Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
title	SM-liiga
current season	2010–11 SM-liiga season
logo	SM-liiga logo.png
pixels	200px
formerly	SM-sarja
sport	Ice hockey
founded	1975
inaugural	1975–76
teams	14
country	Finland
champion	HIFK
most champs	Ilves (16)
website	www.sm-liiga.fi (Finnish)sm-liiga.fi (English)
ceo	Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen
tv	URHOtv, Nelonen Sport Pro
related comps	Mestis, Suomi-sarja
founder	}}

The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation. SM is a common abbreviation for ''Suomen mestaruus'', "Finnish championship".

In the 2010-11 season there are 14 teams. HIFK is the reigning champion. The SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic promotion and relegation in place between itself and the Mestis, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000. The league was opened in 2005 and allowed KalPa to get a promotion. In 2009 a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the Mestis champion in a best of seven playout series.

History

The SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top level Finnish ice hockey, and pave the way towards professionalism. Its predecessor, the SM-sarja, being an amateur competition, had its disadvantages, which were perceived as impeding Finland's rise to the highest ranks of ice hockey.

One of the main problems was that the governing of the SM-sarja was based on the annual meeting of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, where all important issues were decided by vote. Since all clubs registered under the Finnish Ice Hockey Association had the right to vote, the many amateur clubs prevailed over the few business-like clubs. Therefore, the concentrated development of top-level Finnish ice hockey by the motivated and financially-capable clubs proved arduous. The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

The SM-sarja was also outdated on its own, as it was run according to amateur principles. Clubs were not supposed to pay their players beyond compensation for lost wages. However, by the 1970s many clubs were already run like businesses and recruited players through a contract of employment, paying their wages secretly and often evading taxes. However, in 1974, accounting reform in Finland extended book-keeping standards to cover sports clubs, and shortfalls were exposed in audit raids. The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were also put under a tighter supervision. They were to establish their own association for SM-liiga ice hockey only, separating their commitments from junior activities and other sports. Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance and pensions.

The SM-sarja had other limits for players. According to amateur ideals, no player could represent more than one club within one season. Personal sponsorship was also forbidden. To discourage trading, a system of quarantine was in force. The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list. Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs. In practice the list was not successful, as both parties often worked their way around the formalities.

These changes led to a transition towards professional ice hockey as the league became semi-professional. Only a few players would make a livelihood out of ice hockey in Finland in the 1970s, and many players, especially the young, would settle for a contract in the SM-liiga without a wage.

A major financial development for professional ice hockey in Finland was the introduction of playoffs. Gate receipts and other income from playoffs were pooled and distributed as a placement bonus. Although play-offs were the standard way of determining the champions in North American professional sports, at the time they were not common in Europe.

The SM-liiga was established rather hastily. The required changes were initiated in the 1974 annual meeting, and the SM-liiga was launched for the 1975–76 season. It was the first Finnish professional sports league, and its solutions were untried. However, there had been a mounting demand for these changes, as the popularity of ice hockey had been rising in the previous decade.

The SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs. The four best of the regular season were to proceed to the play-offs. The system of promotion and relegation from the SM-sarja remained in force: last-placed teams of the regular season had to qualify for their position in the SM-liiga against the best teams of the second-highest series.

The combined attendance for the first eleven regular seasons hovered around 900,000. In 1986–87, the number of games for each team was increased from 36 to 44, reaching its current level of 56 games in 2000–01, and the SM-liiga was expanded to 12 clubs for the 1988–89 season. The general popularity of ice hockey strengthened through international success of the Finland men's national ice hockey team, and the combined attendance climbed through the 1990s to about 1.8 million. This prompted an increase in the profitability of the ice hockey business and the completion of the transition to full professionalism. By the mid-1990s, all players were full-time, and by 2000, most clubs had reformed into limited companies.

Since the 2000–01 season, the SM-liiga has been closed, meaning that relegations and promotions take place only by the judgment of the board of the SM-liiga. The only such promotion took place instantly in 2000. Without the threat of relegation, the weaker clubs were supposed to be able to recuperate and improve. This had, however, a side effect: clubs with a losing record that had lost their hopes of reaching the playoffs often disposed of high-salary star players, letting down their supporters. To counteract this, the playoffs were expanded to the best 10 clubs each season from among the 13 total in the league.

