View source for 2008–09 Champions Hockey League

{{Infobox sports season
| title            = 2008–09 Champions Hockey League
| league           = [[Champions Hockey League (2008–09)]]
| sport            = [[Ice hockey]]
| logo             =
| pixels           =
| caption          =
| duration         = 8 October 2008 – 28 January 2009
| no_of_teams      = 14 (12 in group stage)
| attendance       =
| TV               =
| season           = 
| season_champs    =
| season_champ_name=
| league_champs    =
| league_champ_name= 
| second_place     =
| MVP              = {{flagicon|FIN}} Ari Sulander (ZSC)
| MVP_link         =  
| top_scorer       = {{flagicon|CAN}} Jean-Guy Trudel (ZSC)
| top_scorer_link  = 
| promote          =
| promoted_from    =
| relegate         =
| relegate_to      =
| playoffs         =
| playoffs_link    =
| conf1            =
| conf1_link       =
| conf1_champ      =
| conf1-runner-up  =
| conf2            =
| conf2_link       =
| conf2_champ      =
| conf2-runner-up  =
| playoffs_MVP     =
| playoffs_MVP_link=
| finals           = Finals
| finals_link      = #Finals
| finals_champ     = {{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]
| finals_runner-up = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]
| finals_MVP       =
| finals_MVP_link  =
| seasonslist      = 
| seasonslistnames = 
| prevseason_link  = 
| prevseason_year  = none
| nextseason_link  = 
| nextseason_year  = none
}}
The '''2008–09 Champions Hockey League''' was the only season of the [[Champions Hockey League (2008–09)]], an [[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]]-organized ice hockey tournament for the best club teams in Europe. 
The season was played with 12 teams from seven countries (two teams each from Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland,
one team each from Switzerland, Germany and Slovakia and a 12th team from one of these three countries, determined in a qualification tournament).<ref name="CHL2">{{cite web | title = Three teams to compete for 12th CHL spot
 | url = http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/article/three-teams-to-compete-for-12th-chl-spot.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=955&cHash=8511afdfb5 | accessdate = 2008-02-05}}</ref>
Every participating team was guaranteed an appearance fee of 300,000 euro and the winner received 1,000,000 euro. Prize money was also be awarded for winning group stage matches (50,000 euro), for the semi-final appearance (200,000 euro) and for the other finalist (500,000 euro).
In total, 10 million euros were distributed, the largest prize sum ever in a European hockey club competition.
<ref name="CHL1">{{cite web | title = Europe's new Club Competition
 | url = http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league.html | accessdate = 2008-01-19| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071226135202/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league.html| archivedate= 26 December 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
The [[ZSC Lions]] from Switzerland won the competition by beating Russia's [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] in the finals.

In December 2013, the IIHF officially announced that they had launched [[Champions Hockey League|a new tournament with the same name]], born out of the [[European Trophy]], starting in the [[2014–15 Champions Hockey League|2014–15 season]].<ref>[http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/8242.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=187&cHash=2bf2ed1463 New era dawns for Europe]</ref>

==Participating teams==
The 2008&ndash;09 edition of the Champions Hockey League is played with twelve teams from Europe's top seven hockey leagues. Ten teams qualified directly for the group stage due to their performances in the domestic leagues. The field was completed with the winner of last season's Champions Cup and one team from the qualifying tournament. The tables below lists these teams together with the reasons for qualifying.<ref name="RoadToCHL">{{cite web | title = Playoffs in Europe's Top-7 Leagues | url = http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league/road-to-chl.html | accessdate = 2008-04-23| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080430023817/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league/road-to-chl.html| archivedate= 30 April 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= yes}}</ref>

