KalPa

KalPa
City	Kuopio, Finland
League	Liiga
Founded	1929
Home arena	Data Group Areena
Colours
Owner(s)	KalPa Hockey Oy Sami Kapanen Kimmo Timonen Scott Hartnell
General manager	Kimmo Kapanen
Head coach	Pekka Virta
Captain	Mikko Jokela
Affiliate(s)	SaPKo (Mestis)
Website www.kalpa.fi

The Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team who compete in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Data Group Areena.

Team history

Established in 1929 as Sortavalan Palloseura in Sortavala, the club relocated to Kuopio in 1945 after its original hometown had been annexed by the Soviet Union. During its Sortavala years the club was not active in ice hockey, but competed in association football, bandy, and pesäpallo instead. Ice hockey was introduced in 1947, and in 1956 KalPa officially replaced the more traditional Kuopio club KuPS in that sport thus specializing in hockey – minor league football was still continued until 1974 as a farm team of sorts for KuPS.

The full name of the company that runs the representative team today is KalPa Hockey Oy. The majority of the company is owned by NHL players Sami Kapanen and Kimmo Timonen. Kapanen is the majority owner, controlling 50.5% of the franchise. Timonen owns 8%, while Timonen's former teammate Scott Hartnell owns 5%.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout Timonen, Kapanen, and fellow NHL player Adam Hall were playing for KalPa. After winning the Mestis championship, KalPa was returned to the SM-liiga for the 05–06 season, after being relegated 6 years earlier in 1999.

KalPa has won two medals: Silver in 1990–91 season and bronze in 2008–09 season.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell purchased a minority share of the team after getting financial advice from Kimmo Timonen during a road trip to Boston.

Honors

Champions

• Mestis Championship (2): 2004, 2005

Players

Current roster

Updated September 13, 2014.^[1]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
86		Birner, MichalMichal Birner	LW	L	29	2014	Litoměřice, Czech Republic
18		Halonen, AnttiAntti Halonen	D	L	33	2012	Kajaani, Finland
29		Harjama, JoonaJoona Harjama	C	L	22	2012	Hamina, Finland
14		Hyvärinen, ToniToni Hyvärinen	RW	R	27	2014	Kuopio, Finland
22		Ilomäki, ArttuArttu Ilomäki	C	R	24	2013	Tampere, Finland
26		Jokela, MikkoMikko Jokela (C)	D	R	35	2014	Lappeenranta, Finland
84		Junnila, JyriJyri Junnila	LW	R	31	2010	Raahe, Finland
91		Keränen, JanneJanne Keränen	LW	L	28	2014	Nurmijärvi, Finland
37		Kilpeläinen, EeroEero Kilpeläinen	G	L	30	2014	Juva, Finland
16		Kinnunen, SakuSaku Kinnunen	C	L	20	2013	Kuhmo, Finland
5		Koivisto, MiikaMiika Koivisto	D	L	25	2012	Vaasa, Finland
55		Kolehmainen, JanneJanne Kolehmainen	LW	L	29	2012	Lappeenranta, Finland
33		Konttinen, TeroTero Konttinen	D	L	30	2014	Helsinki, Finland
81		Kubalík, TomášTomáš Kubalík	RW	R	25	2014	Plzeň, Czech Republic
20		Liedes, HeikkiHeikki Liedes	W	L	22	2013	Helsinki, Finland
57		Lyytinen, JoonasJoonas Lyytinen	D	L	20	2013	Espoo, Finland
53		Mutanen, SamiSami Mutanen	LW	L	31	2014	Joensuu, Finland
40		Nuutinen, MikkoMikko Nuutinen	F	R	25	2014	Kuopio, Finland
43		Perhonen, SamuSamu Perhonen	G	L	22	2014	Jämsänkoski, Finland
12		Piipponen, TopiTopi Piipponen	F	L	18	2014	Siilinjärvi, Finland
61		Pitkänen, MiikkaMiikka Pitkänen	C	L	19	2013	Kuopio, Finland
50		Riikola, JuusoJuuso Riikola	D	L	22	2012	Joensuu, Finland
28		Rissanen, JaakkoJaakko Rissanen	C	L	26	2014	Kuopio, Finland
13		Ruohomaa, MikaelMikael Ruohomaa	RW	L	27	2014	Alastaro, Finland
25		Seppälä, MikaelMikael Seppälä	D	L	21	2013	Ylivieska, Finland
30		Smura, TuukkaTuukka Smura	G	L	20	2012	Kajaani, Finland
97		Tammela, JonneJonne Tammela	F	L	18	2014	Ylivieska, Finland
46		Timonen, JussiJussi Timonen (A)	D	L	32	2008	Kuopio, Finland
39		Voutilainen, JukkaJukka Voutilainen (A)	C	R	35	2012	Kuopio, Finland

Honored members

• 1 - Pasi Kuivalainen
• 27 - Jouni Rinne
• 44 - Kimmo Timonen

NHL alumni

• Sami Kapanen (1990–94, 2004–05, 2008–10, 2011–14)
• Kimmo Timonen (1991–94)
• Olli Jokinen (1994–95)
• Jussi Timonen (2001–02, 2008–present)
• Adam Hall (2004–05)
• Teemu Hartikainen (2008–10)
• Mikko Koskinen (2011-13)
• Craig Smith (2012)

References

1. "KalPa Hockey Oy - roster" (in Finnish). Kalpa Kuopio. Retrieved 2012-11-26.

External links

• (Finnish) KalPa official web site
• (Finnish) KalPa junior official web site
• Meltzer, Bill NHL.com article on KalPa. Retrieved 07-11-07.