Going to SM-Liiga games this season and have some ?'s
 

At the end of November, I am flying to Finland and plan on seeing 3 games while I'm there.

Kärpät vs. Lukko on Nov. 29
HIFK vs. JYP on Nov. 30
Ilves vs. Pelicans on Dec. 1

Someone told me that buying tickets in advance wasn't necessary as games don't sell out. But I don't want to be waiting in line forever either. I looked to see if tix are available online right now and they are not. When do they go up for sale? So in advance or at the arena? Does it cost more if I buy at the arena?

I also want to see Helsingin jäähalli and the Hakametsä in Tampere, but couldn't find online if they have normal business hours when a game isn't going on. I would love to see inside the rinks.

How early should I get to the arena before game time and when do they open before a game?

Do most teams fanshops have the official jerseys the players wear? The ones with all the ads, not the blank replicas.

I know I have a lot of questions but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

For some that might be a bit depressing time to visit Finland as it’s dark and there’s not necessarily much snow on the ground to light things up.

According to the official SM-liiga website the schedule stands as following:
Lukko - Kärpät (Lukko is the home team so the game is played at Rauma)
JYP - HIFK (JYP is the home team so the game is played at Jyväskylä)
Pelicans - Ilves (Pelicans is the home team so the game is played at Lahti)

All of those home teams have a smaller arena, so it would be advisable to get tickets beforehand, especially if you want good tickets. Also, games on Friday and Saturday tend to lure in more spectators, so take that into consideration. JYP-HIFK might sell out, Pelicans-Ilves isn't out of the question either if Pelicans gets a good start to the season.

From a travel point of view a different schedule might be easier. Either Blues-Pelicans or Jokerit-Tappara on Thursday in Helsinki/Espoo region, Ilves-Kalpa on Friday in Tampere and you have plenty of options where to go for Saturday, one of them being HIFK-Blues in Helsinki.

I believe the doors are often opened one hour before the match.

I cannot change the schedule as my flight and hotel is booked. I am hoping that if I check each teams respective ticket websites very frequently, I should be able to secure some tickets if I get them first thing.

Not sure if I'm up-to-date with this info, but I believe many teams sell their tickets online here. Only Tappara's home games are available there at the moment, but check again in a few weeks and things might look different. You will certainly be able to secure good tickets in advance if you buy them in September or October.

JYP - HIFK: Definately will sell out. There is already heat with these 2 teams in the preseason.

In what city will you stay during your travel? will you rent a car or go by train/bus to the games?

Welcome on enjoy your visit!

I will be staying in Helsinki and I will be taking the train to the games. Except for the Rauma game which I have to take the bus.

Think I would look into Tormentor's ideas in terms of logistics - particularly if you're staying in your hotel all three nights as geographically you are heading in different directions. If you stayed in Tampere after the Ilves-Kalpa game you'd probably get to see the Hakametsa on Saturday morning/afternoon and may even get to see some pretty good junior hockey depending on your itinerary.

You should definedly buy the tickets earlier. The good tikets will sell out weeks before games, atleastin KalPa's home games. I dont see it being really different in any other games. Maybe some tickets are left in the gameday, but they are for worst seats. Many games also are totall sell-out.

I recommend going to the arena half hour before game, but if you wanna drink some beer before the game or something else, then take like hour.

I bet other teams sell fan gear in the areena too. Most teams have webshops, like KalPa at http://www.kalpashop.fi/. Also KalPa has their own strore on Kuopio, close to the marketplace.



Gonna be intresting season, if we have NHL lockout its sad, but then we have change to have good players around here. Scott Harnell could play in KalPa and Teemu Selänne in Jokerit for example. :)

For this game you should buy ticket in advance. There is 99% change that it will sold out. If you want seat for good place, be well in advance. I will put the link to the ticket-shop when next season tickets are for sale if i dont forget :)

here is JYP's (office) phonenumber: +358207931000
And here is (email) the person responsible for tickets mari.minkkinen@jypliiga.fi

I did manage to get a glass seat for the Pelicans game:yo: I just can't believe that Lukko and JYP tickets aren't available yet.

JYP's tickets came for sale today.
Here is the http

I just got my tickets for JYP and Lukko. First row for both! I am very excited about my trip and can't wait to see some SM-Liiga hockey! Tickets are VERY reasonably priced. To get one glass ticket to an NHL game in St. Louis is 3 to 4 times more expensive.

FYI, first row might not be so good in SM-liiga as in the NHL. I'd personally sit up "higher" to get a better view of the ice. This from my experiences in Rauma and Turku (granted those were over a decade ago).

