Kontinental Hockey League: Difference between revisions

From International Hockey Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
(4 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox sports league
{{Infobox sports league
| title          = Kontinental Hockey League
| title          = Kontinental Hockey League
| current_season = 2018–19 KHL season
| current_season = 2023–24 KHL season
| logo          = KHL logo shield 2016.png
| logo          = KHL logo shield 2016.png
| pixels        = 200px
| pixels        = 200px
Line 11: Line 11:
| motto          = Хоккей – наша игра! ''Khokkey - nasha igra!'' (''Hockey is our game!'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.khl.ru/video/1295/ |title=Новый игровой ролик КХЛ "Пробка" |publisher=khl.ru |accessdate=2010-08-16 |language=Russian}}</ref>
| motto          = Хоккей – наша игра! ''Khokkey - nasha igra!'' (''Hockey is our game!'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.khl.ru/video/1295/ |title=Новый игровой ролик КХЛ "Пробка" |publisher=khl.ru |accessdate=2010-08-16 |language=Russian}}</ref>
| inaugural      =
| inaugural      =
| teams          = 24
| teams          = 23
| country        = {{Flagicon|BLR}} [[Belarus]] (1 team)<br />{{Flagicon|CHN}} [[China]] (1 team)<br/>{{FIN}} (1 team)<br/>{{KAZ}} (1 team)<br /> {{Flagicon|LAT}} [[Latvia]] (1 team) <br />{{RUS}} (19 teams)  
| country        = {{Flagicon|BLR}} [[Belarus]] (1 team)<br />{{Flagicon|CHN}} [[China]] (1 team)<br/>{{KAZ}} (1 team)<br /> <br />{{RUS}} (20 teams)  
| champion      = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[HC CSKA Moscow]] (1st title)
| champion      = {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] (3rd title)
| most_champs    = [[Ak Bars Kazan]] (3)
| most_champs    = [[HC CSKA Moscow]]<br>[[Ak Bars Kazan]]<br>[[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] (3)
| qualification  =
| qualification  =
| folded        =
| folded        =
Line 26: Line 26:
}}
}}
[[File:KHL logo shield.png|thumb|250px|Original logo until 2016]]
[[File:KHL logo shield.png|thumb|250px|Original logo until 2016]]
The '''Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)''' (Russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига, Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It is commonly considered to be the strongest hockey league in Europe, and the second-best in the world.
The '''Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)''' (Russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига, Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in [[Russia]] (19), [[Belarus]] (1), [[Kazakhstan]] (1) and [[China]] (1) for a total of 22 clubs.


The league was formed in 2008, from a predecessor organization, the [[Russian Superleague]] (RSL). The KHL began its operations with 24 teams. After minor changes in the composition of the Russian teams and even a reduction to 23 teams for two seasons, the league expanded to 26 teams for the 2012–13 season: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl returned after missing last season due to the air disaster in 2011, Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia and HC Donbass from Donetsk, Ukraine joined the league, while Lev Poprad were replaced by Lev Praha, a team with the same name, but based in Prague, Czech Republic. Thus, for the first time, the league consists of 26 teams, of which 20 are based in [[Russia]] and 6 more are located in [[Belarus]], [[Croatia]], [[Finland]], [[Latvia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and [[Slovakia]].
It was considered in 2015 to be the premier professional ice hockey league in Europe and Asia, and the second-strongest in the world behind North America's [[National Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6876&cHash=60f30f7f072dfbdf8e5b4c471559f28f|title=World of difference for KHL?|publisher=iihf.com|date=7 May 2012|access-date=14 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ranking the Top Ten Hockey Leagues|url=http://thehockeywriters.com/ranking-the-top-ten-hockey-leagues/|website=The Hockey Writers|date=10 January 2015}}</ref> The KHL had in 2017 the highest total attendance in Europe with 5.32 million spectators in the regular season<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Хоккей. КХЛ. Регулярный чемпионат 2016/2017 – Факты|url=https://www.championat.com/hockey/_superleague/1770/tournir/info.html|website=Championat.com}}</ref> and third-highest average attendance in Europe with 6,121 spectators per game in the regular season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/attendance-2016-2017/|title=KHL is on the 3rd place by attendance|website=IIHF|access-date=4 June 2017}}</ref>  The [[Gagarin Cup]] is awarded annually to the league's playoff champion at the end of each season. The title of Champion of Russia is given to the highest-ranked Russian team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/official/22007/|title=About the KHL|publisher=khl.ru|access-date=30 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208053218/http://en.khl.ru/official/22007/|archive-date=8 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>


The winner of the 16-team playoff after the end of the regular season is awarded the [[Gagarin Cup]], named after the first man to reach space and orbit the Earth, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The title of Champion of Russia is given to the highest ranked Russian team.
==History==
The league formed from the [[Russian Superleague]] (RSL) and the champion of the [[2007–08 Vysshaya Liga season|2007–08 season]] of the [[Vysshaya Liga|second division]], with 24 teams: 21 from Russia and one each from [[Belarus]], [[Latvia]], and [[Kazakhstan]]. The teams were divided into four divisions.