===Directly qualified for group stage===

{| class="wikitable" width="75%"
|-
| {{flagicon|RUS}}
| [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]
| [[Magnitogorsk]], [[Chelyabinsk Oblast|Chelyabinsk]], [[Russia]]
| 2008 [[IIHF European Champions Cup]] winner
|-
| {{flagicon|RUS}}
| [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]]
| [[Ufa]], [[Bashkortostan]], [[Russia]]
| [[Russian Super League]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|FIN}}
| [[Kärpät]]
| [[Oulu]], [[Finland]]
| Finnish [[SM-liiga]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|FIN}}
| [[Espoo Blues]]
| [[Espoo]], [[Finland]]
| Finnish [[SM-liiga]] playoff finalist
|-
| {{flagicon|CZE}}
| [[HC Slavia Praha]]
| [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]]
|[[Czech Extraliga]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|CZE}}
| [[HC České Budějovice]]
| [[České Budějovice]], [[Czech Republic]]
| [[Czech Extraliga]] regular-season winner
|-
| {{flagicon|SWE}}
| [[HV71]]
| [[Jönköping]], [[Sweden]]
| Swedish [[Swedish Hockey League|Elitserien]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|SWE}}
| [[Linköpings HC]]
| [[Linköping]], [[Sweden]]
| Swedish [[Swedish Hockey League|Elitserien]] regular-season runner-up
|-
| {{flagicon|SVK}}
| [[HC Slovan Bratislava]]
| [[Bratislava]], [[Slovakia]]
| [[Slovak Extraliga]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|SUI}}
| [[ZSC Lions]]
| [[Zurich]], [[Switzerland]]
| Swiss [[National League A]] champion
|-
| {{flagicon|GER}}
| [[Eisbären Berlin]]
| [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]
| [[Deutsche Eishockey Liga]] champion
|}

<small>Note: Because the Swedish regular-season winner (HV71) also won the play-offs, Linköpings HC as the runner-up of the regular-season will participate.</small>

===Participating in qualifying tournament===
{| class="wikitable" width="75%"
|-
| {{flagicon|SVK}}
| [[HC Košice]]
| [[Košice]], [[Slovakia]]
| [[Slovak Extraliga]] regular-season runner-up
|-
| {{flagicon|SUI}}
| [[SC Bern]]
| [[Berne]], [[Switzerland]]
| Swiss [[National League A]] regular-season winner
|-
| {{flagicon|GER}}
| [[Sinupret Ice Tigers]]
| [[Nuremberg]], [[Germany]]
| [[Deutsche Eishockey Liga]] regular-season winner
|}
<small>
Note: Because the Slovak regular-season winner (Slovan Bratislava) also won the play-offs, HC Košice as the runner-up of the regular-season can participate in the qualifying tournament.</small>

==Qualifying tournament==

Three teams played a qualifying tournament on 12–14 September in [[Nuremberg]], [[Germany]].  A win was awarded 3 points, 0 points for a loss.<ref name="qual">{{cite web | title = Champions Hockey League Qualification | url = http://www.iihf.com/channels0809/champions-hockey-league-qualification/format.html | accessdate = 2008-09-12| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080919071548/http://www.iihf.com/channels0809/champions-hockey-league-qualification/format.html| archivedate= 19 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
[[SC Bern]] won the tournament and qualified as the second team from Switzerland for the group stage of the Champions Hockey League. Bern's Ramzi Abid was the top scorer of the tournament with 3 goals and 1 assist. The matches were attended by an average of 3,426 spectators.<ref name="qual2">{{cite web | title = Champions Hockey League Qualification: Statistics | url = http://www.iihf.com/channels0809/champions-hockey-league-qualification/statistics.html | accessdate = 2008-09-15| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080914013137/http://www.iihf.com/channels0809/champions-hockey-league-qualification/statistics.html| archivedate= 14 September 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#AAAAAA"
!width=165|Team
!width=20|GP
!width=20|W
!width=20|SOW
!width=20|SOL
!width=20|L
!width=20|GF
!width=20|GA
!width=20|PTS
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
|style="text-align:left;| {{flagicon|SUI}} [[SC Bern]]
|2||2||0||0||0||9||5||'''6'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|GER}} [[Sinupret Ice Tigers]]
|2||1||0||0||1||6||7||'''3'''
|- 
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SVK}} [[HC Košice]]
|2||0||0||0||2||7||10||'''0'''
|}

