Ice Hockey World Championship 2022: capacity, year of construction, location - all information about the hall in Helsinki

Created: 04/14/2022, 12:44 p.m

Helsingin Jäähalli in Helsinki © IMAGO/Antti Aimo-Koivisto

The Helsingin Jäähalli in Helsinki, together with the hall in Tampere, is the venue for the 2022 Ice Hockey World Championships, which will take place from May 13th to 29th.

Helsinki in Finland - The famous Helsingin Jäähalli Helsinki celebrated its opening on October 1, 1966, and is characterized by its curved roof.

The two architects Jaakko Kontio (age unknown) and Kalle Räike (73, † 1993) had designed the stadium for the 1965 Helsinki Ice Hockey World Championship.

From the moment it opened, it has been the home arena of ice hockey club Helsingfors IFK.

Their nickname 'Petoluola' - meaning 'cave of the beast' - comes from the fact that the club's logo features a dangerous-looking red panther on a blue background.

The hall is mainly used for hosting ice hockey games.

Concerts, conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and other sporting events also take place regularly in the multifunctional hall.

Visitors will find the ice hockey arena Helsingin Jäähalli in the district of Töölö at Nordenskiöldinkatu 11 - 13. It shares the area with the Olympic Stadium and the two football stadiums Bolt Arena and Töölön Pallokenntä.

The Helsingin Jäähalli as a venue for various events

The ice hockey club Helsingfors IFK has been the home team in the hall since the opening of the Helsingin Jäähalli Helsinki and has successfully played games there over the decades.

The team led by head coach Ville Peltonen celebrated the Finnish championship a total of seven times – for the first time in 1969 and for the last time in 2011. The hall houses the club office and a fan article shop.

Due to its central location, it is easy to reach for events and has gastronomic areas, sky boxes, clubs and VIP rooms.

Since its existence, important sporting events have taken place in the hall:

• from 1966: Games of the Helsingfors IFK as well as various concerts and events

• 2001: The U18 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship

• 2004: the U20 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship

• 2007: the IFC Cheerleading World Championship from November 17th to 18th

• from 2014: the Helsinki International Horse Show with Show Jumping World Cup

• 2016: the U20 Junior Ice Hockey World Championship

• 2021: the Floorball World Championship

• 2022: the Men's Ice Hockey World Championship

The Helsingin Jäähalli Helsinki as the venue for the 85th Ice Hockey World Championships in Finland

The Men's Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland will take place between May 13 and May 29, 2022.

In Finland, Tampere and Helsinki are among the venues.

All Group A matches and two quarter-finals will be played in the Helsingin Jäähalli.

The eight teams that will face off on the ice in Helsinki are: Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Kazakhstan, Switzerland and Slovakia.

The opening in group A take over the two teams from France and Slovakia.

Numerous online sports sites provide information about the latest news, match schedules, tickets and the seating plan in the stadium.

Originally, the Helsingin Jäähalli Helsinki with 8,200 seats for spectators was not intended as a location by the planners of the World Cup.

Rather, the games should be played in the much larger Hartwall Arena with over 13,000 seats.

However, the Russian troops' invasion of Ukraine was accompanied by stricter sanctions, which also affected the owner of the Hartwall Arena.

Because behind Arena Events Oy are three Russian oligarchs: Gennady Timchenko, Arkadi Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg.

As a consequence of the sanctions, all encounters will now take place in Helsingin Jäähalli in exchange.

The International Ice Hockey Federation completely excluded Russia and Belarus from the event.