Russians constitute a large majority of the players in the KHL because of its origins as the Soviet and Russian national league. Players not from Russia represent a minority of 33% of the KHL players, and are mostly Eastern European (17.0%), Scandinavian (7.7%), and North American (4.6%). In 2011–12, there were 701 players in the league.
The start of the [[2011–12 KHL season|fourth season]] was overshadowed by the [[2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash]] on 7 September 2011 in which almost all members of the team [[Lokomotiv Yaroslavl]] lost their lives shortly after take-off for their flight to their season-opening game in Minsk. The [[Opening Cup]] game in Ufa, which was already underway when news of the disaster arrived, was suspended. In memory of the disaster, 7 September remained a day of mourning on which no KHL regular-season games took place,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2013/09/07/25234.html |title=Day of Remembrance in honor of Lokomotiv |date=7 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222101424/http://en.khl.ru/news/2013/09/07/25234.html |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref> until after the [[2017–18 KHL season]]. Journalist Vsevolod Kukushkin acted as the first press secretary for the league, after it evolved from the Superleague.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/russian-professional-hockey-league-mounts-challenge-to-nhl|title=Russian professional hockey league mounts challenge to NHL|date=11 September 2008|magazine=The Hockey News|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref>


Despite the word "Continental" traditionally being spelled with a C and not a K in the English language, the KHL transliterates the word with a K to distinguish it from numerous leagues that are abbreviated as CHL, such as the Canadian Hockey League and the Central Hockey League, and so that its abbreviation can look similar in both the Cyrillic and Roman alphabets.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the [[National Hockey League]] suspended operation of its Memorandum of Understanding with the KHL.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolschram/2022/03/08/nhl-suspends-dealings-with-khl-as-russias-ukraine-invasion-impacts-hockey-world/|title=NHL Suspends Dealings With KHL As Russia's Ukraine Invasion Impacts Hockey World|first=Carol|last=Schram|website=Forbes}}</ref> An NHL memo instructed NHL teams to "immediately cease all dealings [direct or indirect] with the KHL and KHL Clubs [and all representatives of both], as well as with player agents who are based in and continue to do business in Russia."<ref name="auto"/>


==Team changes==
==Team changes==
In season 2009-10 joined team [[Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg]] and [[Khimik Voskresensk (2005)|Khimik Voskresensk]] was transferred to a lower league. Next season joined [[HC Yugra]].
====2009–2014====
In the [[2009–10 KHL season|2009–10 season]], [[Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg]] joined the KHL and [[Khimik Voskresensk (2005)|Khimik Voskresensk]] was transferred to a lower league. In the [[2010–11 KHL season|2010–11 season]], [[HC Yugra|Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk]] joined the league.


After several attempts by teams from Central Europe and Scandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former [[Soviet Union]] was finally realized in 2011. [[HC Lev Poprad|Lev Poprad]], a newly founded team based in [[Poprad]], [[Slovakia]] was admitted to the league. But after only one season, Lev was replaced by a team of the same name, [[HC Lev Praha|Lev Praha]], from [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]], while [[HC Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]] from [[Slovakia]] and [[Ukraine]]'s [[HC Donbass|Donbass]] joined the KHL as expansion teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6557.html|title=Lev from Slovakia to Prague|publisher=IIHF.com|date=2012-03-30}}</ref> Lev and Slovan managed to draw considerable public interest and qualified for the play-offs in their first KHL season.
After several attempts by teams from Central Europe and Scandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union was finally realized in 2011. [[HC Lev Poprad|Lev Poprad]], a newly founded team based in Poprad, [[Slovakia]] was admitted to the league. But after only one season, Lev was replaced by a team of the same name, [[HC Lev Praha|Lev Praha]], from [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]], while [[HC Slovan Bratislava|Slovan Bratislava]] from Bratislava, [[Slovakia]] and [[Ukraine]]'s [[HC Donbass|Donbass]] from Donetsk joined the KHL as expansion teams for the [[2012–13 KHL season|2012–13]] season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6557.html |title=Lev from Slovakia to Prague |publisher=IIHF.com |date=30 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824052336/http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6557.html |archive-date=24 August 2013 }}</ref> Lev and Slovan qualified for the playoffs in their first KHL season.


In 2013 [[KHL Medveščak|Medveščak]] from [[Croatia]] and Russian [[Admiral Vladivostok]] joined the league, thus expanding the league even further.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khl.ru/news/2013/04/29/128623.html|title=Medveščak to join the league from 2013-14 season|publisher=khl.ru|date=2013-04-29}}</ref> The league comprised 28 teams during the [[2013–14 KHL season|2013-14]] season, of which 21 are based in [[Russia]] and 7 more are located in the other countries.
In 2013, [[KHL Medveščak Zagreb|Medveščak]] from Zagreb, [[Croatia]], previously playing in the [[Austrian Hockey League]], and Russian expansion team [[Admiral Vladivostok]] joined the league, thus expanding the league even further.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khl.ru/news/2013/04/29/128623.html|title=Medveščak to join the league from 2013–14 season|publisher=khl.ru|date=29 April 2013}}</ref> The league comprised 28 teams during the [[2013–14 KHL season|2013–14]] season, of which 21 were based in Russia and 7 located in the other countries.


In 2014 [[Finland|Finnish]] team [[Jokerit]] from [[Helsinki]], [[HC Lada Togliatti|Lada Togliatti]] (which previously played in the league), and a newly created team named [[HC Sochi]] have joined the league.<ref name="Welcome, Jokerit and Sochi; welcome back, Lada">{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/04/30/27837.html|title=Welcome, Jokerit and Sochi; welcome back, Lada |date=2014-04-30|accessdate=2014-05-03}}</ref> However, HC Donbass do not play in the league this season, due to the political instability in Ukraine, but intend to rejoin for the 2015–16 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/06/19/27872.html|title=Donbass to miss 2014-15 season|date=2014-06-19|accessdate=2014-06-19}}</ref> Two other teams, Lev Praha and [[HK Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]], also withdrew from the 2014-2015 season due to financial problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport.aktualne.cz/nadeje-vyhasla-lev-praha-definitivne-konci-v-khl/r~d296cb2a011e11e4a60c0025900fea04/|title=Naděje vyhasla. Lev Praha definitivně končí v KHL|date=2014-07-01|accessdate=2014-07-01}}</ref><ref name=" ">{{cite news |title=У министра конструктивная позиция по легионерам |url=http://www.championat.com/hockey/article-195235-prezident-kkhl--o-ska-spartake-limite-fkhr.html |date=2014-04-22 |accessdate=2014-05-10 }}</ref>
In 2014, [[Finland|Finnish]] team [[Jokerit]] from Helsinki, [[HC Lada Togliatti|Lada Togliatti]] (which previously played in the league), and newly created team [[HC Sochi]] joined the league.<ref name="Welcome">{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/04/30/27837.html|title=Welcome, Jokerit and Sochi; welcome back, Lada |date=30 April 2014|access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref> However, HC Donbass did not play in the league for the [[2014–15 KHL season|2014–15]] season, due to the Russian intervention in Ukraine, but had intended to rejoin later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/06/19/27872.html|title=Donbass to miss 2014–15 season|date=19 June 2014|access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> Two other teams, Lev Praha and [[HC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]], also withdrew from the 2014–15 season due to financial problems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sport.aktualne.cz/nadeje-vyhasla-lev-praha-definitivne-konci-v-khl/r~d296cb2a011e11e4a60c0025900fea04/|title=Naděje vyhasla. Lev Praha definitivně končí v KHL|date=1 July 2014|access-date=1 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=У министра конструктивная позиция по легионерам |url=http://www.championat.com/hockey/article-195235-prezident-kkhl--o-ska-spartake-limite-fkhr.html |date=22 April 2014 |access-date=10 May 2014 }}</ref>


Prior to the [[2015–16 KHL season|2015–16 season]], [[Atlant Moscow Oblast]] withdrew from the KHL and on the contrary [[HC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]] is returning to the league.<ref>[http://en.khl.ru/news/2015/06/17/235081.html League confirms format for 2015-16 season]</ref>
====2015–2019====
Prior to the [[2015–16 KHL season|2015–16 season]], [[Atlant Moscow Oblast]] withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues, while [[HC Spartak Moscow|Spartak Moscow]] returned after a one-year hiatus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.khl.ru/news/2015/06/17/235081.html|title=League confirms format for 2015–16 season|website=en.khl.ru}}</ref> The newly created [[China|Chinese]] club [[Kunlun Red Star|HC Kunlun Red Star]] from Beijing was admitted for the [[2016–17 KHL season|2016–17 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2016/06/25/308626.html|title=It's Official! Kunlun Red Star joins the KHL|author=KHL|date=25 June 2016|publisher=en.KHL.ru|access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref>


The Chinese club [[HC Kunlun Red Star]] were admitted for the [[2016–17 KHL season|2016–17 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2016/06/25/308626.html|title=It's Official! Kunlun Red Star joins the KHL|author=KHL|date=2016-06-25|publisher=en.KHL.ru|accessdate=2016-06-26}}</ref> Prior to the [[2017–18 KHL season|2017–18 season]], Medveščak Zagreb withdrew from the league to rejoin the Austrian league and [[Metallurg Novokuznetsk]] was sent down to the [[Supreme Hockey League|VHL]].<ref>{{cite web|title=League confirms list of participant clubs for 2017-18 Championship |url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2017/05/25/347804.html|publisher=Khl|date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
Prior to the [[2017–18 KHL season|2017–18 season]], Medveščak Zagreb withdrew from the league to rejoin the Austrian league and [[Metallurg Novokuznetsk]] was sent down to the [[Supreme Hockey League|VHL]].<ref>{{cite web|title=League confirms list of participant clubs for 2017–18 Championship |url=http://en.khl.ru/news/2017/05/25/347804.html|publisher=Khl|date=25 May 2017}}</ref>


After the end of the [[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19 season]], [[HC Slovan Bratislava]] withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues to rejoin the [[Slovak Extraliga]].<ref>"[https://bestsport.news/slovan-left-the-khl-the-results-of-the-meeting-of-the-heads-of-the-clubs-in-the-league/]." bestsport.news. Retrieved on May 29, 2019. "Slovan left the KHL. The results of the meeting of the heads of the clubs in the League."</ref>
After the end of the [[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19 season]], [[HC Slovan Bratislava]] withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues to rejoin the [[Slovak Extraliga]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Slovan Bratislava officially leaves KHL |url=http://www.eurohockey.com/article/5431-slovan-bratislava-officially-leaves-khl.html |work=Eurohockey.com}}</ref>


=== 2018 Winter Olympics ===
====2020–present====
Because the [[National Hockey League]] refused to release its players to participate in the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] in Pyeongchang, [[South Korea]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-will-not-participate-2018-pyeongchang-olympic-games/|title=NHL will not participate in 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games - Sportsnet.ca|work=Sportsnet.ca|access-date=2018-02-10|language=en-US}}</ref> 92 out of 300 total players participating at the Olympic hockey tournament were playing at the KHL.
On 24 February 2022, Finnish club [[Jokerit]] announced the team would withdraw from the league for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |title=Finnish club leaving KHL ahead of playoffs amid Russian invasion of Ukraine |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-jokerit-finnish-club-leaves-khl-ahead-of-playoffs-over-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-022846868.html |date=24 February 2022|publisher=Yahoo! Sports }}</ref> On 27 February 2022, Latvian club [[Dinamo Riga]] announced that they too would withdraw for the same reasons.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article/latvias-dinamo-riga-withdraws-from-khl-amidst-ukraine-invasion/| title = Latvia's Dinamo Riga withdraws from KHL amidst Ukraine invasion| page = 1| access-date = 28 February 2022}}</ref> In the 2023-24 season [[HC Lada Togliatti]] rejoined the KHL.  


==Season structure==
==Season structure==
Line 108: Line 111:
|-
|-
|[[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19]]|| '''[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]''' || [[Avangard Omsk]]|| [[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] <small>(106 points)</small> || Nikita Gusev <small>(82 points: 17 G, 65 A) </small>
|[[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19]]|| '''[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]''' || [[Avangard Omsk]]|| [[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] <small>(106 points)</small> || Nikita Gusev <small>(82 points: 17 G, 65 A) </small>
|-
| [[2019–20 KHL season|2019–20]] || colspan=2 style="text-align:center;" |''Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic''||[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] <small>(94 points)</small> || Vadim Shipachyov <small>(65 points: 17 G, 48 A) </small>
|-
| [[2020-21 KHL season|2020–21]]  || '''[[Avangard Omsk]]''' || [[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]  || [[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] <small>(91 points)</small> || Vadim Shipachyov <small>(66 points; 20 G, 46 A) </small>
|-
|[[2021–22 KHL season|2021–22]] || '''[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]''' || [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]|| Not determined || Vadim Shipachyov <small>(67 points: 24 G, 43 A) </small>
|-
|[[2022–23 KHL season|2022–23]] || '''[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] '''
|[[Ak Bars Kazan]]
|[[SKA Saint Petersburg]] <small>(105 points)</small>
|Dmitrij Jaškin <small>(62 points: 40 G, 43 A) </small>
|-
|[[2023–24 KHL season|2023–24]]
|'''[[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]]'''
|[[Lokomotiv Yaroslavl]]
|[[HC Dynamo Moscow|Dynamo Moscow]] <small>(98 points)</small>
|Nikita Gusev <small>(89 points: 23 G, 66 A) </small>
|}
|}


Line 143: Line 163:
|-
|-
|[[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19]] || [[SKA Saint Petersburg]] || ''Not contested'' ||  
|[[2018–19 KHL season|2018–19]] || [[SKA Saint Petersburg]] || ''Not contested'' ||  
|-
|[[2019–20 KHL season|2019–20]] || [[Avangard Omsk]] || Dmitrij Jaškin
|''Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic''
|-
|[[2020-21 KHL season|2020–21]]
|[[Ak Bars Kazan]]
|Vadim Shipachyov
|-
|[[2021–22 KHL season|2021–22]]
|[[Avangard Omsk]]
|Vadim Shipachyov
|-
|[[2022–23 KHL season|2022–23]]
|[[HC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
|Dmitrij Jaškin
|-
|[[2023–24 KHL season|2023–24]]
|[[Ak Bars Kazan]]
|Nikita Gusev
|}
|}


Latest revision as of 14:53, 18 July 2024

Kontinental Hockey League
2023–24 KHL season
KHL logo shield 2016.png
Sport Ice hockey
Founded 2008
CEO Alexander Medvedev
Motto Хоккей – наша игра! Khokkey - nasha igra! (Hockey is our game!)[1]
No. of teams 23
Country(ies) Flag of Belarus Belarus (1 team)
Flag of China China (1 team)
 Kazakhstan (1 team)

 Russia (20 teams)
Most recent champion(s) Flag of Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3rd title)
Most championship(s) HC CSKA Moscow
Ak Bars Kazan
Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3)
Official website en.KHL.ru
Related competitions Supreme Hockey League (VHL)
Junior Hockey League (MHL)
Original logo until 2016

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) (Russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига, Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (19), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1) and China (1) for a total of 22 clubs.

It was considered in 2015 to be the premier professional ice hockey league in Europe and Asia, and the second-strongest in the world behind North America's National Hockey League.[2][3] The KHL had in 2017 the highest total attendance in Europe with 5.32 million spectators in the regular season[4] and third-highest average attendance in Europe with 6,121 spectators per game in the regular season.[5] The Gagarin Cup is awarded annually to the league's playoff champion at the end of each season. The title of Champion of Russia is given to the highest-ranked Russian team.[6]

History

The league formed from the Russian Superleague (RSL) and the champion of the 2007–08 season of the second division, with 24 teams: 21 from Russia and one each from Belarus, Latvia, and Kazakhstan. The teams were divided into four divisions.

