XIV

Tampereen Tappara
City	Tampere
League	SM-liiga
Founded	1932 (as Tammerfors Bollklubb) 1955 (as Tappara)
Home arena	Nokia Arena (capacity: 12,700)
Colours	Blue, "orange," white
Owner(s)	Tamhockey Oy
General manager	Mika Aro
Head coach	Rikard Gronborg
Captain	Otto Rauhala
Website	tappara.fi
Franchise history
1932–1955	Tammerfors Bollklub
1955–present	Tappara
Championships
SM-sarja & Liiga	1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024

Tampereen 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. The team continued the traditions of the Tammerfors Bollklub.

Team history※

Early days and the transition from TBK——to Tappara※

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.

First period of success as Tappara (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 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.

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 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.

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. 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.

Home arena※

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.

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. 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. 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※

Updated January 27, 2024.

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
28		Jesper Alroth	D	L	22	2022	Kokkola, Finland
73		Nick Baptiste	RW	L	28	2023	Ottawa, Canada
11		Carter Camper	C	R	36	2023	Rocky River, Ohio
50		Tobias Ekberg	D	L	30	2024	Töreboda, Sweden
86		Philip Granath	RW	R	21	2022	Asker, Norway
17		Nick Halloran	RW	R	27	2023	Draper, Utah
30		Christian Heljanko	G	L	27	2016	Porvoo, Finland
1		Vilho Heikkinen	G	L	26	2022	Haukipudas, Finland
44		Olli Juolevi	D	L	26	2023	Helsinki, Finland
13		Valtteri Kemiläinen	D	R	32	2022	Jyväskylä, Finland
20		Oiva Keskinen	C	L	20	2023	Ylöjärvi, Finland
72		Petri Kontiola	C	R	39	2023	Seinäjoki, Finland
26		Kasper Kulonummi	D	R	20	2022	Helsinki, Finland
76		Anton Levtchi	LW	L	28	2023	Varkaus, Finland
28		Otto Leskinen	D	L	27	2023	Pieksämäki, Finland
90		Heikki Liedes	C	L	31	2023	Helsinki, Finland
22		Oskari Luoto	C	L	22	2021	Lempäälä, Finland
9		Taylor Matson	C	R	35	2024	Mound, Minnesota
91		Petteri Puhakka	RW	L	23	2020	Pyhäjoki, Finland
34		Eetu Randelin	G	L	22	2022	Espoo, Finland
42		Otto Rauhala	C	L	29	2014	Ylöjärvi, Finland
78		Benjamin Rautiainen	C	L	19	2023	Tampere, Finland
31		Topi Rönni	C	L	20	2021	Hausjärvi, Finland
70		Eemeli Saari	D	L	21	2023	Aura, Finland
95		Veli-Matti Savinainen	W	L	38	2022	Espoo, Finland
15		Otto Somppi	C	L	26	2023	Helsinki, Finland
89		Jeremi Tammela	C	R	20	2023	Ylivieska, Finland
27		Kristian Tanus	LW	L	23	2018	Tampere, Finland
63		Joni Tuulola	D	L	28	2021	Hämeenlinna, Finland
33		Veli-Matti Vittasmäki	D	L	34	2021	Turku, Finland
4		Luke Witkowski	D	R	34	2023	Holland, Michigan

Notable players※

• 
  Jarl Ohlson and Vasif Ahsen Böre early 1940s
• 
  TBK in 1945
• 
  Esko Niemi
• 
  Tappara in 1959-60
• 
  Kalevi Numminen
• 
  Janne Ojanen
• 
  Tuukka Mäntylä
• 
  Ville Nieminen
• 
  Jori Lehterä
• 
  Harri Säteri
• 
  Christian Heljanko
• 
  Patrik Laine

Honours※

Champions※

• SM-liiga Kanada-malja (13): 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024
• 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※

• Champions Hockey League (1): 2022–23
• Nordic Trophy (1): 2009
• Champions Hockey League (1): 2021–22
• IIHF European Cup (1): 1980
• IIHF European Cup (2): 1983, 1988
• Tampere Cup (6): 1996, 1999, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022

Retired numbers※

• 2 - Kalevi Numminen
• 3 - Pekka Marjamäki
• 7 - Timo Jutila
• 8 - Janne Ojanen
• 10 - Timo Susi
• 12 - Erkki Lehtonen

Head coaches※

See also※

• Ilves
• Koovee

References※

External links※

• Official website (in Finnish)