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = September 12, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[Sinupret Ice Tigers]] {{flagicon|GER}}
|score      = 1 – 4
|periods    = ( 0–0, 1–1, 0–3 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|SUI}} [[SC Bern]]'''
|goals1     =
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Nuremberg Arena]], [[Nuremberg]]
|attendance = 7,658
|referee    = 
|referee2   = 
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/1020000003/IHM1020000003901_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = September 13, 2008
|time       = 18:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[SC Bern]] {{flagicon|SUI}}'''
|score      = 5 – 4
|periods    = ( 2–0, 2–3, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SVK}} [[HC Košice]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     =  
|stadium    = [[Nuremberg Arena]], [[Nuremberg]]
|attendance = 1,859
|referee    = 
|referee2   = 
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/1020000003/IHM1020000003902_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = September 14, 2008
|time       = 18:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[HC Košice]] {{flagicon|SVK}}
|score      = 3 – 5
|periods    = ( 0–2, 2–2, 1–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|GER}} [[Sinupret Ice Tigers]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Nuremberg Arena]], [[Nuremberg]]
|attendance = 3,373
|referee    = 
|referee2   = 
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/1020000003/IHM1020000003903_74_3_0.pdf
}}

==Group stage==
The draw for the group stage took place on Friday, 25 April 2008 in [[Zurich]], [[Switzerland]].<ref name="CHLdraw">
{{cite web | title =Champions Hockey League groups drawn  | url = http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/news-singleview-club-events/article/champions-hockey-league-groups-drawn.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=401&cHash=7460f71524 | accessdate = 2008-04-25}}</ref> The twelve teams were drawn into groups of three. Each group played a double round-robin. If the games were decided after 60 minutes, the winner was awarded 3 points and the loser 0 points. In case of a tie, both teams got 1 point and a penalty shoot-out was staged with the winner being awarded a second point. The best team of each group – the two Russian teams Ufa and Magnitogorsk, Espoo from Finland and the ZSC Lions from Switzerland – advanced to the semi-finals.

===Group A===
Eisbären Berlin played their two home games at the new [[O2 World (Berlin)|O2 World]] in Berlin in front of 13,000 and 13,500 spectators, respectively, a Champions Hockey League record. Magnitogorsk qualified for the semi-finals on gameday 5 after winning their first three games. Metallurg's Jan Marek]was the top scorer in group A with 2 goals and 5 assists.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=200|Team
!width=40|GP
!width=40|W
!width=40|OTW
!width=40|OTL
!width=40|L
!width=40|GF
!width=40|GA
!width=40|PTS
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" align=center
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]
|4||3||0||0||1||11||5||'''9'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|GER}} [[Eisbären Berlin]]
|4||2||1||0||1||10||10||'''8'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kärpät]]
|4||0||0||1||3||5||11||'''1'''
|}

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 8, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[Eisbären Berlin]] {{flagicon|GER}}'''
|score      = 3 – 2
|periods    = ( 1–1, 1–0, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kärpät]]
|goals1     =
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[O2 World (Berlin)|O2 World]], [[Berlin]]
|attendance = 13,000
|referee    = {{flagicon|SWE}} Christer Larking
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SWE}} Patrick Sjöberg
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A02_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = October 22, 2008
|time       = 20:30 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|team1      = [[Kärpät]] {{flagicon|FIN}}
|score      = 0 – 2
|periods    = ( 0–0, 0–1, 0–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Oulun Energia Areena]], [[Oulu]]
|attendance = 6,614
|referee    = {{flagicon|NOR}} Ole Stian Hansen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Danny Kurmann
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A05_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 29, 2008
|time       = 20:00 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = '''[[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] {{flagicon|RUS}}'''
|score      = 5 – 2
|periods    = ( 4–0, 0–1, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|GER}} [[Eisbären Berlin]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Magnitogorsk Arena]], [[Magnitogorsk]]
|attendance = 7,701
|referee    = {{flagicon|CZE}} Martin Frano
|referee2   = {{flagicon|CZE}} Vladimir Sindler
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A09_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = November 12, 2008
|time       = 20:30 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|team1      = [[Kärpät]] {{flagicon|FIN}}
|score      = 2 – 3 (SO)
|periods    = ( 1–0, 0–1, 1–1, 0–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|GER}} [[Eisbären Berlin]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Oulun Energia Areena]], [[Oulu]]
|attendance = 4,619
|referee    = {{flagicon|SWE}} Soeren Persson
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Vinnerborg
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A13_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = November 19, 2008
|time       = 20:00 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = '''[[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] {{flagicon|RUS}}'''
|score      = 3 – 1
|periods    = ( 0–0, 2–0, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kärpät]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Magnitogorsk Arena]], [[Magnitogorsk]]
|attendance = 7,593
|referee    = {{flagicon|SUI}} Brent Reiber
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Daniel Stricker
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A17_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = December 3, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[Eisbären Berlin]] {{flagicon|GER}}'''
|score      = 2 – 1
|periods    = ( 1–0, 1–1, 0–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[O2 World (Berlin)|O2 World]], [[Berlin]]
|attendance = 13,500
|referee    = {{flagicon|SVK}} Jozef Kubus
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SVK}} Peter Orszag
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004A22_74_3_0.pdf
}}

