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Kiekko-Espoo

(Redirected from Espoo Blues)

This article is about the Kiekko-Espoo men's team. For the women's team, see Kiekko-Espoo Naiset.

Kiekko-Espoo is a Finnish professional ice hockey club founded in 2018 as a continuation of the Kiekko-Espoo team originally founded in 1984. Kiekko-Espoo men's team plays in the Liiga, where they were promoted for the 2024–25 season,[1] and the women's team plays in the Auroraliiga, where they hold the most championships of any club.

Kiekko-Espoo
NicknameKivikova (Finnish)
CityEspoo, Finland
LeagueLiiga
Founded1984 (1984)
Home arenaEspoo Metro Areena
(capacity: 6,982)
Colours     
General managerKim Hirschovits (2024–25)
Head coachJyrki Aho (2024–25)
AffiliatesPorvoo Hunters
Jäähonka
Websitekiekko-espoo.com
Franchise history
1984–1998Kiekko-Espoo
1998–2016Espoo Blues
2018–presentKiekko-Espoo
Championships
Mestis championship1 (2022–23)

Kiekko-Espoo's junior teams play at national league levels in U16, U18 and U20 juniors.[2] The junior teams of Espoo Blues and Kiekko-Espoo played under Kiekko-Espoo Juniorit ry until 2014.[3]

In 2017, Espoon Kiekkoseura [fi] and Espoon Palloseura, which split from the Espoo Blues junior organization, launched their own junior representative team and founded Kiekko-Espoo ry.[4] The team plays in U16, U18 and U20 junior leagues under the name Kiekko-Espoo. When Espoo United collapsed in the spring of 2018, the organization decided to also establish a representative team for adults in Kiekko-Espoo. It started playing in the 2018–2019 season in the Suomi-sarja. In the 2019–2020 season, the Blues women's representative team also moved to Kiekko-Espoo.[5]

History

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Establishment and first seasons (1984–1998)

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The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984–85 in the Finnish Second Division. In 1988, they achieved promotion to the Finnish First Division and in 1992, they celebrated their promotion to the SM-liiga by beating Joensuun Kiekkopojat with a 3–2 series win in a best-of-five format. Tero Lehterä scored the winning goal and Jere Lehtinen assisted.

Kiekko-Espoo ended its first two seasons in SM-liiga in 11th place out of 12 teams. In the 1994–95 season, the team made the playoffs for the first time, losing to Lukko in quarter-finals. In 1997–98, Kiekko-Espoo caused a huge upset by beating regular season winner TPS in the quarter-finals. Kiekko-Espoo ended the season in fourth place.

Name change, rebrand and bankruptcy (1998–2016)

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Blues met Kärpät in the 2008 SM-liiga final series.

The following summer, the team name was changed to Espoo Blues. The name came from the dominant colour of their home jersey.

During the 1998–99 season, the team moved to its current home, LänsiAuto Areena (renamed in 2009 to Barona Areena due to sponsorship change). The first seasons in their new home were difficult despite the team signing many big names. The Blues missed the playoffs in 2001 and 2005. In 2002–03, the Blues had their best regular season, finishing in fourth place, only to lose against eventual champion Tappara in overtime of the seventh quarter-final.

The team took a step forward in 2006–07 when they reached the semi-finals for the first time, although they lost against Kärpät in three straight games, and lost the bronze medal game against HPK. During the 2007–08 season, the Blues set a new team record by winning 12 games in a row. They finally ended the regular season in second place and beat local rivals HIFK in the quarter-finals and other local rivals Jokerit in the semi-finals, proceeding to the finals and thus ensuring their first medal ever. The team eventually ended up second after losing in the finals to Kärpät.

In the next season, the team was again second after the regular season, but lost against Kärpät in the semi-finals, as well as the bronze medal game against KalPa. The season also included participation in the Champions Hockey League, where the Blues lost in the semi-finals against eventual champion ZSC Lions of Switzerland. The 2009–10 season was difficult for the team, and the Blues failed to reach the quarter-finals. In 2010–11, the team ended the regular season in ninth place and then beat eighth-placed Kärpät in the wild card round of the playoffs. The team then made history by becoming the first team in the SM-liiga to advance from the wild card round to the semi-finals, eventually beating Ässät in six games. In the semi-finals, the Blues continued their string of upsets and beat regular season winners JYP in five games. In the finals, HIFK swept the series in four games, and the Blues were awarded the silver medal for the second time in team history.

In the 2011–12 season, the Blues finished eighth in the regular season. After beating Lukko in the wild card round, the team faced KalPa in the quarter-finals. The Blues made history again, becoming the first team in SM-liiga history to win the series after being down 0–3. In the semi-finals, the Pelicans beat the Blues 4–1.

After declining ticket income and increasing expenses after a reacquisition by Jääkiekko Espoo Oy in 2012, the Blues were declared bankrupt in March 2016. Their final ranking in the 2015–2016 season was 15th, the lowest in the league.

