Tampereen Tappara 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.
Tappara championship squad in 1961
Nokia Arena, Tampere, Finland
Tappara Hall Of Fame
Jarl Ohlson and Vasif Ahsen Böre early 1940s
The SM-liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. 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".
SM-liiga's 30 year anniversary (1975–2005) badge
SM-liiga clubs' former jerseys
Opening match of Tampere Deck Arena: Tappara vs. Ilves in December 2021
SM-liiga studio in the semifinals in 2006