===Group B===

Espoo won all 4 of their games and qualified for the semi-final after gameday 5. The top scorer in group B was Bern's Christian Dubé with 5 goals (and 0 assists).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=200|Team
!width=40|GP
!width=40|W
!width=40|OTW
!width=40|OTL
!width=40|L
!width=40|GF
!width=40|GA
!width=40|PTS
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Espoo Blues]]
|4||4||0||0||0||13||4||'''12'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SWE}} [[HV71]]
|4||1||0||0||3||13||18||'''3'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SUI}} [[SC Bern]]
|4||1||0||0||3||11||15||'''3'''
|}

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 8, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[HV71]] {{flagicon|SWE}}'''
|score      = 6 – 2
|periods    = ( 1–0, 2–0, 3–2 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SUI}} [[SC Bern]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     =  
|stadium    = [[Kinnarps Arena]], [[Jönköping]]
|attendance = 6,903
|referee    = {{flagicon|RUS}} Vyacheslav Bulanov
|referee2   = {{flagicon|RUS}} Sergei Kulakov
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B03_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = October 22, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[SC Bern]] {{flagicon|SUI}}
|score      = 1 – 3
|periods    = ( 0–2, 0–0, 1–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Espoo Blues]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[PostFinance Arena]], [[Berne]]
|attendance = 6,756
|referee    = {{flagicon|CZE}} Radek Husicka
|referee2   = {{flagicon|CZE}} Milan Minar
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B06_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 29, 2008
|time       = 20:30 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|team1      = '''[[Espoo Blues]] {{flagicon|FIN}}'''
|score      = 3 – 2
|periods    = ( 2–1, 0–0, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SWE}} [[HV71]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[LänsiAuto Areena]], [[Espoo]]
|attendance = 6,083
|referee    = {{flagicon|GER}} Daniel Piechaczek
|referee2   = {{flagicon|GER}} Wilhelm Schimm
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B10_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = November 12, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[SC Bern]] {{flagicon|SUI}}'''
|score      = 7 – 5
|periods    = ( 1–3, 3–0, 3–2 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SWE}} [[HV71]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[PostFinance Arena]], [[Berne]]
|attendance = 7,057
|referee    = {{flagicon|GER}} Georg Jablukov
|referee2   = {{flagicon|USA}} Rick Looker
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B14_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = November 19, 2008
|time       = 20:30 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|team1      = '''[[Espoo Blues]] {{flagicon|FIN}}'''
|score      = 2 – 1
|periods    = ( 2–1, 0–0, 0–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SUI}} [[SC Bern]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[LänsiAuto Areena]], [[Espoo]]
|attendance = 6,247
|referee    = {{flagicon|SVK}} Vladimir Baluska
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SVK}} Peter Loksik
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B18_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = December 3, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[HV71]] {{flagicon|SWE}}
|score      = 0 – 6
|periods    = ( 0–3, 0–1, 0–2 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Espoo Blues]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Kinnarps Arena]], [[Jönköping]]
|attendance = 5,028
|referee    = {{flagicon|CZE}} Martin Homola
|referee2   = {{flagicon|CZE}} Vladimir Sindler
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004B23_74_3_0.pdf
}}

===Group C===
Salavat Yulaev was the first team of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League to qualify for the semi-finals after winning their first three games. The top scorer in group C was Ufa's Alexander Radulov with 1 goal and 4 assists. 

