Helsinki Halli

(Redirected fromHartwall Areena)

Helsinki Halli(formerlyHartwall Arena) is a large multi-functional indoorarenalocated inHelsinki,Finland.It was opened in April 1997. The arena is convertible for various events. The total seated capacity duringice hockeygames is 13,349 (about 14,000 for basketball, forconcertsup to 15,000) and as anamphitheatre,it is significantly reduced to between 3,000 and 5,000.

Helsinki Halli
Helsingin areena, Helsingforsarenan
Map
Former namesHartwall Areena (1997–2014)
Hartwall Arena (2014–2022)
AddressAreenankuja 1, Helsinki
LocationHelsinki,Finland
Coordinates60°12′20.66″N24°55′44.03″E/ 60.2057389°N 24.9288972°E/60.2057389; 24.9288972
OwnerArena Events Oy (Reima Södervall, Heikki Viitikko)
Capacity14,000 (basketball)
13,349 (ice hockey)
7,500–15,000 (concerts)
3,000–5,000 (amphitheater)
SurfaceVersatile
Construction
Broke ground2 April 1996
Opened19 April 1997
Renovated2015
Closed2 March 2022
ReopenedSpring 2025
Construction cost300,000,000mk
(69,000,000 in 2018 euros)
ArchitectSCI Architects
Project managerHarry Harkimo
Main contractorsSkanska
Tenants
Jokerit(1997–2022)

The formerly[1]Russian-owned arena has been unused since March 2022 due to EU sanctions related to theRussian invasion of Ukraine.The main sponsor,Hartwall,also ended its sponsorship and the arena's name was changed.[2]

Construction and facilities

edit

The initiative for building the arena came fromHarry "Hjallis" Harkimoin 1994. It was built to be ready for theIce Hockey World Championshipsin 1997, and was delivered by the constructor on 11 April 1997. The building is elliptical, 153 metres long and 123 metres wide. It also has a practice arena 37 metres underground, used by many hockey teams. It is connected to amulti-storey carpark,which has a total capacity of 1,421 vehicles.

The arena is situated next toPasila railway station,which is the second busiest railway station in Finland, 3.5 km north of theHelsinki Central railway station.

Other and former names

edit
Hartwall Areena in 2013.

The national broadcasterYlecalls the arena "Helsingin areena" or "Helsingforsarenan" ( "the Helsinki Arena" in Finnish and Swedish). The newspaperHelsingin Sanomatcalls it "Helsinki-areena".

It was branded as "Hartwall Areena" from its opening until 2014, and as "Hartwall Arena" thereafter until 2 March 2022.[3]The beverage companyHartwall,also based in Helsinki, was its largest sponsor, and thus got thenaming rights.[4]Hartwall ended its sponsorship in March 2022, to avoid association with the then-Russian owners of the arena,Roman RotenbergandGennady Timchenko,[5]in the wake of theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[4]In September 2024, theFinnish governmentannounced that it would spend €200,000 on drafting a law that would allow the seizure of the arena from Rotenberg and Timchenko.[6]That November, Rotenberg and Timchenko sold their ownership of the arena to Finnish real estate investment company Trevian,[1][7]with its CEO Reima Södervall along with Heikki Viitikko planning to have the venue reopened by early 2025.[8]

Events

edit

Entertainment

edit

Sports

edit

The arena was the home venue of the ice hockey teamJokerit.

The arena has also been used forIce Hockey World Championships,World Figure Skating Championships,NHL Challenge,andWorld Cup of Hockey.On 2 October 2009, the NHL opened its season in the arena with a matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers, making it the first NHL game to be held in Finland. In May 2011, the arena served as the main venue of the2012 IIHF World Championship.It hosted all Group A games and quarterfinals, all semifinals and the bronze and gold medal games. Group B games and quarterfinals were hosted inEricsson Globe,Stockholm.It also co-hosted the2013 IIHF World Championshipwith Ericsson Globe, but in 2013 all games after quarterfinals were played in Stockholm.

The arena was one of the host venues of the2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.Its assignment included hosting the gold-medal game, in whichKasperi Kapanenscored an Overtime goal to win Gold for Finland on home ice.

One of the group stages ofEuroBasket 2017,was also played at the arena.

The arena hosted two 2018–19 regular season NHL games between theWinnipeg JetsandFlorida Pantherson Thursday, 1 November 2018 and Friday, 2 November 2018 as part of the 2018 NHL Global Series.[9]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^abLempinen, Marko (12 November 2024)."Nyt se on vihdoin totta: Entinen Hartwall-areena on myyty – tässä ovat ostajat".Ilta-Sanomat(in Finnish).Retrieved12 November2024.
  2. ^Palkoaho, Milla (25 August 2022)."Julkisuutta kaihtava sijoittaja haluaa palauttaa Jokerit" Hartwall-areenalle "– Paavo Arhinmäki selittää vaikeaa haastetta".Helsingin Sanomat(in Finnish).Retrieved15 September2022.
  3. ^ Tuominen, Antti (14 August 2014)."Helsinki Areena uudistuu: sponsorinimestä katosi kirjain, katsomo sai jättinäytön"(in Finnish).Yle.Retrieved6 March2022.
  4. ^ab Hyyppä, Emma; Niemeläinen, Jonne (2 March 2022)."Hartwall Arenan nimikyltit otettiin pois Helsingin areenasta – katso kuvat ja video historiallisesta hetkestä"(in Finnish).Yle.Retrieved6 March2022.
  5. ^ Vuorikoski, Salla; Pietiläinen, Tuomo (2 March 2022)."Hartwall-areenasta tuli Helsinki-halli, kun sen omistajat olivat lopulta Hartwallille liikaa – OP on pyörittänyt oligarkkien hallin pankkipalveluita"(in Finnish).Helsingin Sanomat.Retrieved6 March2022.
  6. ^Maxim, Klimentiev (18 September 2024)."The Government of Finland has announced that it is ready to spend €200,000 on drafting a law that would allow the seizure of the stadium in Helsinki from Rotenberg and Timchenko".The Bookmaker Ratings.
  7. ^"IS: Helsingin areena on myyty".Yle Uutiset(in Finnish). 12 November 2024.Retrieved12 November2024.
  8. ^"Heikki Viitikko ja Reima Södervall ostivat Helsingin areenan – tämä heistä tiedetään".Yle Uutiset(in Finnish). 13 November 2024.Retrieved13 November2024.
  9. ^ Bell, Jason (6 March 2018)."Jets, Panthers to play in Finland on Nov. 1, 2".Winnipeg Free Press.Retrieved6 March2022.
edit

Media related toHartwall Arenaat Wikimedia Commons

Events and tenants
Preceded by Jokerit
Home arena

1997–present
Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest
Venue

2007
Succeeded by