventies until Tappara started to be successful again, thanks to some legendary players such as the goalkeeper Antti Leppänen and the defender Pekka Marjamäki. The bronze medals in 1973 and silver medals in 1974 were followed by Finnish championship in 1975. This successful period was even longer than the first period of glory in the 1950s and early sixties. Tappara also won the Finnish championships in 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, and the long streak ended by winning three consecutive championships in 1986–1988.
Many fans regard the Tappara team of the late 1980s – coached by Rauno Korpi – as their strongest of all time. Behind the senior players such as Timo Susi and Erkki Lehtonen, the likes of Teppo Numminen (a long-term defender in NHL) and Janne Ojanen (Tappara icon) led the way as new talented youngsters. In 1988, the Finland national team gained its first success by winning the Olympic silver medal in Calgary, and Tappara players formed a substantial part of the Finnish team. Tappara players, Erkki Lehtonen and Janne Ojanen, were the goal scorers for Finland in the decisive win against the Soviet Union.
Recent days and success in mid-2010s[]
During the 1990s, Tappara did not gain any notable success besides finishing third in the league in spring 1990. In 1992, the once so mighty team even had to fight for its place at the top level in relegation playoffs against Oulun Kärpät. A glimpse of glory was, however, achieved on the international level, as Tappara player Timo Jutila captained the Finnish national team to win the ice hockey world championship in 1995. In the early 2000s, Tappara played some good seasons, winning silver medals in both 2001 and 2002. In 2003 – to the surprise of many – Tappara won the Finnish championship, coached by Jukka Rautakorpi. After that, Tappara reached 3rd place in the top league in 2008 but that achievement was followed by some difficult seasons. Tappara qualified only once to the playoffs between 2009 and 2012.
All changed in the 2012-13 season when Tappara made it to the finals for the first time since the 2003 championship, but lost to Ässät. In 2014 and 2015 Tappara came even closer to the title. Both final series were decided in a decisive seventh game and both of the games Kärpät won in overtime. In 2016, Tappara finally won the championship after beating HIFK in the finals.[1] In 2017, Tappara won the regular season for the first time since 2002, advanced to the finals for the fifth time in a row and won another championship against KalPa. In 2018, Tappara reached the finals for a record-breaking 6th year in a row, but lost to Kärpät in 6 games. The great streak of final appearances came to an end in 2019 when HPK defeated Tappara in the semi-finals in six games. The medal streak continued however, as Tappara won the bronze medal game against HIFK.
Home arena[]
Tappara has played their home games in Tampereen jäähalli since it was built in 1965. The local rival Ilves uses the same arena. The arena was the first indoor arena in Finland and it is located in the neighborhood of Hakametsä. Originally the capacity was 10,200 spectators, but it has declined in various renovations over the years. In its current form, the arena accommodates 7,300 spectators.
A new arena was built in the city center of Tampere on a covered rail yard. The new Nokia arena opened in December 2021.[3][4] The arena is the main stage of the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championships.[5] The old rink continues as a venue for indoor sports. The ice-hockey club KooVee and the junior teams of Tappara and Ilves will use this location for official games. [6] [7]
Current roster[]
Updated December 6, 2021.[8]
# | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
57 | Brady Austin | D | L | 28 | 2021 | Bobcaygeon, Ontario | |
9 | Charles Bertrand | RW | R | 30 | 2019 | Paris, France | |
90 | D | L | 17 | 2021 | Prague, Czech Republic | ||
30 | Christian Heljanko | G | L | 24 | 2016 | Porvoo, Finland | |
74 | RW | L | 20 | 2020 | Oulu, Finland | ||
61 | Casimir Jürgens | D | L | 27 | 2021 | Helsinki, Finland | |
72 | Santtu Kinnunen | D | R | 22 | 2020 | Lahti, Finland | |
71 | Kristian Kuusela (A) | RW | R | 38 | 2017 | Seinäjoki, Finland | |
76 | Anton Levtchi | LW | L | 26 | 2015 | Varkaus, Finland | |
68 | Joona Luoto | LW | L | 24 | 2021 | Tampere, Finland | |
19 | Waltteri Merelä | LW | R | 23 | 2021 | Ylöjärvi, Finland | |
96 | LW | L | 23 | 2018 | Sipoo, Finland | ||
86 | Tyler Morley | C | L | 30 | 2021 | Burnaby, British Columbia | |
81 | Jukka Peltola (C) | C | L | 34 | 2020 | Helsinki, Finland | |
1 | G | L | 20 | 2020 | Porvoo, Finland | ||
88 | Kyle Platzer | C | R | 26 | 2021 | Waterloo, Ontario | |
91 | RW | L | 20 | 2020 | Pyhäjoki, Finland | ||
54 | D | R | 19 | 2021 | Turku, Finland | ||
52 | Otso Rantakari | D | R | 28 | 2021 | Helsinki, Finland | |
42 | Otto Rauhala | C | L | 26 | 2014 | Ylöjärvi, Finland | |
31 | C | L | 17 | 2021 | Hausjärvi, Finland | ||
50 | Saku Salminen | D | L | 22 | 2021 | Tampere, Finland | |
92 | LW | L | 21 | 2021 | Vantaa, Finland | ||
5 | Mikael Seppälä | D | L | 27 | 2021 | Ylivieska, Finland | |
27 | C | L | 21 | 2018 | Tampere, Finland | ||
63 | Joni Tuulola | D | L | 26 | 2021 | Hämeenlinna, Finland | |
11 | Patrik Virta (A) | C | R | 25 | 2019 | Hämeenlinna, Finland | |
33 | Veli-Matti Vittasmäki | D | L | 31 | 2021 | Turku, Finland |
Notable players[]
- Seppo Ahokainen
- Teemu Aalto
- Nick Angell
- Niklas Bäckström
- Aleksander Barkov
- Aleksander Barkov Jr.