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=200|Team
!width=40|GP
!width=40|W
!width=40|OTW
!width=40|OTL
!width=40|L
!width=40|GF
!width=40|GA
!width=40|PTS
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]]
|4||4||0||0||0||22||5||'''12'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC České Budějovice]]
|4||1||0||0||3||9||17||'''3'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SVK}} [[HC Slovan Bratislava]]
|4||1||0||0||3||11||20||'''3'''
|}

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 8, 2008
|time       = 20:00 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = '''[[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]] {{flagicon|RUS}}'''
|score      = 7 – 1
|periods    = ( 1–0, 3–0, 3–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC České Budějovice]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 45:19 (ES) 
|stadium    = [[Ufa Arena]], [[Ufa]]
|attendance = 7,835
|referee    = {{flagicon|FIN}} Tom Laaksonen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|FIN}} Sami Partanen
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C01_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = October 22, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[HC České Budějovice]] {{flagicon|CZE}}'''
|score      = 5 – 2
|periods    = ( 1–0, 2–1, 2–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SVK}} [[HC Slovan Bratislava]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Budvar Arena]], [[České Budějovice]]
|attendance = 4,250
|referee    = {{flagicon|GER}} Georg Jablukov
|referee2   = {{flagicon|GER}} Richard Schuetz
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C07_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 29, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[HC Slovan Bratislava]] {{flagicon|SVK}}
|score      = 2 – 4
|periods    = ( 1–0, 1–3, 0–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Samsung Arena]], [[Bratislava]]
|attendance = 5,238
|referee    = {{flagicon|SUI}} Brent Reiber
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Daniel Stricker
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C11_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = November 12, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[HC České Budějovice]] {{flagicon|CZE}}
|score      = 0 – 3
|periods    = ( 0–2, 0–1, 0–0 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Budvar Arena]], [[České Budějovice]]
|attendance = 4,109
|referee    = {{flagicon|NOR}} Ole Stian Hansen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Danny Kurmann
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C15_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = November 19, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[HC Slovan Bratislava]] {{flagicon|SVK}}'''
|score      = 5 – 3
|periods    = ( 3–0, 0–0, 2–3 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC České Budějovice]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Samsung Arena]], [[Bratislava]]
|attendance = 4,880
|referee    = {{flagicon|FIN}} Tom Laaksonen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|FIN}} Jari Levonen
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C19_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = December 3, 2008
|time       = 20:00 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = '''[[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]] {{flagicon|RUS}}'''
|score      = 8 – 2
|periods    = ( 1–1, 4–1, 3–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SVK}} [[HC Slovan Bratislava]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Ufa Arena]], [[Ufa]]
|attendance = 8,292
|referee    = {{flagicon|SWE}} Christer Larking 
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SWE}} Patrick Sjöberg
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004C21_74_3_0.pdf
}}

===Group D===

The winner of group D was not decided until the final game in Prague between Slavia and the ZSC Lions. In front of 8,137 spectators, the Lions won the game 5–1 after scoring 4 goals in the last period. The group's top scorer (and the leading scorer after all group stage games) was Adrian Wichser from ZSC with 9 assists (and 0 goals).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=200|Team
!width=40|GP
!width=40|W
!width=40|OTW
!width=40|OTL
!width=40|L
!width=40|GF
!width=40|GA
!width=40|PTS
|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]
|4||3||0||1||0||20||11||'''10'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC Slavia Praha]]
|4||2||1||0||1||15||15||'''8'''
|- align=center
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linköpings HC]]
|4||0||0||0||4||11||20||'''0'''
|}