The start of the fourth season was overshadowed by the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash on 7 September 2011 in which almost all members of the team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl lost their lives shortly after take-off for their flight to their season-opening game in Minsk. The Opening Cup game in Ufa, which was already underway when news of the disaster arrived, was suspended. In memory of the disaster, 7 September remained a day of mourning on which no KHL regular-season games took place,[7] until after the 2017–18 KHL season. Journalist Vsevolod Kukushkin acted as the first press secretary for the league, after it evolved from the Superleague.[8]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the National Hockey League suspended operation of its Memorandum of Understanding with the KHL.[9] An NHL memo instructed NHL teams to "immediately cease all dealings [direct or indirect] with the KHL and KHL Clubs [and all representatives of both], as well as with player agents who are based in and continue to do business in Russia."[9]

Team changes

2009–2014

In the 2009–10 season, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg joined the KHL and Khimik Voskresensk was transferred to a lower league. In the 2010–11 season, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk joined the league.

After several attempts by teams from Central Europe and Scandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union was finally realized in 2011. Lev Poprad, a newly founded team based in Poprad, Slovakia was admitted to the league. But after only one season, Lev was replaced by a team of the same name, Lev Praha, from Prague, Czech Republic, while Slovan Bratislava from Bratislava, Slovakia and Ukraine's Donbass from Donetsk joined the KHL as expansion teams for the 2012–13 season.[10] Lev and Slovan qualified for the playoffs in their first KHL season.

In 2013, Medveščak from Zagreb, Croatia, previously playing in the Austrian Hockey League, and Russian expansion team Admiral Vladivostok joined the league, thus expanding the league even further.[11] The league comprised 28 teams during the 2013–14 season, of which 21 were based in Russia and 7 located in the other countries.

In 2014, Finnish team Jokerit from Helsinki, Lada Togliatti (which previously played in the league), and newly created team HC Sochi joined the league.[12] However, HC Donbass did not play in the league for the 2014–15 season, due to the Russian intervention in Ukraine, but had intended to rejoin later.[13] Two other teams, Lev Praha and Spartak Moscow, also withdrew from the 2014–15 season due to financial problems.[14][15]

2015–2019

Prior to the 2015–16 season, Atlant Moscow Oblast withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues, while Spartak Moscow returned after a one-year hiatus.[16] The newly created Chinese club HC Kunlun Red Star from Beijing was admitted for the 2016–17 season.[17]

Prior to the 2017–18 season, Medveščak Zagreb withdrew from the league to rejoin the Austrian league and Metallurg Novokuznetsk was sent down to the VHL.[18]

After the end of the 2018–19 season, HC Slovan Bratislava withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues to rejoin the Slovak Extraliga.[19]

2020–present

On 24 February 2022, Finnish club Jokerit announced the team would withdraw from the league for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[20] On 27 February 2022, Latvian club Dinamo Riga announced that they too would withdraw for the same reasons.[21] In the 2023-24 season HC Lada Togliatti rejoined the KHL.

Season structure

Since 2009, the league is divided into East and West conferences. In the current season, each conference includes 14 teams divided into two divisions, 7 teams per division. During the regular season, each team plays 60 games: four games against each team in their own division, two games against each of the remaining teams in the same conference, one game against each team of the other conference and 8 extra games against selected opponents.

The eight top-ranked teams in each conference receive playoff berths. Within each conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are played before the conference winners play against each other for the Gagarin Cup. The division winners are seeded first and second in their conference, based on their regular season record. All playoff rounds are played as best-of-seven series. In each round, the top seeded remaining team is paired with the lowest seeded team etc.[16] In the playoffs, overtime periods last 20 minutes (or until a goal is scored). The number of overtime periods is not limited.

In the 2012–13 season, the Nadezhda Cup (Cup of Hope) was introduced, a consolation tournament for the teams who did not qualify for the playoffs. The winning team in the tournament wins the first overall pick in the KHL Junior Draft. The tournament is intended to extend the season and help maintain interest in hockey in the cities of these teams, and help players of national teams prepare for upcoming World Championship.

Players

Though now not as restrictive in maintaining an exclusively Russian composition of players and teams, Russian teams are still not allowed to sign more than five foreign players, while non-Russian teams must have at least five players from their respective country. Foreign goaltenders on Russian teams have a limit regarding total seasonal ice time.

Prior to the inaugural season, several KHL teams signed several players from the NHL.[19] A dispute between the two leagues over some of these signings was supposed to have been resolved by an agreement signed on July 10, 2008, whereby each league would honor the contracts of the other, but the signing of Alexander Radulov was made public one day after the agreement (though it was actually signed two days prior to the agreement taking effect),[20] leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.[21] On October 4, 2010, the conflict between the leagues was settled when both signed a new agreement to honor one another's contracts.

The league set up rules for the NHL lockout which lasted from 16 September 2012 to 12 January 2013. According to the special regulations, each KHL team was allowed to add up to three NHL players to its roster, among them at most one foreign player. More than 40 NHL players, the majority of them Russians, played in the KHL during the lockout.

KHL players are represented by the Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union.

History

Founding (2008)

The KHL was founded in 2008 with 24 teams, the 20 teams from the last season of the Russian Superleague as well as the champion of the 2007–08 season of the second division. In addition, one team each from Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan were included. The teams were divided into 4 divisions, based on the performance in previous seasons. The first season got under way on 2 September 2008 and ended in April 2009 with Ak Bars Kazan becoming the first ever winner of the Gagarin Cup.

