HC Lev Poprad

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HC Lev Poprad
Lev Poprad Logo.png
Full name Hockey Club Lev Poprad
Nickname(s) Lions
Founded 2010
Dissolved 2012
Based In Poprad, Slovakia
Arena Tatravagonka Arena
(Capacity: 4,500)
League Kontinental Hockey League
(2011–12)
Team Colors               
Jerseys for 2011/2012 season

main

Hockey Club Lev Poprad (Lion), was a professional ice hockey team and a former member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) based in Poprad, Slovakia. The Lev existed for only one year, playing in the 2011–12 KHL season.

History

The team was originally called HC Lev Hradec Kralove and was based in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. It had been intended to join the KHL for the 2010–11 season, for which it fulfilled all necessary conditions except that the Czech Ice Hockey Association refused to give permission to the club.[1] Because of that, Lev's management decided to move the club to Slovakia, whereupon it has been accepted by the KHL's administration to participate in the league in the 2010–11 season. However later the KHL excluded the team from the league for the 2010–11 season because the team was not part of any national ice hockey governing body.[2]

Lev's previous logo featured the city name Hradec Králové before relocating.

After further efforts, including joining the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation, Lev Poprad was officially admitted to the KHL in May 2011. During the 2011–12 season, they played in the Bobrov division of the KHL, while HK Poprad continued playing their Slovak Extraliga matches in the same arena.[3]

2011–12 season

Almost two months after being officially admitted to the KHL, Lev announced the signings of the first five players on 30 June 2011. In the final roster, the majority of the players were from Slovakia and Czech Republic. Head coach was Radim Rulík and the team captain was Ľuboš Bartečko. Lev's regular season was planned to start on 10 September 2011 with a match at home against Avangard Omsk,[4] but because of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster, the start of the season was postponed and Lev had their first game on 12 September against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. However, for their first win they had to wait until the sixth game, a 2–0 away win against Dinamo Riga on 26 September. Lev also failed to qualify for the play-offs and ended the season as 21st overall, with 54 points from 54 games. The team's top scorer was Ľuboš Bartečko with 30 points (16 goals and 14 assists).

New team in Prague

Late in the 2011–12 season, a change of owners renewed speculation about a move to Prague, Czech Republic.[5] In March 2012, the Czech Ice Hockey Association granted permission for a KHL team to play in the Czech Republic,[6] and at the end of April, a newly found team with the same name, HC Lev, but as a different organization, officially applied to the KHL to play in Prague.[7] The Poprad-based HC Lev was disbanded after only one season.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime Wins, SOW = Penalty Shootout Wins, SOL = Penalty Shootout Losses, L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points

Season GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts Finish Playoffs
2011–12 54 13 0 3 5 4 29 125 162 54 6th, Bobrov Did not qualify

Franchise history

Milestones

Event Date Details
First KHL match (at home) 12 September 2011 2–4 loss vs Metallurg Magnitogorsk
First KHL point 21 September 2011 3–4 SO loss at Atlant Moscow Oblast
First KHL win 26 September 2011 2–0 win at Dinamo Riga
First KHL shutout 26 September 2011 2–0 win at Dinamo Riga
First KHL win at home 30 September 2011 4–1 win vs Dynamo Moscow

Tatranski Vlci

Affiliated with Lev Poprad were the Tatranski Vlci (Tatra Wolves), a junior team playing in the Northwest division of the Junior Hockey League (MHL). The team consisted of Czech and Slovak players born 1990 or later. They played their home games in nearby Spišská Nová Ves. Just as HC Lev, the Vlci were also disbanded after only one season.

References

See also

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