Night Hockey League
| Night Hockey League | |
| |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | December 15, 2011 |
| CEO | Igor Bakhmutov |
| Key figures | Vladimir Putin (founder) Alexander Yakushev (president) |
| No. of teams | |
| Most recent champion(s) | SV Metal (Yekaterinburg) |
| Official website | nhliga.org |
The Night Hockey League (NHL) is a Russian amateur sports organization, established on December 15, 2011, at the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, along with some former hockey players.
Putin has participated in a special Night Hockey League Gala Match six times since 2012. He has played in every gala match since 2014, scoring 27 goals in five games.[1]
Competition Setup
The league is divided into four divisions - Amateur 40+, 18+ Amateur League Dreams, 18+ Amateur League Hopes, and a women's division, called "Amazon".
The competitions are held for the purpose of development and promotion of hockey in Russia. The league features a general administration and 68 regional offices.
Each year, the NHL holds the All-Russian Festival of Ice Hockey Amateur Championship, which includes the regional qualifying competition and final tournament, which since 2013 has been held in Sochi at the Olympic facilities.
The Night League is divided into nine conferences on a geographical basis: "Moscow", "St. Petersburg", "Center", "North-West", "Ural", "Volga Region", "Siberia", "South and North Caucasus", and "Far East". Since 2015, the winner of the most prestigious NHL division, the 40+ championship, have been awarded the Krutov Cup, named after the famous hockey star, Vladimir Krutov.
Competitions are held in three phases in accordance with the official rules of the competition, approved by the Ministry of Sports Russia:
- Stage I - the competition in the municipalities of the Russian Federation
- Stage II - the competition among teams of municipalities in the region of the Russian Federation;
- Stage III - All-Russian final competition (May, Sochi).
Despite the amateur status of the competition, matches are held with officials, in three periods of 20 minutes each, with medical support, and broadcast on local television and on the Internet.
Regional Championships
This is a list of regional competitions organized under the Night Hockey League umbrella:
| Region | Division | Team | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altai region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 71 |
| Altai region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 4 | 93 |
| Altai region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 3 | 44 |
| Amur region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 78 |
| Amur region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 87 |
| Arhangelsk region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 102 |
| Arhangelsk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 126 |
| Belgorod region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 70 |
| Belgorod region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 5 | 93 |
| Belgorod region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 110 |
| Bryansk region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 125 |
| Vladimir region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 119 |
| Vladimir region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 4 | 84 |
| Vologda Region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 72 |
| Vologda Region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 3 | 60 |
| Voronezh region | Amateur 40+ | 11 | 185 |
| Voronezh region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 7 | 131 |
| Transbaikal region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 52 |
| Irkutsk region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 70 |
| Irkutsk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 104 |
| Kaliningrad region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 107 |
| Kaliningrad region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 7 | 140 |
| Kamchatka Krai | Amateur 40+ | 9 | 144 |
| Kamchatka Krai | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 4 | 59 |
| Kemerovo region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 121 |
| Kemerovo region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 6 | 122 |
| Kemerovo region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 10 | 235 |
| Kirov region | Amateur 40+ | 3 | 66 |
| Kirov region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 3 | 71 |
| Kostroma region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 152 |
| Kostroma region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 79 |
| Krasnodar region | Amateur 40+ | 10 | 183 |
| Krasnodar region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 10 | 234 |
| Krasnoyarsk region | Amateur 40+ | 7 | 136 |
| Kurgan region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 74 |
| Kurgan region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 4 | 87 |
| Kursk region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 70 |
| Kursk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 4 | 70 |
| Lipetsk region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 87 |
| Lipetsk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 105 |
| Magadan Region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 75 |
| Moscow | Amateur 40+ | 10 | 239 |
| Moscow | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 8 | 126 |
| Moscow | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 67 | 1445 |
| Moscow region | Amateur 40+ | 14 | 288 |
| Moscow region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 40 | 953 |
| Murmansk region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 91 |
| Nenets | Amateur 40+ | 3 | 39 |
| Nenets | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 3 | 41 |
| Nizhny Novgorod Region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 103 |
| Novosibirsk region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 85 |
| Novosibirsk region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 5 | 93 |
| Omsk region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 174 |
| Orenburg region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 100 |
| Oryol Region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 106 |
| Penza region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 141 |
| Perm Krai | Amateur 40+ | 7 | 119 |
| Perm Krai | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 3 | 50 |
| Primorsky Krai | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 192 |