I have to say that I wouldn't recommend a travel plan like this. You’ll be spending a lot of time on the road and there’s not that much room for error.

Back and forth trip between Helsinki and Rauma takes 8 to 9 hours by bus. The game in Rauma ends at approximately 20:45, the last two buses to Helsinki leave at 22:00 and 22:10. The first option takes 4 hours and you’ll have to change the bus on the fly in Huittinen. The second option takes 4 hours and 35 minutes, and you’ll have 15 minutes to change the bus in Turku.

Taking a train from Jyväskylä to Helsinki is easier and far more comfortable, but you have to remember that the last train to Helsinki leaves at 21:33, that’s approximately 45 minutes after the match ends and you’ll have one and a half miles to walk between the Arena and the travel centre. Remember that getting a taxi quickly during Friday night isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

... And like Jussi mentioned, first row seats often aren't that great in Finland. Definitely not exquisite like in the NHL, sometimes quite the opposite.

I really wish I knew about front row seats being bad before I bought non-refundable tickets.

Yes I know the Rauma trip will be a pain. I made a mistake in planning the trip because when I got SM-Liiga's schedule, I automatically assumed that TEAM A vs. TEAM B meant TEAM A was the visiting team, but apparently it is the opposite like good seats being farther back?

Maybe I will look into getting a hotel for that night and taking a train to Tampere then onto Jyväskylä the next day.

Consider skipping the trip to Rauma altogether and going to one of the two games in Helsinki region that day (Jokerit-Tappara or Blues-Pelicans). Either that or you can take a one hour train journey to Hämeenlinna and see HPK-Ässät. The hockey is the same and you don’t have to spend half a day sitting in a bus.

Dude, you can always ask questions about seats, games and travel. The front row isn't disaster in Jyvaskyla especially against HIFK. It should be intensive game.

Yea, front row seats aren't horrible. Most people I know just don't like to sit in the first rows because you can't see the entire ice at the same time. That doesn't mean that the front-row seats are bad because you can feel the intensity much better there.

Sorry I got so aggro. Trip planning is stressful. JYP88, will you be going to the game?

I still think it is weird that teams sell merchandise in grocery stores over there. What exactly do they sell?

I don't live in Jyvaskyla so i dont know for sure can i be on the spot 30,november. But i have some friends who lives there if you need some guidance. please let me know.

Just call the lippupalvelu (thats what sells sm-liiga tickets i think) and tell the situation, I think they will change it when you tell you're coming from germany and stuff and mixed up because the marking of the tickets is different!

http://www.lippupalvelu.fi/?language=en-us

If you can do it via email, it should be better. The phoning costs 2€ a min :shakehead

If you used mari.minkkinen@jypliiga.fi for buying im sure you can use that this time too. I successed changing my world championships tickets for another game, so you have chance.

Hi guys,

I have a question (probably) on Jokerit fans here. I'm considering attending their game against Pelicans on Monday and I have a question about tickets - is it usually possible to get a (good) ticket at the game or do I have to buy it in advance? And is there any way to buy it in advance other than through lippu.fi (where I have to pay additional €2.5 even when I print the ticket myself)?

Thanks for your help!

It's monday and opponent Pelicans, so no problem at buying the ticket in the arena before the game.

I have been meaning to write about the games I went to. I had an amazing time in Finland. The people were very nice and helpful. I was amazed at the level of trust in the country. You can take a book bag in stores and nobody locks their bikes. I ended up not going to the JYP game because I was late in getting to Tampere due to the weather. Of the two games I saw, I enjoyed the Pelicans game the most.

It was still worth the bus ride to Rauma. Seeing a pro game in an arena that small was a unique experience. I did have visibility problems with the seats here, but in Lahti it wasn't as bad. It was the coldest arena I have been in. Weren't many Oulu fans there either. During the 1st intermission Jason Demers told the coach: "we need to f**ing quit taking so many f**ing penalties."

The Pelicans game was awesome! Nearly a packed house with lots of cheering and singing supporters for both teams. At least 100 Ilves fans were there. The only authentic teal jerseys they had were game worns that were like 500 Euro, but I was able to get a white game worn for only 50 Euro! It was an Aleksei Blomqvist jersey from a few years ago, but I didn't care. The coolest part of all was during the 2nd intermission. The Ilves coaches walked right by me and I said to Raimo Helminen: "Mr. Helminen, can I shake your hand?" And he shook my hand! Awesome! :yo:

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip :)