Kiekko-Espoo
Finnish club revived in 2018, now in Liiga.
Kiekko-Espoo is a professional ice hockey club from Finland, founded in 2018 as the successor to the original Kiekko-Espoo team that began in 1984. The men's side competes in the Liiga, earning promotion for the 2024–25 campaign, while the women's team plays in the Auroraliiga and holds the record for the most league championships among all clubs.
The club’s junior teams operate at the national level in the U16, U18, and U20 age groups. Until 2014, the junior teams of both Espoo Blues and Kiekko-Espoo were run under Kiekko-Espoo Juniorit ry. In 2017, Espoon Kiekkoseura and Espoon Palloseura—which had split from the Espoo Blues junior organization—formed their own junior representative team and established Kiekko-Espoo ry. That team competes in the U16, U18, and U20 junior leagues under the name Kiekko-Espoo. After Espoo United collapsed in spring 2018, the organization decided to create an adult representative team for Kiekko-Espoo, which began play in the 2018–19 season in the Suomi-sarja. The following season, the Blues women’s representative team also moved to Kiekko-Espoo.
**History**
**Establishment and first seasons (1984–1998)** The club was founded in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and debuted in the 1984–85 season in the Finnish Second Division. In 1988, it earned promotion to the Finnish First Division, and in 1992 it reached the SM-liiga by defeating Joensuun Kiekkopojat 3–2 in a best-of-five series, with Tero Lehterä scoring the winning goal and Jere Lehtinen providing an assist. Kiekko-Espoo finished 11th out of 12 teams in its first two SM-liiga seasons. The team made its playoff debut in 1994–95, losing to Lukko in the quarter-finals. In 1997–98, Kiekko-Espoo pulled off a major upset by beating regular-season champion TPS in the quarter-finals, ultimately finishing fourth.
**Name change, rebrand, and bankruptcy (1998–2016)** The following summer, the team was renamed the Espoo Blues, taking the name from the dominant color of its home jersey. During the 1998–99 season, the team moved to its current home, LänsiAuto Areena (renamed Barona Areena in 2009 due to a sponsorship change). Early seasons in the new arena were tough, despite signing several high-profile players. The Blues missed the playoffs in 2001 and 2005.
Quick Facts
- Team Name
- Kiekko-Espoo
- Nickname
- fi · Kivikova
- City
- Espoo, Finland
- League
- Liiga
- Arena
- Espoo Metro Areena
- Capacity
- 6,982
- Gm
- Kim Hirschovits (2024–25)
- Coach
- Jyrki Aho (2024–25)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played its first season in the Finnish Second Division. It achieved promotion to the SM-liiga in 1992 by beating Joensuun Kiekkopojat in a best-of-five series, with Tero Lehterä scoring the winning goal and Jere Lehtinen assisting. After two seasons finishing 11th, the team made its first playoffs in 1994–95 and caused a major upset in 1997–98 by beating regular season winner TPS in the quarter-finals, finishing fourth. In 1998, the team was renamed Espoo Blues, moving to LänsiAuto Areena (later Barona Areena). The Blues reached the finals twice (2007–08 and 2010–11), winning silver medals both times, and set a team record of 12 consecutive wins in 2007–08. After financial difficulties and a reacquisition in 2012, the Blues were declared bankrupt in March 2016, finishing 15th.
Following the collapse of Espoo Blues and Espoo United, Kiekko-Espoo was re-established in 2018. The new team began in Suomi-sarja, earned promotion to Mestis, and reached the Mestis finals in 2021–22 (losing to Imatran Ketterä) and 2022–23 (defeating Imatran Ketterä to become champions). The club applied for a Liiga license on 30 October 2023, which was accepted on 20 December 2023, and won the Mestis bronze medal in 2024. The women's representative team moved to Kiekko-Espoo in the 2019–20 season.
Reader's Guide
Kiekko-Espoo represents a notable revival in Finnish hockey, re-establishing itself after the bankruptcy of its predecessor, Espoo Blues, in 2016. The club's history includes significant achievements under the Blues name, such as two Finnish championship titles (Kanada-malja) in 2008 and 2011, and seven Aaro Kivilinna Memorial Trophies. The Blues made history in the SM-liiga by becoming the first team to advance from the wild card round to the semi-finals in 2010–11, and later the first to win a playoff series after being down 0–3 in 2011–12. The current Kiekko-Espoo organization, founded in 2018, does not claim any achievements before that year, but has quickly risen from Suomi-sarja to Liiga, winning the Mestis championship in 2022–23. The women's team holds the most Auroraliiga championships of any club, underscoring the club's broad competitive success. The club's junior teams compete at national levels in U16, U18, and U20, with a history of junior championships dating back to the 1980s.
Did You Know?
- Kiekko-Espoo was originally founded in 1984 and renamed Espoo Blues in 1998.
- The club's women's team holds the most championships in the Auroraliiga.
- The Blues became the first SM-liiga team to win a playoff series after trailing 0–3, in 2011–12.
- Kiekko-Espoo's Liiga license for the 2024–25 season was accepted on 20 December 2023.
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