Introduction of conferences (2009)

In an effort to reduce the large travel distances for the teams, the second season saw the introduction of two conferences (East and West) and the re-alignment of the divisions according to geographical criteria. Despite efforts to expand the league to Central and Western Europe, only minor changes in the compositions of the Russian teams happened in the first three seasons. In the Gagarin Cup finals, teams from the East dominated with Ak Bars Kazan winning twice and Salavat Yulaev Ufa once.

Yaroslavl air disaster (2011)

The start of the fourth season was overshadowed by the Yaroslavl air disaster on 7 September 2011 in which almost the entire team of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was killed shortly after take-off for their flight to their season opening game in Minsk. The Opening Cup game in Ufa, which was already under way when news of the disaster arrived, was abandoned and the start of the season postponed by five days. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was forced to withdraw from the KHL season, but later played part of the VHL season and returned to the KHL in 2012.

Expansion to Central Europe (2011 and 2012)

After several failed attempts of teams from Central Europe and Scandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union was finally realized in 2011. Lev Poprad, a newly founded team based in Poprad, Slovakia was admitted to the league. Lev failed to reach the play-offs, but managed to draw considerable interest and sold out many of their home matches. For the 2012–13 season, Lev is replaced by a team of the same name, Lev Praha, from Prague, Czech Republic, while Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia and Ukraine's HC Donbass join the KHL.[22]

Seasons overview

Season Gagarin Cup Winner Gagarin Cup finalist Continental Cup Winner Top scorer
2008–09 Flag of Russia Ak Bars Kazan Flag of Russia Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Flag of Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa* (129 points) Flag of Russia Sergei Mozyakin (76 points: 34 G, 42 A)
2009–10 Flag of Russia Ak Bars Kazan Flag of Russia HC MVD Flag of Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa (129 points) Flag of Russia Sergei Mozyakin (66 points: 27 G, 39 A)
2010–11 Flag of Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa Flag of Russia Atlant Moscow Oblast Flag of Russia Avangard Omsk (118 points) Flag of Russia Alexander Radulov (80 points: 20 G, 60 A)
2011–12 Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow Flag of Russia Avangard Omsk Flag of Russia Traktor Chelyabinsk (114 points) Flag of Russia Alexander Radulov (63 points: 25 G, 38 A)
2012–13 Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow Flag of Russia Traktor Chelyabinsk Flag of Russia SKA Saint Petersburg (115 points) Flag of Russia Sergei Mozyakin (76 points: 35 G, 41 A)
2013–14 Flag of Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk Flag of the Czech Republic HC Lev Praha Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow (115 points) Flag of Russia Sergei Mozyakin (73 points: 34 G, 39 A)
2014–15 SKA Saint Petersburg Ak Bars Kazan CSKA Moscow (139 points) Alexander Radulov (71 points: 24 G, 47 A)
2015–16 Metallurg Magnitogorsk CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (127 points) Sergei Mozyakin (67 points: 32 G, 35 A)
2016–17 SKA Saint Petersburg Metallurg Magnitogorsk CSKA Moscow (137 points) Sergei Mozyakin (85 points: 48 G, 37 A)
2017–18 Ak Bars Kazan CSKA Moscow SKA Saint Petersburg (138 points) Ilya Kovalchuk (63 points: 31 G, 32 A)
2018–19 CSKA Moscow Avangard Omsk CSKA Moscow (106 points) Nikita Gusev (82 points: 17 G, 65 A)
2019–20 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic CSKA Moscow (94 points) Vadim Shipachyov (65 points: 17 G, 48 A)
2020–21 Avangard Omsk CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (91 points) Vadim Shipachyov (66 points; 20 G, 46 A)
2021–22 CSKA Moscow Metallurg Magnitogorsk Not determined Vadim Shipachyov (67 points: 24 G, 43 A)
2022–23 CSKA Moscow Ak Bars Kazan SKA Saint Petersburg (105 points) Dmitrij Jaškin (62 points: 40 G, 43 A)
2023–24 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Dynamo Moscow (98 points) Nikita Gusev (89 points: 23 G, 66 A)

*: In the first season, Salavat Yulaev Ufa was the winner of the regular season, but the Continental Cup was not yet awarded.

Trophies and awards

Gagarin Cup

The winner of the playoff is awarded the Gagarin Cup, the KHL Champion title and the Russian Champion title, regardless of the country the club represents. The team ranked first in the standings after the regular season, i.e. the winner of the regular season, is awarded the Continental Cup[23] (Russian: Кубок Континента, Kubok Kontinenta). The winners of the conference finals are awarded the Eastern Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Восток, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Vostok) and the Western Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Запад, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Zapad).[24]

The KHL also awards the Opening Cup annually to the winner of the first game between the Gagarin Cup winner and the runner-up of the previous season. On September 10, 2011, three days after the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster, the KHL head office decided to honor the deceased in the 2011 Opening Cup.[25]