Continuing the legacy: From the Suomi-sarja to the Liiga (2018–present)

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After the collapse of the Espoo Blues and Espoo United, Kiekko-Espoo was established in 2018. The new Kiekko-Espoo played its first season in Suomi-sarja[6] from where it got promoted to Mestis.

Kiekko-Espoo made it to the Mestis finals in the 2021–22 season but lost to Imatran Ketterä in 5 games.[7] The team made to the Metis finals again in the 2022–23, this time defeating Imatran Ketterä to become champions. Kiekko-Espoo will try to enter SM-liiga in the 2024–2025 season,[8] and applied for the license on 30 October 2023.[9] The license for the 2024–25 season got accepted on 20 December 2023.[1][10] Kiekko-Espoo won the Mestis bronze medal in 2024.

Season by season record

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Season League GP W T L OTW OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
1986–87 II-Divisioona ? ? ? ? — — ? ? ? ? —
1987–88 II-Divisioona 28 24 2 2 — — 50 214 82 1st Promoted
1988–89 I-Divisioona 44 28 0 16 — — 56 228 177 3rd —
1989–90 I-Divisioona 44 17 1 26 — — 35 214 229 7th —
1990–91 I-Divisioona 44 ? ? ? — — 49 186 166 5th —
1991–92 I-Divisioona 44 32 5 7 — — 69 222 121 1st Promoted
1992–93 SM-liiga 48 11 7 29 — — 31 122 194 11th Did not make playoffs
1993–94 SM-liiga 48 13 5 27 — — 31 138 197 11th Did not make playoffs
1994–95 SM-liiga 50 20 4 26 — — 44 154 169 7th Quarterfinal loss
1995–96 SM-liiga 50 18 6 26 — — 42 131 164 9th Did not make playoffs
1996–97 SM-liiga 50 21 9 20 — — 51 154 163 6th Quarterfinal loss
1997–98 SM-liiga 48 20 6 22 — — 46 153 139 4th Bronze game loss
1998–99 SM-liiga 54 21 7 26 — — 49 146 183 7th Quarterfinal loss
1999–00 SM-liiga 54 19 10 25 — — 48 163 165 7th Quarterfinal loss
2000–01 SM-liiga 56 22 8 26 — — 52 154 152 9th Did not make playoffs
2001–02 SM-liiga 56 24 — 23 1 8 58 156 171 8th Quarterfinal loss
2002–03 SM-liiga 56 24 10 15 4 2 68 168 145 5th Quarterfinal loss
2003–04 SM-liiga 56 18 7 23 5 3 56 134 139 8th Quarterfinal loss
2004–05 SM-liiga 56 15 — 30 5 6 61 139 159 11th Relegation win
2005–06 SM-liiga 56 23 — 22 4 7 84 152 135 8th Quarterfinal loss
2006–07 SM-liiga 56 24 — 17 5 10 92 156 135 3rd Bronze game win
2007–08 SM-liiga 56 33 — 12 5 6 115 165 114 2nd Final loss
2008–09 SM-liiga 58 28 — 18 4 8 100 159 135 4th Bronze game loss
2009–10 SM-liiga 58 19 — 23 9 7 82 145 155 9th Wild Card loss
2010–11 SM-liiga 60 21 — 24 8 7 86 142 151 2nd Final loss
2011–12 SM-liiga 60 18 — 23 9 10 82 148 165 4th Bronze game loss
2012–13 SM-liiga 60 21 — 28 6 5 80 151 164 12th Did not make playoffs
2013–14 SM-liiga 60 28 — 26 3 3 93 137 146 6th Quarterfinal loss
2014–15 SM-liiga 60 25 — 21 11 3 100 166 149 5th Quarterfinal loss
2015–16 SM-liiga 60 13 — 33 6 8 59 108 168 15th Did not make playoffs
2016–17 Did not play
2017–18
2018–19 Suomi-sarja 39 24 — 10 4 1 81 167 108 3rd —
2019–20 Suomi-sarja 37 31 — 3 4 1 98 221 70 1st Promoted
2020–21 Mestis 31 17 6 8 — — 60 108 84 5th Quarterfinal loss
2021–22 Mestis 52 26 — 13 9 4 99 158 126 2nd Final loss
2022–23 Mestis 52 36 — 8 6 2 122 222 111 1st Final win
2023–24 Mestis 48 26 — 15 2 5 87 166 130 3rd Promoted
2024–25 SM-liiga —

Home arena

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Espoo Metro Areena from the inside.
Main article: Espoo Metro Areena

Kiekko-Espoo plays their home games in the 1999 built Espoo Metro Areena located in the Tapiola sporting park in Espoo. The arena has a capacity of 6,982.

Honours

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Liiga

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The 2018 established Kiekko-Espoo does not claim any achievements before the year 2018.