Clubs

The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. ''Oy'' and ''Ab'' are short for limited company, ''Oyj'' public limited company and ''Ry'' association respectively. {|class="wikitable sortable" width 85%" |- bgcolor="#efefef" |Team name |Club's registered name |Location |Home venue, capacity |width=50| 2010-11 series standing(playoff standing) |width=50| Championships |- |Blues |Blues Hockey Oy |Espoo |Barona Areena, 7,000 |9th (2nd) |0 |- |HIFK |HIFK Hockey Ab |Helsinki |Helsinki Ice Hall, 8,200 |3rd (Champions) |6 |- |HPK |HPK-Edustusjääkiekko Ry |Hämeenlinna |Patria-areena, 5,360 |7th (wild card) |1 |- |Ilves |Ilves-Hockey Oy |Tampere |Tampereen jäähalli, 7,600 |10th (quarter finals) |16 |- |Jokerit |Jokerit HC Oyj |Helsinki |Hartwall Areena, 13,665 |6th (quarter finals) |6 |- |JYP |JYP Jyväskylä Oy |Jyväskylä |Synergia-areena, 4,618 |1st (4th) |1 |- |KalPa |KalPa Hockey Oy |Kuopio |Kuopion jäähalli, 5,225 |5th (quarter finals) |0 |- |Kärpät |Oulun Kärpät Oy |Oulu |Oulun Energia Areena, 6,614 |8th (wild card) |5 |- |Lukko |Rauman Lukko Oy |Rauma |Äijänsuo Arena, 5,400 |4th (3rd) |1 |- |Pelicans |Lahden Pelicans Oy |Lahti |Isku Areena, 5,534 |14th (did not qualify) |0 |- |SaiPa |Liiga-SaiPa Oy |Lappeenranta |Lappeenrannan jäähalli, 4,847 |12th (did not qualify) |0 |- |Tappara |Tamhockey Oy |Tampere |Tampereen jäähalli, 7,600 |11th (did not qualify) |15 |- |TPS |HC TPS Turku Oy |Turku |Turkuhalli, 11,820 |13th (did not qualify) |11 |- |Ässät |HC Ässät Pori Oy |Pori |Porin jäähalli, 6,500 |2nd (quarter finals) |2* |}

Past participants

Renamed, still in SM-liiga

''JyP HT'' (now ''JYP'')

''Kiekko-Espoo'' (now ''Blues'')

''Kiekkoreipas'', ''Hockey-Reipas'', and ''Reipas'' (now ''Pelicans'')

Relegated prior to 2000

Teams relegated were relegated to second-tier Mestis in the year shown, and are there today unless noted otherwise.

Sport (relegated 1976)

''FoPS'' (relegated 1977, now FPS in third-division Suomi-sarja)

KOO-VEE (relegated 1980)

KooKoo (relegated 1990)

''JoKP'' (relegated 1992, now Jokipojat)

TuTo (relegated 1996)

Format

Regular season: all teams play 60 matches, a quadruple round robin with extra local double rounds (every team plays four matches against every other team, plus two or four extra matches against defined local opponents). Each match consists of 60 minutes regulation time, and in the event of a tie, winner is decided by a four-on-four sudden death, 5-minute overtime. Ties after overtime are decided by a shootout, where each team has three shooters in the beginning. If the game is tied after three shooters, the shootout will be decided by individual shooters against one another until one scores and the other does not.

For the 2010-11 a new addition was introduced. In January 2011, each team will play 2 games (1 home, 1 away) against the same opponent. The match-ups will be decided by a system where the bottom (14th) placed team at that time chooses its opponent 1st, followed by the 13, 12th and so on. The 7th placed team is the last one to choose an opponent. The system has been criticized by many, for reasons such as "awarding" a bad position in the table and the way the match-ups are decided, since there are worries that teams will choose their opponents from the higher profile teams and their biggest rivals to achieve maximum attendance and more income through ticket sales.

''Scoring:'' A win in regulation time is worth three points, a win by sudden death overtime two points and loss by sudden death overtime one point. Teams will be ranked by points, and teams tied by points are ranked by goal differential. Teams tied by goal differential as well are ranked by number of goals scored.

Play-offs: The six best teams at the conclusion of regular season proceed directly to quarter-finals. Teams placing between seventh and tenth (inclusive) will play preliminary play-offs best-out-of-three - the two winners take the last two slots to quarter-finals. Starting from the season 2007-2008 all series since then are best-of-seven. Losers of the semi-finals play a bronze medal match. Teams are paired up for each round according to regular season results, so that the highest-ranking team will play against the lowest-ranking, second highest against the second lowest, and so on. Higher-ranking teams play the first match at home, then by turns away, home, away, etc. Each play-off match consists of a 60-minute regulation time which in the event of a tie is followed by extra 20-minute periods of sudden death overtime, in which the first team to score wins.