Season Opening Cup Winner Nadezhda Cup Winner Gold Stick Award (MVP)
2008–09 Flag of Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa not contested Flag of Russia Danis Zaripov
2009–10 Flag of Russia Ak Bars Kazan Flag of Russia Alexander Radulov
2010–11 Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow Flag of Russia Alexander Radulov
2011–12 Flag of Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa Flag of Russia Alexander Radulov
2012–13 Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow Flag of Latvia Dinamo Riga Flag of Russia Sergei Mozyakin
2013–14 Flag of Russia Dynamo Moscow Flag of Russia Avangard Omsk Sergei Mozyakin
2014–15 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Cancelled due to economic reasons Alexander Radulov
2015–16 CSKA Moscow Not contested Sergei Mozyakin
2016–17 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Not contested Sergei Mozyakin
2017–18 SKA Saint Petersburg Not contested Justin Azevedo
2018–19 SKA Saint Petersburg Not contested
2019–20 Avangard Omsk Dmitrij Jaškin Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Ak Bars Kazan Vadim Shipachyov
2021–22 Avangard Omsk Vadim Shipachyov
2022–23 CSKA Moscow Dmitrij Jaškin
2023–24 Ak Bars Kazan Nikita Gusev

All-time team records

Since its foundation in 2008, 35 different clubs have played in the KHL, and 32 of them have at least once qualified for the playoffs. Of the 24 founding teams, only Metallurg Novokuznetsk and Khimik Voskresensk had never qualified for the playoffs (both are no longer in the league). The table gives the final regular-season ranks for all teams, with the playoff performance encoded in colors. The teams are ordered by their best championship results.

Club 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Ak Bars Kazan 2 8 4 6 2 4 4 12 7 4 8
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 6 3 5 4 7 2 6 8 3 8 6
SKA Saint Petersburg 8 2 7 2 1 3 2 10 2 1 2
Dynamo Moscow[a] 7 5 6 3 4 1 3 6 4 18 10
CSKA Moscow 4 12 19 18 6 12 1 1 1 2 1
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 1 1 2 8 9 8 14 9 15 10 11
Avangard Omsk 16 11 1 5 3 20 8 5 6 12 7
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl[b] 3 7 3 8 15 10 2 5 5 4
Traktor Chelyabinsk 12 18 18 1 5 19 15 19 10 6 17
Atlant Moscow Oblast 5 6 8 9 17 17 16
Lev Praha 15 5
HC MVD Balashikha 18 4
Sibir Novosibirsk 19 20 11 20 12 13 7 7 19 14 18
Jokerit Helsinki 5 3 12 3 9
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 14 9 15 17 14 25 22 16 20 9 19
Donbass Donetsk 18 6
Spartak Moscow 9 10 12 19 23 23 21 26 16 13
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 11 15 17 7 20 9 12 11 9 11 14
Barys Nur-Sultan 15 14 14 10 10 7 11 17 13 19 5
Dinamo Riga 10 13 13 15 24 10 21 22 28 26 16
Severstal Cherepovets 17 16 9 11 11 18 17 27 23 17 22
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 19 20 22 26 14 18 14 21 7 3
Dinamo Minsk 22 17 16 13 19 26 9 18 8 20 24
Sochi 13 4 14 15 12
Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk 10 14 16 22 25 23 25 27
Amur Khabarovsk 20 21 22 12 25 28 28 25 22 13 23
Vityaz Podolsk 23 23 21 23 22 24 20 24 11 21 15
Admiral Vladivostok 16 19 13 16 22 21
Slovan Bratislava 13 21 26 15 17 24 25
Medveščak Zagreb 11 23 20 24
Lada Togliatti 13 22 24 26 27 25
Kunlun Red Star Beijing 18 23 20
Metallurg Novokuznetsk 21 24 23 16 21 27 27 28 29
Lev Poprad 21
Khimik Voskresensk 24

Color Result
Red Gagarin Cup Winner
Yellow Runner-up
Green Conference finalist
Light Blue Conference semifinalist
Blue Qualified for playoffs
Purple Nadezhda Cup Winner
Light Gray Not qualified for playoffs
Gray Did not play in the season

 [a]: Includes record of Dynamo Moscow before the merger with HC MVD in 2010

 [b]: Did not participate in the 2011-12 season due to the deadly air disaster on September 7, 2011, that killed the entire team