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 8, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[HC Slavia Praha]] {{flagicon|CZE}}'''
|score      = 4 – 2
|periods    = ( 2–1, 1–1, 1–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linköpings HC]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     =  
|stadium    = [[O2 Arena (Prague)|O2 Arena]], [[Prague]]
|attendance = 4,108
|referee    = {{flagicon|SUI}} Brent Reiber
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Daniel Stricker
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D04_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = October 22, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[Linköpings HC]] {{flagicon|SWE}}
|score      = 2 – 7
|periods    = ( 2–2, 0–2, 0–3 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Saab Arena|Cloetta Center]], [[Linköping]]
|attendance = 7,961
|referee    = {{flagicon|SVK}} Jozef Kubus
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SVK}} Peter Orszag
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D08_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = October 29, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[ZSC Lions]] {{flagicon|SUI}}
|score      = 4 – 5 (SO)
|periods    = ( 0–1, 1–1, 3–2, 0–1 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC Slavia Praha]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Hallenstadion]], [[Zürich]]
|attendance = 8,220
|referee    = {{flagicon|FIN}} Antti Boman
|referee2   = {{flagicon|FIN}} Jari Levonen
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D12_74_4_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = November 12, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[Linköpings HC]] {{flagicon|SWE}}
|score      = 4 – 5
|periods    = ( 0–2, 3–1, 1–2 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|CZE}} [[HC Slavia Praha]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Saab Arena|Cloetta Center]], [[Linköping]]
|attendance = 6,842
|referee    = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Sami Partanen]]
|referee2   = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Jyri Rönn]]
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D16_74_5_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = November 19, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[ZSC Lions]] {{flagicon|SUI}}'''
|score      = 4 – 3
|periods    = ( 1–1, 2–1, 1–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linköpings HC]]
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[Hallenstadion]], [[Zürich]]
|attendance = 8,574
|referee    = {{flagicon|RUS}} Vyacheslav Bulanov
|referee2   = {{flagicon|RUS}} Rafael Kadyrov
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D20_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = December 3, 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = [[HC Slavia Praha]] {{flagicon|CZE}}
|score      = 1 – 5
|periods    = ( 0–1, 1–0, 0–4 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]'''
|goals1     = 
|goals2     = 
|stadium    = [[O2 Arena (Prague)|O2 Arena]], [[Prague]]
|attendance = 8,137
|referee    = {{flagicon|GER}} Wilhelm Schimm
|referee2   = {{flagicon|GER}} Richard Schütz
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004D24_74_3_0.pdf
}}

==Semi-finals==

The semi-finals were played as two-legged matches. If a game was tied after 60 minutes, it would have been counted as a tie, without a penalty shoot-out taking place. Only if after two games the teams were level on points (i.e. one win each or two ties), a penalty shoot-out was staged to determine the series winner Home ice advantage of the second game went to the teams with the better records in the group stage.

===First Semi-final===
Because both teams from Russia qualified for the semi-finals, they had to play against each other according to the tournament regulations. Salavat Yulaev won the first game in Magnitogorsk with goaltender Alexandr Eremenko stopping 36 shots. The second game in Ufa, however, was won by Metallurg. Therefore, a penalty shoot-out was staged to determine the series winner, which was won 2–0 by Magnitogorsk.

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = 10 December 2008
|time       = 20:00 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] {{flagicon|RUS}}|
|score      = 1 – 2
|periods    = ( 0–0, 0–2, 1–0 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]]'''
|goals1     = 
|stadium    = [[Magnitogorsk Arena]], [[Magnitogorsk]]
|attendance = 7,750
|referee    = {{flagicon|NOR}} Ole Stian Hansen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SUI}} Danny Kurmann
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004225_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = 7 January 2009
|time       = 20:00 YEKT
|team1      = [[Salavat Yulaev Ufa]] {{flagicon|RUS}}|
|score      = 1 – 3 (0 – 2 SO)
|periods    = ( 0–0, 1–0, 0–3 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]'''
|goals1     = 
|stadium    = [[Ufa Arena]], [[Ufa]]
|attendance = 8,500
|referee    = {{flagicon|SWE}} Soeren Persson
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Vinnerborg
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004227_74_5_0.pdf
}}

===Second Semi-final===
Because the [[Hallenstadion]] in [[Zurich]], the home arena of the ZSC Lions, was not available on the semi-final dates, the Lions were forced to play their home game at the [[Diners Club Arena]] in [[Rapperswil-Jona]], about 25&nbsp;km away from Zurich. The ZSC Lions won both their "home" game and the game in Espoo, where they were accompanied by about 600 fans from Switzerland.<ref name="swissfans">{{cite web | title = Swiss Invasion? | url = http://www.championshockeyleague.com/index.php?id=87&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=449 | accessdate = 2009-01-17}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> 