''Scheduling:'' The regular season starts around mid-September. It takes a two-week break around the end of October to the beginning of November, when Team Finland plays in a European competition. There is a two-week Christmas break. During Winter Olympic years a break is reserved for the Winter Olympic Games. The regular season is completed around mid-March and preliminary play-offs ensue almost immediately. The play-offs are completed by mid-April, so that all players are available for the World Championships.

Winners

The winners of the playoffs receive gold medals and the ''Kanada-malja'', the championship trophy of the SM-liiga. The winners of the regular season receive a trophy (''Harry Lindbladin muistopalkinto'') as well, though it is considered less prestigious than the bronze medals of the playoffs, similar to the difference in the National Hockey League between the status of the Stanley Cup and the Presidents' Trophy.

Trophies

The following trophies are awarded by the SM-liiga:

Kultainen kypärä - best player as voted by SM-liiga players

Kalevi Numminen trophy - best coach

Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy - rookie of the year

Matti Keinonen trophy - most effective player

Raimo Kilpiö trophy - most gentlemanly player

Urpo Ylönen trophy - best goaltender

Pekka Rautakallio trophy - best defenseman

Aarne Honkavaara trophy - most goals scored in the regular season ("best goal scorer")

Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy - most points scored during the regular season

Lasse Oksanen trophy - best player during the regular season

Jari Kurri trophy - best player during the play-offs

In 1995, the trophies were named after Finnish hockey legends. Before that, trophies were named after sponsors.

References

External links

Official website - Finnish

Official website - English

See Also

Women's Ice Hockey in Finland

List of SM-liiga seasons

SM-sarja

Mestis

Fin 1

ca:SM-liiga cs:SM-liiga de:SM-liiga el:Πρωτάθλημα χόκεϊ επί πάγου Φινλανδίας es:SM-liiga eu:SM-liiga fr:Championnat de Finlande de hockey sur glace gl:SM-liiga hr:Finsko prvenstvo u hokeju na ledu it:SM-liiga lv:Somijas hokeja līga lt:Suomijos ledo ritulio lyga nl:SM-liiga ja:SMリーガ no:SM-liiga pl:SM-liiga pt:SM-liiga ru:СМ-Лига simple:SM-liiga sk:SM-liiga sl:Finska hokejska liga fi:Jääkiekon SM-liiga sv:FM-ligan i ishockey

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
played for	Brynäs IFHämeenlinnan PallokerhoHelsingin IFKNew Jersey DevilsDetroit Red Wings
position	Defense
shot	Right
height ft	5
height in	10
weight lb	191
ntl team	United States
birth date	September 28, 1973
birth place	Dearborn, MI, USA
career start	1995
career end	2011
draft	''Undrafted''

Brian Christopher Rafalski (born September 28, 1973) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman who played 15 professional ice hockey seasons for five teams: 11 in the National Hockey League for two teams (New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings) , three in SM-liiga for two teams (Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho and Helsingin IFK) prior to entering the NHL, and one in Elitserien for Brynäs IF. After struggling to enter the NHL, spending four seasons in European leagues, Rafalski won the Stanley Cup three times, playing in five Stanley Cup finals in his NHL career (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2009.) Rafalski also played for the United States men's ice hockey team in three Olympic ice hockey tournaments (2002, 2006, and 2010).

Playing career

High School

Rafalski played for the Madison Capitals of the USHL and scored 23 points with 12 goals and 11 assists

College and European play

Rafalski played for four years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was a proficient player, scoring 45 points in 43 games in his senior year. He won several awards that season; he was named to the WCHA First All-Star Team, the NCAA West All-Star Team, and the WCHA Defenseman of the Year. With no immediate NHL prospects, Rafalski travelled overseas. He spent the 1995-1996 season with Brynäs IF of the Swedish elite league. After scoring only 9 points in 22 games in Sweden, he then moved to Finland. He played a season for HPK of the SM-liiga, and scored 35 points. He travelled to HIFK in 1997, where he spent two successful years. In his final year in Finland, he scored 19 goals and 53 points in 53 games, and won the Kultainen kypärä, which is the SM-liiga trophy for best player as voted by his fellow players. Notably, he also became the first non-Finnish player to win the award.

