Kiekko-67

History:

Kiekko-67 was founded in 1967, succeeding ÅIFK. Among its founders was its first chairman, Kalervo Kummola, who subsequently became the Managing Director of SM-liiga (1975-1987), the President of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association (1997-2016) and the Vice President of the International Ice Hockey Federation (2003-2021). He wanted to name team Korpit (Ravens), but the majority preferred a more traditional team name.

The team adopted black and yellow worn by its predecessor. The team became an instant hit and was promoted to SM-sarja for season 1970-71. Its stint in top flight was initially a success and team managed to sensationally beat its local rival TPS, but it struggled the rest of the season and ended up being relegated.

Following the relegation, the team affiliated itself with its former rival, TPS, and became its development team. This arrangement saw many locals hone their skills in the team before becoming stars in TPS. The arrangement came to an end in the late 1990s, following the team's relegation to II-divisioona in 1997. Tougher competition saw the team focus more on amateur and junior hockey.

Former Kiekko-67 players who made it to the NHL include Antti Aalto, Aki Berg, Miika Elomo, Mikko Eloranta, Ruslan Fedotenko, Jani Hurme, Tomi Kallio, Miikka Kiprusoff, Tom Koivisto, Fredrik Norrena, Kai Nurminen, Lasse Pirjetä, Sami Salo and Pavel Torgayev. Jim Bedard had played in the NHL before his time with the team.