Kontinental Hockey League
Current season or competition: 2011–12 KHL season |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Commissioner | Alexander Medvedev |
| Motto | Хоккей – наша игра! Khokkei - nasha igra! (Hockey is our game!)[1] |
| No. of teams | 23 |
| Country(ies) |  Russia (19 teams) Kazakhstan (1 team) Belarus (1 team) Latvia (1 team) Slovakia (1 team)[2] |
| Most recent champion(s) | Salavat Yulaev Ufa |
| Most titles | Ak Bars Kazan (2) |
| TV partner(s) | KHL-TV (Russia (as part of the NTV Plus package), USA and Canada (part of ViaNetTV),[3] Latvia and international through KHL's website) Russia 2 (Russia)[4] Viasat (Finland, Sweden,[4] Norway, Denmark, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)[5] LTV7 (Latvia) Nova Sport (Czech Republic, Slovakia)[6][7][8] Sportdigital.tv (Germany) |
| Related competitions | Russian Championship VHL Minor Hockey League |
| Official website | KHL.ru (English) |
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. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe.[9][10]
The title of Champion of Russia, regardless of which nation the club represents, and the Gagarin Cup, named after the first man to reach space and orbit the Earth, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, are awarded annually to the league champion following a 16-team playoff at the end of the regular season. Two teams from the KHL were guaranteed qualification into the sole Champions Hockey League season, which was played between 2008–09.
The league was formed in 2008, from a predecessor organization, the Russian Superleague (RSL). The RSL, in turn, was a successor to the Soviet Championship League, which was founded in 1946 with only five teams. 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 in the 2010–11 season, the league was scheduled to be back to 24 teams in the 2011–12 season. However, following the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that claimed the lives of the entire team, the Yaroslavl club was forced to suspend its operations until the following year, and the KHL is currently a 23-team league, slated to increase for the 2012–13 season. Of the remaining KHL teams, 19 are based in the Russian Federation and 4 more are located in Belarus, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Slovakia.
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 30% of the KHL players, and are mostly Eastern European (16.1%), Scandinavian (4.6%), and North American (4.8%). In 2010–11, there were 670 players in the league.
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.
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[edit] Players
Though now not as restrictive in maintaining an exclusively Russian composition of players and teams, Russian teams are still prevented from signing more than five foreign players and can suit up no more than four in any single game. Foreign goaltenders have an additional limit regarding total seasonal ice time.
Prior to the inaugural season, several KHL teams signed several players from the NHL.[11] 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),[12] leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.[13] On October 4, 2010, the conflict between the leagues was settled when both signed a new agreement to honor one another's contracts.[14]
KHL players are represented by the Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union. [15]
[edit] Notable active players
The top four point scoring players in the 2010–11 season were Alexander Radulov (80 pts), Patrick Thoresen (65 pts), Roman Červenka and Sergei Mozyakin (61 pts each). The top goal scorers were Roman Červenka with 31, followed by Patrick Thoresen (29), Sergei Mozyakin (27), Ryan Vesce (25) and Igor Grigorenko with 24. The top plus-minus rating went to Alexei Morozov who was a +27. The top goaltenders (by wins) were Karri Rämö (33), Petri Vehanen (25), Dimitri Kotschnew (24), Dominik Hašek (23) and Bernd Brückler (22).
[edit] Nationalities of players
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011) |
In the current season, players representing 13 nations have played at least one game in the KHL.[16][17] A player's nationality is for various reason sometimes ambiguous. For the table presented below, the nationality "is determined based on the last country that the player represented in international competition. If a player has never played for a national team, usually the country of birth is chosen as the player nationality, unless there is strong evidence indicating otherwise."[18] For players born in former Soviet republics, the situation is often more complex. Therefore, a list of players born in Ukraine gives case-by-case details for some of those players.
| Country | Players active (2011–12) |
|---|---|
| Russia (19 active teams) |
392 |
 Czech Republic |
34 |
| Latvia (1 team) |
27a |
 Finland |
27 |
| Slovakia (1 team) |
26 |
 Canada |
25 |
| Kazakhstan (1 team) |
23 |
| Belarus (1 team) |
19 |
 Sweden |
17 |
 United States |
6 |
 Ukraine |
4b |
 Germany |
2 |
 Norway |
1 |
 Austria |
1 |
| TOTAL | 602 |
a - For further information, see: List of Latvians in the KHL
b - For further information, see: List of Ukrainians in the KHL
[edit] Season structure
During the regular season, each team plays 56 games: four games against each of the teams in their own division (for a total of 20 games) and two games against each of the other teams (for a total of 36 games).
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.[19] In each round, the top seeded remaining team is paired with the lowest seeded team etc. This playoff structure is very similar to the current format of the NHL playoffs. In the playoffs, overtime periods last 20 minutes (or until a goal is scored). The number of overtime periods is not limited.
Higher rank within the entire league after the regular stage of the championship does not give home ice advantage for a Gagarin Cup finalist, when the team have lower seed within their conference, than their opponent from the other conference.[19]
Conference play-off seeding is affected by the fact that the second top seed within each conference is given to a team that played only two games against the conference leader, even if scored less points than lower-seeded teams, that played four games each against the conference leader.[19]
[edit] Teams in 2011–12
An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise relocation. See the respective team articles for more information.
^ 1. Due to the plane crash that killed the majority of the team, Lokomotiv will play the 2011-12 season in the VHL, though still has a franchise spot in the KHL.[20]
[edit] Seasons
[edit] 2008–09 season
The first KHL season began on 2 September 2008 with 24 teams: 21 from Russia and one each from Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Winner of the regular season was Salavat Yulaev Ufa with 129 points from 56 games. Top scorer was Atlant's Sergei Mozyakin with 76 points (34 goals and 42 assists). The play-offs produced a major surprise as the 16th placed team, Avangard Omsk defeated top seed Ufa in the first round. The first Gagarin Cup was won by Ak Bars Kazan who defeated Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in a seven game play-off final.
[edit] 2009–10 season
The second season saw several organizational changes, most notably the introduction of the two conferences (East and West) and the re-alignment of the divisions according to geographical criteria to reduce travel distances. The number of teams remained the same, but Khimik Voskresensk was replaced by Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. The regular season was again won by Salavat Yulaev Ufa with 129 points from 56 games. For this they were awarded the first Continental Cup. Top-scorer, as in the previous season, was Sergei Mozyakin with 66 points (27 goals and 39 assists). Ak Bars Kazan successfully defended their title by defeating Western conference winners HC MVD in a seven game play-off final.
[edit] 2010–11 season
For the third KHL season, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk entered the KHL, while Lada Togliatti dropped out of the league, and HC MVD was merged with Dynamo Moscow to form UHC Dynamo. This left 23 teams to play the 54-game regular season which was won by Avangard Omsk with 118 points. The top scorer was Alexander Radulov, setting a new KHL record with 80 points (20 goals and 60 assists). Salavat Yulaev Ufa won the title by beating Western conference winners Atlant Moscow Oblast 4–1 in the play-off final series.