NHL career

Rafalski was named by the Sporting News in 1999 as the best hockey player in the world not playing in the NHL. On May 7, 1999, Rafalski was signed by the New Jersey Devils as a free agent. He was 26 years of age at the start of the 1999–2000 NHL season, much older than most rookies, but with four seasons in strong European leagues already under his belt.

As soon as he arrived in New Jersey, Rafalski was teamed with Devils captain Scott Stevens. The two would remain together for five years, until Stevens' retirement in 2004. He finished the season with 32 points. He led all rookie defensemen in plus-minus with a +21 rating, second among Devils defensemen and tied for first for all rookies. Rafalski helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup that year. Along with Calder Trophy winning teammate Scott Gomez, he was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.

Rafalski improved his production in his sophomore season, as he scored 52 points. His 18 points during the playoffs set a team record for defensemen, although the Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In the 2001–02 NHL season, Rafalski continued his scoring ways with 47 points. He was selected to participate in the NHL All-Star Game, but was forced to sit out due to injury. The next season, he once again led all Devils defensemen in scoring with 40 points. He was a vital part of a Devils defense that helped the team win the Stanley Cup again with a seven-game win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in June 2003.

On July 1, 2007, the Detroit Red Wings signed Rafalski to a $30 million, five-year contract. Rafalski had grown up in nearby Dearborn and had been a Red Wings fan for most of his life. He has been teamed with another legendary defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom.

Rafalski set a career high in goals (11) after scoring against the St. Louis Blues on March 5, 2008. He would go on to score 13 goals for the season, amassing that amount in 73 games. On June 4, 2008, Rafalski helped lead the Wings to the Stanley Cup, the third in his career. He helped out the cause by scoring the first Red Wings' goal on the powerplay in the first period to help them defeat the Penguins 3-2 in game 6.

On January 1, 2009, Rafalski scored the game winning goal for the Red Wings in the 2009 Winter Classic, the first NHL game played outdoors in Red Wings history. The Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 6-4.

On May 5, 2009, Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock announced Rafalski would miss Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. It was the first time Rafalski missed the first three games of a series. Rafalski finished the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs with three goals and nine assists as the Red Wings came within a game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

On May 25, 2011, Rafalski announced his retirement from the NHL, walking away from the final year of his contract, citing knee and back injuries.

International career

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Rafalski represented Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal as the US lost to Canada in the finals.

He has continued to represent America in international play, playing in both the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Rafalski played in the 2010 Winter Olympics while filling in as the United States' alternate captain. He scored two goals and assisted on another in the USA's 5-3 win over Canada in group-stage play, which ensured the United States would win their group and earn a bye to the quarterfinals. He finished third in the tournament in scoring (first among defencemen) with four goals and four assists. He was named as the best defenceman of the tournament as well as being named to the tournament all-star team.

Awards and achievements

1995 – Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defenseman of the Year

1995 – Western Collegiate Hockey Association First All-Star Team

1995 – NCAA West First All-Star Team

1997 – Pekka Rautakallio trophy for best defenseman in the SM-liiga

1999 – Matti Keinonen trophy for best +/- in the SM-liiga

1999 – Pekka Rautakallio trophy for best defenseman in the SM-liiga

1999 – Kultainen kypärä award for best player in the SM-liiga

1999–2000 – NHL All-Rookie Team

1999–2000 – NHL Rookie of the Month for February

1999–2000 – Won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils

2002–03 – Won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils

2003–04 – Played in NHL All-Star Game (starter for Eastern Conference)

2006–07 – Played in the 55th National Hockey League All Star Game

2007–08 – Won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings

Best Defenceman of the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament All-star selection of the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament

Personal life

Rafalski and his wife Felicity have three sons; Danny, born in June 1997, Evan, born in October 2000, and Matthew, born in June 2004.