- André Benoit
- Luciano Borsato
- Justin Braun
- Alain Côté
- Dale Clarke
- Thomas Draper
- Jonas Enlund
- Theoren Fleury
- Kurtis Foster
- Josh Green
- Jari Grönstrand
- Janne Grönvall
- Steve Guolla
- Hannu Haapalainen
- Jannik Hansen
- Greg Hawgood
- Martti Jarkko
- Timo Jutila
- Hannu Kamppuri
- Pertti Koivulahti
- Petri Kontiola
- Jiří Kučera
- Patrik Laine
- Pekka Laksola
- Jori Lehterä
- Tero Lehterä
- Mika Lehto
- Antero Lehtonen
- Erkki Lehtonen
- Mikko Leinonen
- Antti Leppänen
- Lasse Litma
- Mikko Luoma
- Toni Lydman
- Pekka Marjamäki
- Jussi Markkanen
- Jiří Marusak
- Markus Mattsson
- Derek Mayer
- Roman Meluzín
- Reijo Mikkolainen
- Tuukka Mäntylä
- Jason Muzzatti
- Esko Niemi
- Ville Nieminen
- Mika Noronen
- Kalevi Numminen
- Teppo Numminen
- Stefan Öhman
- Janne Ojanen
- Mike O'Neill
- Olli Palola
- Jukka Peltola
- Pasi Petriläinen
- Lasse Pirjetä
- Esa Pirnes
- Jukka Porvari
- Pasi Puistola
- Andrew Raycroft
- Matti Rintakoski
- Anssi Salmela
- Pekka Saravo
- Bedřich Ščerban
- Jaromír Šindel
- Mike Stapleton
- Timo Susi
- Pertti Valkeapää
- Ari Vallin
- Jarkko Varvio
- Vesa Viitakoski
TBK in 1945
Esko Niemi
Janne Ojanen
Tuukka Mäntylä
Ville Nieminen
Jori Lehterä
Honours[]
Champions[]
- SM-liiga Kanada-malja (10): 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017
- SM-sarja Kanada-malja (7): 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1975
- Finnish Cup (1): 1957
Runners-up[]
- SM-liiga (13): (1958, 1960, 1963, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018
- SM-sarja (4): 1958, 1960, 1963, 1974
- SM-liiga (3): 1990, 2008, 2019
- SM-sarja (9): 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1956, 1957, 1962, 1973
- Finnish Cup (2): 1964, 1966
International[]
- Nordic Trophy (1): 2009
- IIHF European Cup (1): 1980
- IIHF European Cup (2): 1983, 1988
- Tampere Cup (4): 1996, 1999, 2016, 2017
Retired numbers[]
- 2 - Kalevi Numminen
- 3 - Pekka Marjamäki
- 7 - Timo Jutila
- 8 - Janne Ojanen
- 10 - Timo Susi
- 12 - Erkki Lehtonen
Head coaches[]
- 1937-1950
- 1950-61, 1965–66
- 1961-63
- Erkki Hytönen 1963-65
- 1966-67
- 1967-68
- Esko Luostarinen 1968-1970
- Kalevi Numminen 1970-1979, 1991-1992
- Rauno Korpi 1979-1982, 1985-1991, 1997-1998
- 1982-1984
- Esko Niemi 1984
- 1984-1985
- 1992-1993
- Boris Majorov 1993-1994
- 1994-1995, 2005
- Jukka Rautakorpi 1995-1997, 1999-2003, 2005–2006, 2012-2014, 2017-
- 1998-1999
- 2003-2005
- Mikko Saarinen 2005, 2008-2010
- 2006-2008
- 2010-2011
- Risto Dufva 2011-2012
- Jussi Tapola 2014-2017
See also[]
- Ilves
- KOOVEE
References[]
- ^ a b "Tampereella juhlitaan – Tappara on Suomen mestari!". Ilta-Sanomat. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Lahti, Janne (2002-02-07). "TBK / Tappara". Uta.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2019-03-01.
- ^ "Tampereen kansi ja areena". kansiareena.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ Venttola, Elina (15 December 2021). "Hullu idea radan päälle rakennettavasta jättiareenasta heräsi eloon virallisissa avajaisissa: "Me onnistuimme"". Aamulehti (in Finnish).
- ^ "Tampere sai seuraa – Helsinki jääkiekon MM-kisojen 2022 kakkosisännäksi". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ Nurmi, Teemu (19 November 2021). "Hakametsässä on sittenkin enemmän jääkiekkoa kuin ennen – "Hallin ottelumäärä saattaa jopa lisääntyä, kun miesten liigakiekolle ei tarvitse pyhittää erikseen mitään kellonaikoja illoista"". Tamperelainen (in Finnish).
- ^ "Nouseeko Tampereelle uusi Luminary ja miten käy jäähallin? – Kaupunki esitteli Hakametsän alueen uudistamista yleisölle: "Uudenlaisia ratkaisuja tarvitaan"". aamulehti.fi (in Finnish). 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Joukkue (Tappara)" (in Finnish). www.tappara.fi. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tappara. |
- Official website (in Finnish)
- Sport in Tampere
- Liiga teams
- 1932 establishments in Finland
- 1955 establishments in Finland