[edit] 2011–12 season
For its fourth season, the KHL expanded beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union by admitting Lev Poprad from Slovakia.[2] The start of the season was overshadowed by the Yaroslavl plane crash, where the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team (except for one coach who stayed behind in Yaroslavl) were killed. Three days later, Lokomotiv withdrew from the 2011–12 KHL season[21] and the start of the season was postponed to 12 September.[22]
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Single season records
Regular season[23]
| Record | Name | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 80 | Alexander Radulov (Ufa) |
2010–11 |
| Goals | 35 | Jan Marek (Magnitogorsk) Pavel Brendl (N. Novgorod) Marcel Hossa (Riga) |
2008–09 2008–09 2009–10 |
| Assists | 60 | Alexander Radulov (Ufa) |
2010–11 |
| Shots on goal | 225 | Kevin Dallman (Astana) |
2010–11 |
| Plus/minus | +45 | Patrick Thoresen (Ufa) |
2009–10 |
| Penalty minutes | 374 | Darcy Verot (Chekhov) |
2009–10 |
| Wins (goaltender) | 33 | Karri Rämö (Omsk) |
2010–11 |
| Shutouts | 9 | Robert Esche (St. Petersburg) |
2008–09 |
Playoffs[23]
| Record | Name | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 22 | Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) |
2010–11 |
| Goals | 10 | Gleb Klimenko (Magnitogorsk) |
2010–11 |
| Assists | 15 | Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) Pavol Demitra (Yaroslavl) Patrick Thoresen (Ufa) Alexander Radulov (Ufa) |
2010–11 2010–11 2010–11 2010–11 |
| Shots on goal | 77 | Sergey Mozyakin (Mytishchi) |
2010–11 |
| Plus/minus | +15 | Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) |
2009–10 |
| Penalty minutes | 69 | Grigori Panin (Kazan) |
2008–09 |
| Wins (goaltender) | 15 | Petri Vehanen (Kazan) Erik Ersberg (Ufa) |
2009–10 2010–11 |
| Shutouts | 9 | Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl) |
2008–09 |
[edit] Career records
Regular season[23]
| Record | Name | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 203 | Sergei Mozyakin (Mytishchi) |
2008–2011 |
| Goals | 88 | Sergei Mozyakin (Mytishchi) |
2008–2011 |
| Assists | 125 | Alexander Radulov (Ufa) |
2008–2011 |
| Plus/minus | +97 | Alexander Radulov (Ufa) |
2008–2011 |
| Penalty minutes | 724 | Darcy Verot (Chekhov) |
2008–2011 |
| Wins (goaltender) | 65 | Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk) |
2008–2011 |
| Shutouts | 18 | Vasily Koshechkin (Togliatti, Magnitogorsk, Cherepovets) |
2008–2011 |
Playoffs[23]
| Record | Name | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 50 | Josef Vašíček (Yarolslavl) |
2008–2011 |
| Goals | 19 | Alexander Galimov (Yaroslavl) |
2008–2011 |
| Assists | 32 | Josef Vašíček (Yarolslavl) |
2008–2011 |
| Plus/minus | +24 | Josef Vašíček (Yarolslavl) |
2008–2011 |
| Penalty minutes | 101 | Grigori Panin (Kazan) |
2008–2011 |
| Wins (goaltender) | 34 | Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk) |
2008–2011 |
| Shutouts | 7 | Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk) |
2008–2011 |
[edit] All-time team records
Since its foundation in 2008, 26 clubs have played in the KHL. Only three of the current teams have not yet played in the play-offs. The table gives the final regular-season ranks for all teams, with the play-off performance encoded in colors.
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* includes record of Dynamo Moscow before the merger with HC MVD in 2010 |
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[edit] Trophies and awards
The winner of the play-off 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[24] (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).[25]
The KHL presents annual awards to its most successful players. In 2010, a total of 20 trophies in various categories were awarded. Among the winners were Alexander Radulov (regular season MVP), Ilya Nikulin (play-off MVP) and Anatoli Nikontsev (rookie of the year).[26]
The KHL also awards the Lokomotiv Cup annually to the winner of the first game between the Gagarin Cup winner and the runner-up of the previous season. The Cup, originally known as the Opening Cup, was renamed in the wake of the plane crash that killed 36 Lokomotiv players and staff in 2011.