Rafalski is from Dearborn, MI. He has a degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Economics. On a similar note, Rafalski has said during an interview that he is a political buff and frequently listens to Glenn Beck and other talk show hosts, with notable stances taken on issues such as taxation.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |   ! colspan="6" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! +/- ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! +/- ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" | 1990–91 | Madison Capitols | USHL | 47 | 12 | 11 | 23 | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1991–92 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 34 | 3 | 14 | 17 | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1992–93 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 32 | 0 | 13 | 13 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1993–94 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 37 | 6 | 17 | 23 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" | 1994–95 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | WCHA | 43 | 11 | 34 | 45 | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1995–96 | Brynäs IF | Swe.1 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | — | 12 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 1995–96 | Brynäs IF | SEL | 22 | 1 | 8 | 9 | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1996–97 | HPK | SM-l | 49 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 24 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 11 | — | 4 |- ALIGN="center" | 1997–98 | HIFK | SM-l | 40 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 0 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 11 | — | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1998–99 | HIFK | SM-l | 53 | 19 | 34 | 53 | 38 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 14 | — | 4 |- ALIGN="center" | 1999–00 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 75 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 21 | 28 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 9 | 43 | 52 | 36 | 26 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | 7 |- ALIGN="center" | 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 76 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 15 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −2 | 4 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 79 | 3 | 37 | 40 | 18 | 14 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 18 |- ALIGN="center" | 2003–04 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 69 | 6 | 30 | 36 | 6 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2005–06 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 6 | 43 | 49 | 0 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 2006–07 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 8 | 47 | 55 | 4 | 34 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −1 | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2007–08 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 73 | 13 | 42 | 55 | 27 | 34 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 12 |- ALIGN="center" | 2008–09 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 10 | 49 | 59 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2009–10 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 23 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 2010–11 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 4 | 44 | 48 | 11 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −1 | 4 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=3 | SM-liiga totals ! 142 ! 43 ! 68 ! 111 ! — ! 68 ! 30 ! 16 ! 20 ! 36 ! — ! 8 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 833 ! 79 ! 436 ! 515 ! 178 ! 282 ! 165 ! 29 ! 71 ! 100 ! 42 ! 66 |}

International

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" width=40% |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Comp ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" | 1992 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 1993 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 1995 | United States | WC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2002 | United States | OG | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" | 2004 | United States | WCH | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006 | United States | OG | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |- ALIGN="center" | 2010 | United States | OG | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | Junior int'l totals ! 14 ! 0 ! 3 ! 3 ! 4 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | Senior int'l totals ! 26 ! 5 ! 11 ! 16 ! 12 |}

References

External links

Rafalski's U.S. Olympic Team bio

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American ice hockey defencemen Category:American people of Polish descent Category:Brynäs IF players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:New Jersey Devils players Category:HIFK players Category:HPK players Category:Ice hockey people from Michigan Category:Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics Category:Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics Category:Madison Capitols players Category:National Hockey League All-Stars Category:Olympic ice hockey players of the United States Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States Category:People from Dearborn, Michigan Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey

de:Brian Rafalski fr:Brian Rafalski hu:Brian Rafalski pl:Brian Rafalski ru:Рафалски, Брайан sl:Brian Rafalski fi:Brian Rafalski sv:Brian Rafalski uk:Браєн Рафалскі

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
name	Olavi Vauhkonen
team	Jokerit
league	SM-liiga
position	Forward
birth date
career start	}}

Olavi Vauhkonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who currently plays for Jokerit of the SM-liiga.

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:Jokerit players

fi:Olavi Vauhkonen

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
position	Centre
shoots	Left
height ft	5
height in	10
weight lb	176
team	Minnesota Wild
league	NHL
prospect team	Helsingin IFK
prospect league	SM-liiga
former teams	Oulun Kärpät
draft	9th overall
draft year	2010
draft team	Minnesota Wild
ntl team	Finland
birth date	February 26, 1992
birth place	Oulu, Finland
career start	2008 }}

Mikael Antero Granlund (born February 26, 1992) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for HIFK of the Finnish SM-Liiga. He was the ninth overall pick, selected by the Minnesota Wild, in the 2010 NHL Draft.

Playing career

Granlund played junior ice hockey with Kärpät in 2007–08 and 2008–09, averaging greater than a point per game in both seasons, and was named a first-team All-Star by his junior A league in 2009. He gained his first professional experience late that season, making his debut with Kärpät's team in the SM-liiga on his 17th birthday. He played only two games before he became embroiled in a contract dispute with the team. Granlund and his agent alleged that the four year junior contract he signed with Kärpät in 2007 was invalid, because it failed to define what compensation he would get from the team, and that the team had altered the end date on his SM-liiga insurance application from April 2009 to April 2011 without his approval. The team admitted that mistakes were made, but that they were made in good faith as both the team and player wished to get him in their top team immediately.