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = 10 December 2008
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[ZSC Lions]] {{flagicon|SUI}}|'''
|score      = 6 – 3
|periods    = ( 1–0, 3–2, 2–1 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Espoo Blues]]
|goals1     = 
|stadium    = [[Diners Club Arena]], [[Rapperswil-Jona]]
|attendance = 6,100
|referee    = {{flagicon|SVK}} Jozef Kubus
|referee2   = {{flagicon|SVK}} Peter Orszag
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004226_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = 7 January 2009
|time       = 20:30 [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
|team1      = [[Espoo Blues]] {{flagicon|FIN}}
|score      = 1 – 4
|periods    = ( 0–2, 1–0, 0–2 )
|team2      = '''{{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]'''
|goals1     = 
|stadium    = [[LänsiAuto Areena]], [[Espoo]]
|attendance = 6,612
|referee    = {{flagicon|GER}} Georg Jablukov
|referee2   = {{flagicon|USA}} Rick Looker
|summary    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004228_74_3_0.pdf
}}

==Finals==

The final was also played as a two-legged match.  Home ice advantage of the second game went to the ZSC Lions which had the better record in the group stage. As in the semi-finals, the Lions were forced to play their home game in [[Rapperswil]] in an arena with only half the capacity of the [[Hallenstadion]] in [[Zurich]]. The game in the [[Diners Club Arena]] was sold out within 30 minutes, leaving many fans without a ticket for the most important game in their club's history.<ref name="zsctickets">{{cite web | title = ZSC game sold out within minutes | url = http://www.championshockeyleague.com/index.php?id=36&cHash=bbec41dd61&tx_ttnews[pointer]=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=444&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4 | accessdate = 2009-01-17}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> 

The ZSC Lions became the first-ever Swiss team to win a major European club competition by winning the Champions Hockey League. After a 2–2 in Magnitogorsk, the ZSC Lions won the return game against Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5–0 to dethrone the 2008 European club champion. ZSC goaltender Ari Sulander was named Champions Hockey League MVP and was the first to hoist the Silver Stone Trophy.<ref name="MVP">{{cite web | title = ZSC Lions win CHL! | url = http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league/statistics.html | accessdate= 28 January 2009 <!--DASHBot-->| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20081220123848/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/club-events/champions-hockey-league/statistics.html| archivedate= 20 December 2008| deadurl= no}}</ref>

{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeeeee
|date       = 21 January 2009
|time       = 21:30 [[Yekaterinburg Time|YEKT]]
|team1      = [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] {{flagicon|RUS}}|
|score      = 2 – 2
|periods    = ( 0–2, 0–0, 2–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|SUI}} [[ZSC Lions]]
|goals1     = Atyushov (51:01) <br /> Rolinek (59:17)
|goals2     = Trudel (9:14) <br /> Wichser (12:05)
|stadium    = [[Magnitogorsk Arena]], [[Magnitogorsk]]
|attendance = 7,700
|referee    = {{flagicon|CZE}} Radek Husicka
|referee2   = {{flagicon|CZE}} Vladimir Sindler
|reference    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004129_74_3_0.pdf
}}
{{Hockeybox2
|bg         = #eeffff
|date       = 28 January 2009
|time       = 19:30 [[Central European Time|CET]]
|team1      = '''[[ZSC Lions]] {{flagicon|SUI}}|'''
|score      = 5 – 0
|periods    = ( 1–0, 1–0, 3–0 )
|team2      = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]
|goals1     = 
|stadium    = [[Diners Club Arena]], [[Rapperswil]]
|attendance = 6,200
|referee    = {{flagicon|FIN}} Tom Laaksonen
|referee2   = {{flagicon|FIN}} Mikko Kekalainen
|reference    = http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/4/IHM004130_74_3_0.pdf
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; width: 20%"
|-
!Champions Hockey League<br />2008–09 Winners
|-
|{{flagicon|SUI|size=100px}}
|-
|'''[[ZSC Lions]]'''<br />'''First Title'''
|}
{{col-end}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://maps.google.fi/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=117163452243948648053.000446245ab57fb2eff20 Google Maps - participating teams]
 
{{European Club Ice Hockey Tournaments}}
{{Wikipedia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Champions Hockey League}}
[[Category:Champions Hockey League (2008–09)]]
[[Category:2008–09 in European ice hockey leagues|1]]