[edit] See also
- Kontinental Hockey League All-Star Game
- Russian Major League
- Minor Hockey League
- Potential Kontinental Hockey League expansion
- Ice Hockey Federation of Russia
- Russian Elite Hockey Scoring Champion
- Russian Elite Hockey Goal Scoring Champion
- List of current KHL team rosters
- 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
[edit] References
- ^ "Новый игровой ролик КХЛ "Пробка"" (in Russian). khl.ru. http://www.khl.ru/video/1295/. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
- ^ a b "Back to 24". khl.ru. 2011-05-09. http://en.khl.ru/news/2011/5/9/24094.html.
- ^ "Crossing the Atlantic". khl.ru. 2010-04-20. http://en.khl.ru/news/2010/4/20/23845.html.
- ^ a b "Kontinental Hockey League And TV Channel Sport Ratified An Agreement On KHL Championship Games Broadcast In 2009/2010 Season". en.khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2009/8/25/13755.html. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ^ "Kontinental Hockey League Signed An Agreement With Viasat". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2009/3/31/13551.html. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ "Nova Sport je blízko k uzavření kontraktu na hokejovou KHL". DigiZone.cz. http://www.digizone.cz/aktuality/nova-sport-je-blizko-k-uzavreni-kontraktu-na/. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "Jágr a KHL budou v televizi. Práva koupil Nova sport". Týden.cz. http://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/sport/hokej/kontinentalni-liga/jagr-a-khl-budou-v-televizi-prava-koupil-nova-sport_130407.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ "KHL Games Broadcast In The Czech Republic And Slovakia". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2009/7/24/13717.html. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ KHL to match NHL in five years RT, 2009-05-15
- ^ "Russian league tops first CHL ranking". http://www.iihf.com/en/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/browse/3/article/russian-league-tops-first-chl-ranking-1.html. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
- ^ Emery signs one-year deal with Russian team - tsn.ca
- ^ Radulov on His Return to Russia - NHL FanHouse
- ^ Predator inks debatable deal - iihf.com
- ^ "NHL signs agreement with KHL". ESPN.com. 2010-10-04. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=5649236. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
- ^ "Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. http://www.khlptu.ru. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
- ^ "KHL Totals by Nationality – 2011-12 Stats". quanthockey.com. http://www.quanthockey.com/khl/nationality-totals/khl-players-2011-12-stats.html.
- ^ "KHL Totals by Nationality – 2011-12 Goalie Stats". quanthockey.com. http://www.quanthockey.com/khl/nationality-totals/khl-goalies-2011-12-stats.html.
- ^ "QuantHockey FAQ: How is player nationality determined?". quanthockey.com. http://www.quanthockey.com/faq.php.
- ^ a b c Structure and terms for the second stage of 2011-12 KHL championship - Russian Open Ice Hockey Championship (Russian)
- ^ "На совещании в Кремле решили: "Локомотив" с декабря начнёт играть в ВХЛ" (in Russian). Sovetsky Sport. 2011-09-12. http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/480336. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "The Future of Lokomotiv". khl.ru. 2011-09-13. http://en.khl.ru/news/2011/9/13/24161.html.
- ^ "New season postponed". khl.ru. 2011-09-08. http://en.khl.ru/news/2011/9/8/24154.html.
- ^ a b c d "Kontinental Hockey League Records". http://www.quanthockey.com/khl/records.php.
- ^ "Ufa’s first trophy". khl.ru. http://en.khl.ru/news/2010/3/5/23808.html. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ "Новые трофеи Лиги". khl.ru. http://www.khl.ru/news/2010/3/4/26511.html. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Все золото Лиги" (in Russian). KHL.ru. 2010-05-26. http://www.khl.ru/news/2010/5/25/27488.html.
[edit] External links
- (Russian) www.khl.ru - Official homepage.
- (English) en.khl.ru - Official homepage.
- Official KHL Store
- (English) KHL All Stars Game
- (English) KHL vs NHL exhibition games official homepage
- (Russian) Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union
- (Russian) Official KHL page on Facebook
- (English) Official KHL page on Facebook, English version
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