IFK Helsinki were founded in 1897 and competed in several sports, including athletics, bandy, bowling, football, and of course, professional and junior ice hockey. They started playing ice hockey in 1929 and the club has continued to play in the Finnish top-tier since 1947. IFK are regarded as a traditional team in Finland and have won the national championship seven times, most recently in 2011.

IFK have a strong and well-respected club identity that has its roots in the late 1960s when the legendary Carl Brewer, an NHL veteran and Stanley Cup winner, played for IFK. Hired in 1968 as a playing coach, he brought an NHL style of play to the club and won the national championship in 1969 and 1970. Many former and present NHL players have come through the IFK development system since, including Matti Hagman, Esa Tikkanen, Olli Jokinen, Tuomo Ruutu, Niklas Backstrom, Ville Peltonen, and Mikael Granlund, to name a few.

The team’s fans are regarded as the best and the loudest in the country. Their average attendance has varied between 6,800 to 7,400 in recent seasons and is one of the highest in the league.

IFK have competed in five previous Champions Hockey League seasons. Their most successful season was in 2014/15, when they made it all the way to the Quarter-Finals, where they were eliminated by finalists to be the Frölunda Indians