Story Summary
Liiga’s opening-round lineups were published an hour later than usual on Veikkauksen pages on Tuesday after a wide-ranging renewal of Finland’s statistics and results service. The delay occurred because an automated timing setting was overlooked, league digital chief Jukka Sundquist said. Liiga, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Veikkaus have discussed the issue and Sundquist expects a fix by Friday, when the league’s second round is played.
Key Facts
- Liiga opening-round lineups normally appear first on Veikkauksen website at 12:00 local time.
- On the opening day, lineups appeared on Veikkauksen site at 13:00, the same time as they were posted on Liiga’s official site.
- The timing slip coincided with a comprehensive renewal of the statistics and results service used by all Finnish ice hockey leagues.
- The new service was already adopted by other Finnish leagues last spring and was used in Liiga during the recent pre-season.
- Liiga’s operational and digital director Jukka Sundquist confirmed the cause was an unnoticed scheduling setting controlling when lineups are released to different services.
- Sundquist noted the regular season introduces additional variables – registrations, suspensions and other checks – not present during the pre-season testing.
- Liiga, the national association and Veikkaus are jointly involved in correcting the timing so lineups appear at 12:00 on Friday’s second round.
- Sundquist characterised the renewal as a major overhaul, describing it as ‘big, big’ and as a renewal of the heart of Finnish ice hockey’s systems.
- Sundquist expressed cautious confidence about the broader results and said significant work has been done to ensure the system operates as intended.
IHM Discussion
The delay was the first visible issue following the replacement of Finland’s statistics and results service. While the new system was used during the pre-season, Sundquist noted that regular-season registrations, suspensions and other checks introduce additional variables. The immediate cause was an overlooked scheduling setting controlling when lineups were released to different services. Liiga, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Veikkaus are discussing how to restore the usual 12:00 release time by Friday. For now, the issue appears to be a correctable operational problem rather than evidence of a wider failure.
Why It Matters
The delay also underlines the extra demands placed on a new service once regular-season registration and suspension checks are in use. Friday’s release will offer an early indication of whether the timing issue has been resolved.
Mini Q&A
Why were the lineups late on Veikkauksen site?
Liiga’s digital director Jukka Sundquist said an unnoticed scheduling setting in the newly renewed statistics and results system delayed the release, so lineups appeared an hour later than the typical 12:00 posting.
When did the lineups eventually appear?
The lineups were posted at 13:00 on Veikkauksen site, the same time they appeared on Liiga’s official pages.
What broader change prompted the issue?
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association replaced its entire statistics and results service used by all national leagues; Liiga adopted the new service during the pre-season.
Have similar systems been used elsewhere in Finland?
Yes. Other Finnish leagues introduced the new service last spring; Liiga began using it in the recent pre-season.
What will be checked next?
Liiga, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Veikkaus are discussing how to correct the release timing ahead of Friday’s second round. Sundquist said he believed some form of solution could be found by then.
Coach Mark Comment
Major data-platform renewals are inherently risky moments for any league because they shift where and how authoritative information is produced. The key priorities now are clear: contain the issue so routine publication times are restored, run extra end-to-end checks that include third-party partners, and publish a short, transparent post-mortem once the Friday release verifies the fix. That will reassure fans, media and commercial partners that the new backbone is reliable under real-season conditions.
What Comes Next
Liiga’s second round is scheduled for Friday. Sundquist said discussions with Veikkaus were continuing as the parties worked towards having lineups published at the usual 12:00.
IHM Final View
An hour’s delay was an unwelcome opening-day issue, but the stated cause was an overlooked timing setting in a newly implemented results service. Liiga, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Veikkaus are working towards a solution before Friday’s second round, when the usual release time will face its next test.