Arguing his contracts to be void, and considering himself to be a free agent, Granlund signed a contract with HIFK Helsinki for the 2009–10 season; Kärpät challenged his attempts to transfer to HIFK. Granlund sued his old team in July 2009 after Kärpät failed to relent, asking a court to cancel his contracts with them and clear the way for him to play with HIFK. The two sides reached an out of court settlement a month later, allowing Granlund to transfer to his new team. He scored 13 goals and 27 assists in 43 games with HIFK in 2009–10, and was the top rookie scoring 40 points. He was named the winner of the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy as the SM-liiga's top rookie, and with only two penalty minutes in the whole the season, he also won the Raimo Kilpiö trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player. Additionally, Granlund was voted Finland's young Athlete of the Year for 2009.

He has played with the Finnish national junior team at both the Under-18 and Under-20 World Championships in 2009 and 2010. At 2010 U18 Championship Granlund scored most assists with nine, and his total thirteen points was the third best in the tournament, as he helped Finland win its second consecutive bronze medal. At the 2010 World Junior Championship he was Finland's top scorer with seven points as the team finished fifth overall.

Among skaters Granlund was considered the top European prospect for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. While scouts have noted his small size at five feet, ten inches, they are impressed with his vision on the ice. Granlund was selected in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, drafted ninth overall by the Minnesota Wild.

As Granlund's contract ran through the 2010-11 season, he returned to HIFK for one more season. Suffering a concussion in mid-October, Granlund was sidelined for over two months, missing the 2011 World Junior Championship as a result. Acting primarily as a playmaker, Granlund was a key player in helping HIFK win the SM-liiga title. Granlund was second in playoff scoring (5-11--16), behind team-mate Juha-Pekka Haataja (8-8--16).

Following the 2010-11 SM-liiga season, Granlund made his debut with the senior Finnish national team for the 2011 IIHF World Championship. Using the Mike Legg Michigan style scoop in a full-speed variation, Granlund scored a lacrosse style highlight reel goal at the 2011 IIHF World Championship semifinal versus Russia, helping Finland win gold. In May 2011, Dynamo Minsk from KHL has been publicly claiming him since it team drafted him one year prior to the NHL draft .However, because of Finland's mandatory military service requirements, Granlund will remain with HIFK through the 2011-12 SM-liiga season. Granlund himself has stated he's not interested in playing in the KHL but plans to aim for the NHL.

Career statistics

;Regular season and playoffs Fin-Jr B Kärpät KärpätHIFK (ice hockey) HIFK

colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"			! colspan="5"		Playoffs
Season (sports)>Season	! Team		! League		! GP	Goal (ice hockey)>G	Assist (ice hockey)>A	Point (ice hockey)>Pts	Penalty (ice hockey)>PIM	! GP	! G	! A	! Pts	! PIM
2007–08	Kärpät		|		31	22	27	49	20
2008–09	|		Fin-Jr A		35	21	36	57	45
2008–09	|		SM-liiga		2	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	HIFK||		SM-liiga		43	13	27	40	2	6	1	5	6	0
2010–11	|		SM-liiga		39	8	28	36	14	15	5	11	16	4
Sm-liiga totals			! 84		! 21	! 55	! 76	! 16	! 21	! 6	! 16	! 22	! 4

;International

! Year	! Team	! Event	! GP	! G	! A	! Pts	! PIM	! Team result
			6	2	11	13	0	Bronze medal
	Finland		6	2	1	3	0	Seventh place
	Finland	WJC-U18	6	4	9	13	4	Bronze medal
	Finland		6	1	6	7	4	Fifth place
	Finland		9	2	7	9	2	Gold medal
Junior totals			! 24	! 9	! 27	! 36	! 8	!

Awards and honours

Finland}}

! Award	! Year	!
Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy	2009–10
Raimo Kilpiö trophy	2009–10
Kanada-malja	2010–11

References

External links

Mikael Granlund's NHL Draft Prospect Card

Category:1992 births Category:Finnish ice hockey players Category:HIFK players Category:Kärpät players Category:Living people Category:Minnesota Wild draft picks

cs:Mikael Granlund de:Mikael Granlund et:Mikael Granlund fr:Mikael Granlund hr:Mikael Granlund lv:Mikaels Granlunns pl:Mikael Granlund ru:Гранлунд, Микаэль sk:Mikael Granlund fi:Mikael Granlund sv:Mikael Granlund uk:Мікаель Гранлунд