(red) and
Tappara (white) line up on the ice after a game at Helsinki Ice Hall during the
2005–06 SM-liiga season. Helsinki Ice Hall has been the
home of
HIFK of the
Liiga since its construction in 1966. The arena has also served as the home of
Jokerit, first from 1967 until the team moved to
Veikkaus Arena (previously Hartwall Arena) in 1997, and again for some of their home games beginning in 2023. Jokerit played their final home game at the Helsinki Ice Hall on 17 February 2026, as Jokerit are scheduled play all of their 2026 playoff home games at Veikkaus Arena, and will move there permanently for the following season. Helsinki Ice Hall used to be the main venue for the majority of important ice sports events and indoor arena concerts held in Finland but, after the constructions of
Gatorade Center in 1990,
Veikkaus Arena in 1997, and
Nokia Arena in 2021, many of the largest events now take place in the newer arenas. Nevertheless, the arena remains an active venue for concerts, conferences, expos and sports events. The arena hosted some games of the
2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The Group A games of the
2022 IIHF World Championship were moved from Helsinki Halli to Helsinki Ice Hall, due to some of the owners of Helsinki Halli being covered by
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) sanctions established following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. ==Names and nicknames==