Ilves

Ilves is a Finnish sports club based in Tampere. Founded in 1931 as a multi-sport association, the name means lynx in Finnish. The club’s most prominent section is the men’s ice hockey team Ilves Tampere, which competes in Liiga, Finland’s top-tier league.

The team has a long history and is one of the traditional powers of Finnish ice hockey, having won multiple national championships and produced a number of notable players. Ilves plays its home games in Tampere, at a modern arena opened in 2021. Its colors are green and yellow, and the club’s crest features a stylized lynx head. The organization maintains a strong development system and a dedicated fan culture, contributing to its standing in Finnish sports.

Historically a multi-sport club, Ilves has fielded teams in several disciplines beyond hockey, although the hockey section remains its flagship and primary public face. The club participates in city-wide derbies, notably with Tappara, which are among the most attended hockey events in Finland and highlight the club’s enduring presence in Tampere’s sports scene.

Name meaning note: The Finnish word ilves translates to lynx; the term is also used in Estonian with the same meaning. The Ilves brand thus reflects the animal’s emblematic status, linking sport, local identity, and language across contexts.