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Tappara

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Tappara
CityTampere
LeagueSM-liiga
Founded1932 (as Tammerfors Bollklubb)
1955 (as Tappara)
Home arenaNokia Arena
(capacity: 12,700)
ColoursBlue, orange, white
     
Owner(s)Tamhockey Oy
General managerMika Aro
Head coachRikard Gronborg
CaptainOtto Rauhala
Websitetappara.fi
Franchise history
1932–1955Tammerfors Bollklub
1955–presentTappara
Championships
SM-sarja & Liiga1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024

Tappara (pronounced [ˈtɑpːɑrɑ]; Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the SM-liiga. They play at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 20 Finnish league championships, which makes them the most successful club in Finland.[1] The team continued the traditions of the Tammerfors Bollklub.

History

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Early days and the transition from TBK to Tappara

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The predecessor of Tappara TBK (Tammerfors Bollklubb) was established in 1932 by the Tampere Swedish School (Tampereen Ruotsalainen Yhteiskoulu) as its own sports club. After winning the Finnish championship in 1953, 1954 and 1955. In 1955, the TBK Ice-hockey department founded Tappara as its new club to make it more accessible to non-Swedish locals and give it opportunity to grow as a club, at the same time the Ice-Hockey division of TBK stopped as an ice hockey club at the highest competitive level. Most of the players transferred from TBK to Tappara. Tappara used TBK's colors 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][3]

First period of success as Tappara (1956–1964)

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Tappara championship squad in 1961

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.[citation needed]

Second period of success (1975–1988)

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Tappara fans waited 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Recent days and success in mid-2010s

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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 third 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.[citation needed]

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 sixth 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.[citation needed]

Home arena

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Nokia Arena, Tampere, Finland

Tappara used to play their home games in Tampereen jäähalli since it was built in 1965. The local rival Ilves used 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. 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.[4][5]

Currently, Tappara's home arena is Nokia Arena. This new arena was built in the city center of Tampere on a covered rail yard and opened in December 2021.[6][7] The arena has a capacity of 13,455 in hockey games. The arena was the main stage of Ice Hockey World Championships in both 2022 and 2023.[8] Like the old arena, the new arena is also shared with local rivals Ilves. The arena is also a major venue for concerts.

Current roster

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Updated 6 August 2024.

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
34 Finland Verneri Ahonen C L 21 2024 Tampere, Finland
5 United States Daniel Brickley D L 29 2024 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
47 France Hugo Gallet D L 27 2024 Amiens, France
86 Norway Philip Granath RW R 22 2022 Asker, Norway
17 United States Nick Halloran RW R 27 2023 Draper, Utah, United States
44 Finland Olli Juolevi D L 26 2023 Helsinki, Finland
51 Finland Emil Järventie LW L 19 2024 Tampere, Finland
40 Finland Henri Karppinen G L 19 2024 Tampere, Finland
20 Finland Oiva Keskinen C L 20 2023 Ylöjärvi, Finland
23 Finland Paavo Kohonen G L 21 2022 Joensuu, Finland
53 Finland Niko Korkola D R 19 2024 Hämeenkyrö, Finland
4 Finland Jesper Kotajärvi D L 17 2024 Kokkola, Finland
39 Finland Arttu Kärki D L 19 2024 Viiala, Finland
28 Finland Otto Leskinen D L 27 2023 Pieksämäki, Finland
22 Finland Oskari Luoto LW L 22 2021 Lempäälä, Finland
21 Finland Aleksi Matinmikko D R 24 2024 Oulu, Finland
62 Finland Julius Mattila C L 27 2024 Tampere, Finland
77 Finland Juha Metsola G L 35 2024 Tampere, Finland
92 Finland Aleksi Mustonen C L 29 2024 Helsinki, Finland
41 Finland Juuso Nykänen W R 21 2024 Veteli, Finland
91 Finland Petteri Puhakka LW L 23 2020 Pyhäjoki, Finland
6 Finland Ruben Rafkin D R 22 2024 Turku, Finland
42 Finland Otto Rauhala (C) C L 29 2014 Ylöjärvi, Finland
78 Finland Benjamin Rautiainen LW L 19 2023 Tampere, Finland
11 Finland Aapeli Räsänen C R 26 2024 Tampere, Finland
19 Finland Veli-Matti Savinainen W L 38 2021 Espoo, Finland
15 Finland Otto Somppi C L 26 2023 Helsinki, Finland
27 Finland Kristian Tanus LW L 24 2018 Tampere, Finland
63 Finland Joni Tuulola D L 28 2021 Hämeenlinna, Finland

Notable players

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Tappara Hall Of Fame

[according to whom?]


Honours

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Tappara`s SM-sarja/SM-liiga champion banners
Tappara jersey and hockey equipments from 1980s

Champions

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Runners-up

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International

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Retired numbers

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[citation needed]

Head coaches

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[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Tampereella juhlitaan – Tappara on Suomen mestari!". Ilta-Sanomat. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  2. ^ Lahti, Janne (2002-02-07). "TBK / Tappara". Uta.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. ^ "TBK aloitti 1932, Tappara jatkoi vuodesta 1955 eteenpäin". www.tappara.fi. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  4. ^ 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).
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Tampereen kansi ja areena". kansiareena.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  7. ^ Venttola, Elina (15 December 2021). "Hullu idea radan päälle rakennettavasta jättiareenasta heräsi eloon virallisissa avajaisissa: "Me onnistuimme"". Aamulehti (in Finnish).
  8. ^ "Tampere sai seuraa – Helsinki jääkiekon MM-kisojen 2022 kakkosisännäksi". iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  9. ^ 2010-11 Scoring for Tappara Tampere (SM-liiga)
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