HIFK Helsinki Women
[2] HIFK Helsinki Women
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Wikipedia - HIFK Naiset
HIFK Naiset, also known as Stadin Gimmat (lit. 'Girls of Stadi', a nickname for Helsinki), is an ice hockey team in the Finnish Auroraliiga. They play in the Pirkkola district of Helsinki at the Pirkkolan jäähalli (lit. 'Pirkkola ice hall'). The team is the representative women's ice hockey team of the multisport club Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (abbreviated IFK Helsingfors/IFK Helsinki or HIFK) and is operated by Oy HIFK-Hockey Ab, the same organization that owns the HIFK men's ice hockey team of the Liiga – HIFK Naiset are one of only two Auroraliiga teams owned directly by a Liiga team.
The original HIFK Naiset was one of the ten founding teams from the inaugural 1982–83 Naisten SM-sarja season but they were financially relegated in 1989 and the club chose not to pursue women's ice hockey for the following several decades. The current team was established in 2018 and gained promotion to the Auroraliiga (then called the Naisten Liiga) from the second-tier Naisten Mestis at the end of their debut season in 2018–19.
HIFK-Stadin Gimmat has two affiliate teams, HIFK Akatemia and HIFK Challenger (known as HIFK U18 from 2018 to 2023), which are active in the Naisten Mestis and Naisten Suomi-sarja, respectively.
History
Original team, 1982–1989
HIFK Naiset was one of the original ten teams to play in the inaugural season, 1982–83, of the Naisten SM-sarja (lit. 'Women's Finnish Championship Series'; renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017 and Auroraliiga in 2024). The team struggled early on, forced to compete with fellow Helsinki-based team Helsingin Jääkiekkoklubi (HJK) for top talent. HIFK finished in the bottom half of the league in their first five seasons, ranking seventh of ten teams in 1982–83, ninth of twelve in 1983–84, eighth of thirteen in 1984–85, fifth of eight in 1985–86, and sixth of eight in 1986–87.
The team's fortunes turned in the 1987–88 season and they earned a 7-2-5 (win-tie-loss) record with a +3 goal difference and claimed third place in the Naisten SM-sarja playoffs, earning Finnish Championship bronze. With a 1988–89 roster that included three members of the newly-created Finnish women's national ice hockey team – defensemen Johanna Ikonen and Maria Turki (Novitsky), and forward Ulla Saarikko – HIFK continued their upward trajectory, posting an 8-2-4 record with a +20 goal differential and claiming Finnish Championship bronze for the second consecutive season.
Despite the marked improvement of the team, HIFK was financially relegated after the 1988–89 season and no senior women's representative team or any programs for women and girls existed in the club for the following twenty-five years.
The team's roster is made up of talented athletes who are dedicated to the sport and have a strong passion for representing their city and country in international competitions. HIFK Helsinki Women has a rich history of success in the league, with multiple championship titles to their name.
Fans of the team can expect fast-paced and exciting games when they watch HIFK Helsinki Women take the ice. With a strong coaching staff and a roster of talented players, the team is always a formidable opponent for any team they face.
Overall, HIFK Helsinki Women is a respected and admired team in the world of women's ice hockey, and they continue to inspire fans with their skill, determination, and sportsmanship on and off the ice.