SM-liiga, colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland.
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13 Facts About SM-liiga
2.
The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, but the league and association have an agreement of cooperation.
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3.
SM-liiga formerly had a system of automatic promotion and relegation in place between itself and the Mestis, the second highest level of competition in Finland, but the automatic system was ended in 2000.
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4.
In 2009, a new system was introduced and it includes the last placed SM-liiga team facing the Mestis champion in a best of seven playout series.
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5.
SM-liiga was constituted in 1975 to concentrate the development of top-level Finnish ice hockey, and pave the way towards professionalism.
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6.
The new SM-liiga was to be run by a board consisting of its participating clubs only and to have an agreement of cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
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7.
The SM-liiga was to allow wages for players, and clubs were put under a tighter supervision.
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8.
Copies of all player contracts were to be sent to the SM-liiga to provide players with adequate security, such as insurance and pensions.
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9.
The SM-liiga stripped the limitations for players, replaced quarantine with a then-modest transfer payment, and introduced the transfer list.
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10.
Players wanting a transfer were to sign up, and the SM-liiga would distribute the right of negotiations to clubs.
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11.
SM-liiga picked up where the SM-sarja left off with its 10 clubs.
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12.
In late 1990s and early 2000s the SM-liiga was the strongest hockey league in Europe and the second strongest in the world.
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13.
Nowadays the SM-liiga is considered one of the strongest leagues in Europe along with the SHL and behind the KHL.
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