  Aaro Kivilinna Memorial Trophy (7): 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

  Kanada-malja: Finnish championship (2): 2008, 2011

Mestis

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  •   Winner (1) : 2022–23
  •   Runner-up (1) : 2021–22[11][7]
  •   Third place (1) : 2023–24

Finnish Cup

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  Winner (1): 2022
  Runner-up (1): 2021

Junior champions

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  • A-juniors (20-year-olds) (4): 1989, 1990, 2009, 2014
  • B-juniors (18-year-olds) (3): 1988, 1993, 2011
  • C-juniors (16-year-olds) (3): 2011, 2012, 2014

Players

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Current squad

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No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
24   Arvid Degerstedt C L 25 2024 Norrköping, Sweden
31   Marcus Hellgren-Smed G L 30 2024 Mora, Sweden
8   Cameron Hillis C R 24 2024 Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
28   Janne Hämäläinen LW L 26 2022 Nurmijärvi, Finland
16   Joni Ikonen C R 25 2024 Espoo, Finland
71   Matti Järvinen (A) C L 35 2024 London, England
46   Anders Koch D L 27 2024 Esbjerg, Denmark
90   Juho Koivusaari LW R 26 2022 Helsinki, Finland
55   Kasper Kotkansalo (A) D L 26 2024 Espoo, Finland
26   Kasper Kulonummi D R 20 2024 Helsinki, Finland
34   Aleksi Laakso D L 34 2024 Seinäjoki, Finland
47   Ville Lajunen (C) D R 36 2024 Helsinki, Finland
18   Ottoville Leppänen LW L 26 2024 Espoo, Finland
9   Heikki Liedes (A) C L 31 2024 Helsinki, Finland
7   Eelis Marila D L 18 2024 Espoo, Finland
12   Joni Piipponen LW L 30 2022 Nurmijärvi, Finland
89   Peter Quenneville C R 30 2024 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
30   Petteri Rimpinen G L 18 2023 Kirkkonummi, Finland
30   Joachim Rohdin RW R 33 2024 Gävle, Sweden
41   Tomi Sallinen (A) C L 35 2024 Espoo, Finland
85   Niko Seppälä D L 26 2023 Helsinki, Finland
29   Tuomas Suoniemi C L 18 2023 Stavanger, Norway
21   Rasmus Toivainen LW L 20 2023 Espoo, Finland
82   Venni Tolppola C R 20 2024 Nurmijärvi, Finland
78   Arttu Tuomaala C L 23 2021 Oulu, Finland
75   Santeri Virtanen C L 25 2024 Kirkkonummi, Finland

Updated 21 September 2024

Honored members

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List of retired numbers:

Kiekko-Espoo retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Date of retirement References
10 Jere Lehtinen LW 1990–1993 30 September 2014 [12]
33 Timo Hirvonen LW 1990–2003

2005–2006 (player) 2011–2015 (coach)

6 March 2007 [13]

Notable alumni

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Stefan Öhman with the Espoo Blues carrying the golden helmet in 2010.
 
Jere Myllyniemi

Captains history

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Kim Hirschovits wearing the captain's "C" with the Espoo Blues.
 
Toni Kähkönen as the Blues captain.
Kiekko-Espoo (1984–1998)
Espoo Blues
Kiekko-Espoo

Head coaches

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Kiekko-Espoo (1984–1998)
Espoo Blues
Kiekko-Espoo

Logo history

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  •  
    Logo used by Kiekko-Espoo 1984–98
  •  
    Logo used by the Espoo Blues 1998–03
  •  
    Logo used by the Espoo Blues 2003–05
  •  
    Logo used by the Espoo Blues 2005–09
  •  
    Logo used by the Espoo Blues 2009–16
  •  
    Current Kiekko-Espoo logo 2018–

References

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  1. ^ a b "SM-liigalta isoja uutisia: Kiekko-Espoo mukaan, TuTolle pettymys". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Kiekko-Espoo seuran esittely".
  3. ^ "YTJ - Yritys- ja yhteisötietojärjestelmä - Yrityshaku". tietopalvelu.ytj.fi. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Kiekko-Espoo tekee paluun kaukaloon EKS:n ja EPS:n junnujen edariseurana". Länsiväylä (in Finnish). 21 November 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Naiskiekon menestynein seura Blues historiaa – Kiekko-Espoo palaa Naisten liigaan". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 25 April 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  6. ^ Koivunen, Tommi (26 May 2018). "Kiekko-Espoo palaa kiekkokartalle – entinen SM-liigatähti aikoo pelata ja manageroida!". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Imatran Ketterä on jälleen Mestiksen mestari – Kiekko-Espoo kaatui viidessä ottelussa". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  8. ^ Kostiainen, Jari (1 September 2022). "SM-liigan uusi Jokerit-päätös selkeyttää Kiekko-Espoon tilannetta – "Espoo on tehnyt paljon työtä vuosien ajan", kommentoi liigapomo". Länsiväylä (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Kiekko-Espoo otti askeleen lähemmäs SM-liigaa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Liiga tiedottaa: Kiekko-Espoolle on myönnetty ehdollinen Liiga-lisenssi kaudelle 2024–25". liiga.fi. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Kiekko-Espoo at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Paidan jäädytys herkisti Jere Lehtisen - katso video". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 30 September 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  13. ^ Huttunen, Sasha (2 March 2007). "Blues ei unohda menneisyyttään". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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