| Primorsky Krai | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 8 | 102 |
| Pskov region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 154 |
| Altai Republic | Amateur 40+ | 3 | 38 |
| Republic of Bashkortostan | Amateur 40+ | 12 | 277 |
| Republic of Bashkortostan | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 8 | 201 |
| The Republic of Karelia | Amateur 40+ | 3 | 62 |
| Mari El Republic | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 108 |
| The Republic of Mordovia | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 42 |
| Saha Republic | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 67 |
| Saha Republic | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 4 | 63 |
| Republic of Tatarstan | Amateur 40+ | 7 | 159 |
| Republic of Tatarstan | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 105 |
| Republic of Udmurtia | Amateur 40+ | 7 | 157 |
| Republic of Udmurtia | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 3 | 58 |
| Republic of Udmurtia | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 9 | 196 |
| The Republic of Khakassia | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 98 |
| The Republic of Khakassia | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 2 | 28 |
| Chuvash Republic | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 139 |
| Rostov region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 73 |
| Ryazan Oblast | Amateur 40+ | 16 | 340 |
| Samara Region | Amateur 40+ | 10 | 197 |
| Samara Region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 6 | 102 |
| Samara Region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 8 | 158 |
| Saratov region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 106 |
| Sakhalin region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 146 |
| Sakhalin region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 8 | 157 |
| Sakhalin region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 78 |
| Sverdlovsk region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 125 |
| Sverdlovsk region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 4 | 86 |
| Smolensk region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 108 |
| Stavropol region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 97 |
| Stavropol region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 115 |
| Tambov Region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 154 |
| Tver region | Amateur 40+ | 5 | 72 |
| Tver region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 3 | 65 |
| Tver region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 123 |
| Tula region | Amateur 40+ | 4 | 77 |
| Tula region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 14 | 325 |
| Tyumen region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 104 |
| Tyumen region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 6 | 104 |
| Tyumen region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 89 |
| Ulyanovsk region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 111 |
| Khabarovsk region | Amateur 40+ | 3 | 64 |
| Khabarovsk region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 5 | 69 |
| Khabarovsk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 5 | 103 |
| Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area (Yugra) | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 134 |
| Chelyabinsk region | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 149 |
| Chelyabinsk region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 4 | 98 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | Amateur 40+ | 6 | 114 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 4 | 77 |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 6 | 128 |
| Yaroslavl region | Amateur 40+ | 8 | 153 |
| Yaroslavl region | 18+ Amateur League Dreams | 1 | 16 |
| Yaroslavl region | 18+ Amateur League hopes | 20 | 407 |
| Total: | 777 | 15356 |
Champions
The following are the winners of the 40+ Amateur Division:
- 2012: Centurion (Chelyabinsk)
- 2013: Kazan Dragons
- 2014: Neoplan (Yekaterinburg)
- 2015: Nevsky Legion (St. Petersburg)
- 2016: Auto (Yekaterinburg)
- 2017: Stalker (Moscow)
- 2018: Flagship Vsevolozhsk (Leningrad region)
- 2019: Skon-Ural (Yekaterinburg)
- 2020: not awarded
- 2021: Monolith (Nizhny Novgorod)
- 2022: SV Metal (Yekaterinburg)
- 2023: Wolfram (Vostok)
- 2024: Pioneer 40+ (Yekaterinburg)
The following are the winners of the 50+ Amateur Division (awarded the Bobrov Cup):
- 2022: HC Lampovo (Druzhnogorskoye)
- 2023: Galva (Perm)
- 2024: Filigran (Novosibirsk)
The following are the winners of the 18+ Division:
- 2013: Viking (Perm)
- 2014: Gorvodokanal (Novosibirsk)
- 2015: Monolith (Nizhny Novgorod)
- 2016: Dreams League: Oilman (Jalil), Hopes League: Aizovets (Yuzhnouralsk)
- 2017: Dreams League: Forge (Novokuznetsk), Hopes League: Beat (Chelyabinsk)
- 2018: Dreams League: Wolfram B (Vostok Primorsky Krai), Hopes League: Timerkhan (Bogatye Saby)
- 2019: Dreams League: Mars Volkhov (Leningrad region), Hopes League: Wolfram A (Vostok Primorsky Krai)
- 2020: not awarded
- 2021: Dreams League: LHC Wolfram (Sosnovka, Vologda region), Hopes League: LHK SV Metal (Yekaterinburg)
- 2022: Dreams League: Avtoreal (Miass, Chelyabinsk region), Hopes League: Druzhina (Moscow)
- 2023: Dreams League: Avtoreal (Miass, Chelyabinsk region), Hopes League: Wolfram-A (Vostok)
- 2024: Dreams League: Meteor (Moscow), Hopes League: Wolfram-A (Vostok)
The winners of the Dreams and Hopes Leagues have been awarded the Dream Cup and the Hope Cup, respectively, since 2018.
The following are the winners of the Intercontinental Bank Cup "Ugra"
- 2015: Three Rivers (Montreal, Canada)
The following are the winners of the Champions Cup Night Hockey League "Ugra"
- 2015: Neoplan (Yekaterinburg)
The following are the winners of the World Cup
- 2013: Nevsky Legion (St. Petersburg)
- 2014: Centurion (Chelyabinsk)
- 2015: Neoplan (Yekaterinburg)
Seasons
- 2011-12 Nizhny Novgorod NHL season
- 2013-14 Nizhny Novgorod NHL season
- 2013-14 Kurgan NHL season
- 2014-15 Kurgan NHL season
- 2015-16 Kurgan NHL season
- 2016-17 Kurgan NHL season
- 2016-17 Udmurt Republic NHL season
- 2017-18 Kurgan NHL season
- 2017-18 Udmurt Republic NHL season
- 2018-19 Kurgan NHL season
- 2018-19 Udmurt Republic NHL season
- 2019-20 Kurgan NHL season
- 2019-20 Udmurt Republic NHL season
- 2020-21 Udmurt Republic NHL season
Photos
Vyacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Putin, and Sergei Shoigu, at a May 16, 2015 match in Sochi.
The awards ceremony for the Nevsky legion, 2015 champions.
Vladimir Putin on the ice.