References

  1. ↑ "Новый игровой ролик КХЛ "Пробка"" (in Russian). khl.ru. http://www.khl.ru/video/1295/. Retrieved 2010-08-16. 
  2. ↑ "World of difference for KHL?". iihf.com. 7 May 2012. http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=6876&cHash=60f30f7f072dfbdf8e5b4c471559f28f. 
  3. ↑ "Ranking the Top Ten Hockey Leagues". 10 January 2015. http://thehockeywriters.com/ranking-the-top-ten-hockey-leagues/. 
  4. ↑ "Хоккей. КХЛ. Регулярный чемпионат 2016/2017 – Факты". https://www.championat.com/hockey/_superleague/1770/tournir/info.html. 
  5. ↑ "KHL is on the 3rd place by attendance". http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/attendance-2016-2017/. 
  6. ↑ "About the KHL". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/official/22007/. 
  7. ↑ "Day of Remembrance in honor of Lokomotiv". 7 September 2013. http://en.khl.ru/news/2013/09/07/25234.html. 
  8. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Schram, Carol. "NHL Suspends Dealings With KHL As Russia's Ukraine Invasion Impacts Hockey World". https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolschram/2022/03/08/nhl-suspends-dealings-with-khl-as-russias-ukraine-invasion-impacts-hockey-world/. 
  10. ↑ "Lev from Slovakia to Prague". IIHF.com. 30 March 2012. http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6557.html. 
  11. ↑ "Medveščak to join the league from 2013–14 season". khl.ru. 29 April 2013. http://www.khl.ru/news/2013/04/29/128623.html. 
  12. ↑ "Welcome, Jokerit and Sochi; welcome back, Lada". 30 April 2014. http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/04/30/27837.html. 
  13. ↑ "Donbass to miss 2014–15 season". 19 June 2014. http://en.khl.ru/news/2014/06/19/27872.html. 
  14. ↑ "Naděje vyhasla. Lev Praha definitivně končí v KHL". 1 July 2014. http://sport.aktualne.cz/nadeje-vyhasla-lev-praha-definitivne-konci-v-khl/r~d296cb2a011e11e4a60c0025900fea04/. 
  15. ↑ "У министра конструктивная позиция по легионерам", 22 April 2014. 
  16. ↑ "League confirms format for 2015–16 season". https://en.khl.ru/news/2015/06/17/235081.html. 
  17. ↑ KHL (25 June 2016). "It's Official! Kunlun Red Star joins the KHL". en.KHL.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2016/06/25/308626.html. 
  18. ↑ "League confirms list of participant clubs for 2017–18 Championship". Khl. 25 May 2017. http://en.khl.ru/news/2017/05/25/347804.html. 
  19. ↑ "Slovan Bratislava officially leaves KHL", Eurohockey.com. 
  20. ↑ "Finnish club leaving KHL ahead of playoffs amid Russian invasion of Ukraine", Yahoo! Sports, 24 February 2022. 
  21. ↑ "Latvia's Dinamo Riga withdraws from KHL amidst Ukraine invasion". p. 1. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article/latvias-dinamo-riga-withdraws-from-khl-amidst-ukraine-invasion/. 
  22. ↑ "Lev from Slovakia to Prague". IIHF.com. 2012-03-30. http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/6557.html. 
  23. ↑ "Ufa’s first trophy". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2010/3/5/23808.html. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  24. ↑ "Новые трофеи Лиги". khl.ru. http://www.khl.ru/news/2010/3/4/26511.html. Retrieved 4 March 2010. 
  25. ↑ "Официальное заявление КХЛ : Континентальная Хоккейная Лига (КХЛ)". http://www.khl.ru/news/2012/09/05/43922.html. Retrieved 13 May 2015. 

External links

European Hockey Overview
Top-Level Leagues
International

Alps Hockey League - BeNe League - Erste Liga - International Hockey League - Kontinental Hockey League

National

Andorra - Armenia - Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Georgia - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Kazakhstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Romania - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine - United Kingdom

Second-Level Leagues
Belarus - Belgium - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Denmark - England - Finland - France - Germany - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Kazakhstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Russia - Slovakia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine
Third-Level Leagues
Austria - Belgium - Czech Republic - Denmark - England - Finland - France - Germany - Hungary - Italy - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Russia - Scotland - Slovakia - Sweden - Switzerland
Fourth-Level and lower Leagues
Austria - Belgium (4, 5) - Czech Republic (4, 5) - Finland (4, 5, 6, 7) - France - Germany (4, 5) - Hungary - Italy - Netherlands (4, 5, 6, 7) - Norway (4, 5, 6, 7) - Poland - Russia (Night League, Amateur Leagues) - Sweden (4, 5, 6, 7, 8), Switzerland (4, 5, 6, 7)
Cup Competitions
Cups

Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Denmark - East Germany - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Kazakhstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Netherlands (Cup, Ron Berteling Schaal) - Norway - Poland - Romania - Scotland - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Soviet Union - Spain - Switzerland - Ukraine - Yugoslavia

Supercups

Belgium - Estonia - Hungary - Italy - Poland - Netherlands - Slovenia - Spain

Defunct Leagues
Soviet Union - Russia - Czechoslovakia - Yugoslavia - West Germany - East Germany - Ireland - Luxembourg - Macedonia - Malta - Portugal - Alpenliga - Interliga - Inter-National League - North Sea Cup - Panonian League - Eastern European - Balkan League (1994-1997) - Baltic League (2001) - Baltic Hockey League (2020) - Carpathian League - Slohokej Liga - Balkan Ice Hockey League - English League - English National League - Scottish National League - British Hockey League - Ice Hockey Superleague - German Championship - Swedish Championship - Klass I - Svenska Serien - Elitserien - Swedish Division I - SM-sarja - Swiss National Championship - Swiss International Championship
Women's Leagues
International leagues

European Women's Hockey League - EWHL Super Cup

National leagues

Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bulgaria - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland (1, 2, 3, U20, U18, U16) - France - Germany (1, 2, 3, Cup) - Great Britain (England U16) - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Kazakhstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Romania - Russia (U18) - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden (1, 2, 3, 4, U20) - Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine

Defunct leagues

Czechoslovakia - Interliga - Low Countries Cup

Junior Leagues
Austria - Belarus - Belgium - Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bulgaria - Croatia - Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany (East Germany) - Great Britain - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Kazakhstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Romania - Russia (Soviet Union) - Serbia - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - Turkey - Ukraine - Yugoslavia
University Leagues
European University Hockey League - Czech Republic - Great Britain - Netherlands - Russia (RSHL, MSHL, SHLC, SHLMO, SibSHL, SPSHL) - Sweden
This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).
Retrieved from "http://internationalhockeywiki.com/ihw/index.php?title=Kontinental_Hockey_League&oldid=61375"