Champions Hockey League (2008-2009)
The Champions Hockey League (short CHL , including: hockey Champions League ) was in the 2008-09 season for the first and only time, and by the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF discharged European Cup Competition for hockey club .
Due to a lack of sponsorship money due to the investor's jump in connection with the financial crisis , the IIHF announced on June 15, 2009 that the CHL would be suspended in the 2009/10 season. The new start of the CHL for the 2010/11 season, which was planned by the IIHF and Hockey Europe , the association of the European leagues, did not materialize. Plans to resume the 2011/12 season have also been postponed after some leagues involved disagreed with them.
For the 2014/15 season, a new competition will be launched under the name Champions Hockey League , which will be carried out by a corporation that is majority owned by the clubs involved.
history
Introduction of the league
On April 20, 2007, the world association announced that the competition will replace the previous IIHF European Champions Cup , a tournament with the champions of the six best European nations in the IIHF world rankings . Further information was made public on January 13, 2008 on the sidelines of the last European Champions Cup. The winner of the tournament receives the Silver Stone Trophy , which was introduced in 1997 for the winner of the European Hockey League .
In the first season only teams from the seven best European leagues took part in the CHL. The countries Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic and Finland each represented two teams, while Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia competed with the respective champions in the group stage. There was also another team, which was determined in a qualifying tournament in September 2008. The participants in the qualification tournament were the main round winners of the Slovakian Extra League , the Swiss National League A and the German Ice Hockey League .
The main round was held in four groups with three teams each. Each team in each group played against each other team with one home and one away game. The respective group winners played the semi-finals in the first and second leg. The final was also played back and forth. The games took place on Wednesdays and, as far as possible, did not overlap with national league games or the UEFA Champions League .
Somewhat surprisingly, the winners of the first event were the ZSC Lions from Zurich, who were able to defeat the last ECC winner HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the final . In October 2009, the Lions also won the Victoria Cup .
In the first CHL season, high premiums were advertised for ice hockey conditions, which should ensure the attractiveness of the competition for the participants. The premiums are covered by sponsors, including the Russian Gazprom . A total of ten million euros were distributed in the 2008/09 season:
- a total of 100,000 euros for the participants in the qualifying tournament
- 300,000 euros per participating team for the group stage
- 50,000 euros per victory in the group stage
- 200,000 euros for the semi-finals
- 500,000 euros for the defeated finalist
- 1,000,000 euros for the victorious finalist
- 300,000 euros for each participant's league
- 100,000 euros for each participating national association
Short-term cancellation and renewed resumption
From the 2009/10 season onwards , an extended qualification mode should be used. The champions of the seven best European leagues were automatically qualified for the twelve-team group stage. The remaining five participants should have been played in two qualifying rounds between the masters of the European leagues placed between 8th and 22nd place in the league table and the main round winners of the seven best leagues. The 2009/10 season was canceled in the summer due to the ongoing financial crisis and a lack of investor funds.
For the 2010/11 season, the CHL should start playing again. The IIHF worked with Hockey Europe for this . According to preliminary plans, the champions of the seven best leagues of the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons as well as two other teams, which should be determined via a qualifying tournament, qualify for the group stage, which should consist of four groups of four teams. Another attempt to resume competition will begin with the 2011/12 season. Two participants from each of the seven best leagues, the ZSC Lions Zurich as the defending champion and the winner of the IIHF Continental Cup 2010/11, should qualify .
Follow and restart
From 2010 the European Trophy established itself as an alternative European Cup competition. This competition, which resulted from the Nordic Trophy and the Red Bulls Salute , was carried out by the participating clubs without the participation of the IIHF. The IIHF tried meanwhile to revive the CHL.
Finally, IIHF, clubs and the leagues of Hockey Europe agreed on a new European Cup competition, which will again be called the Champions Hockey League . The competition is organized by a corporation, which is majority owned by 26 clubs. The details of the new competition will be announced in December 2013.
League Ranking
The participants in the CHL were determined according to a list of countries or leagues , similar to other sports . The best seven countries took part in the 2008/09 season; in the 2009/10 season the tournament should have been expanded to 22 countries.
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Victoria Cup
- Main article: Victoria Cup
The following year, the CHL winner met a team from the National Hockey League in the so-called Victoria Cup . The first edition of the Victoria Cup took place on October 1, 2008 in the PostFinance Arena in Bern . The European representative was the ECC winner HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk , from the NHL the New York Rangers were selected. The winner received prize money of one million Swiss francs (around 0.6 million euros). The trophy is named after the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal , which the IIHF regards as the birthplace of ice hockey, as an indoor ice hockey game was held there for the first time in 1875. The first event coincided with the 100th birthday of the IIHF.
Winners list
| year | Attendees | CHL winner | Erg. | Finalist CHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008/09 | 14th |
 ZSC Lions Zurich
|
2: 2, 5: 0 |
 HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk
|
| 2009/10 | 29 (planned) | no event due to the financial crisis | ||
Individual evidence
- ↑ CHL to re-launch in 2010-11. In: iihf.com. June 15, 2009, accessed March 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Agreed: Bring back CHL! In: iihf.com. June 15, 2009, accessed May 12, 2017 .
- ↑ CHL plans postponed. In: iihf.com. January 20, 2011, accessed May 12, 2017 .
- ↑ iihf.com, CHL Tender of IIHF (PDF; 198 kB)
- ↑ Ready for CHL re-launch. In: iihf.com. December 6, 2010, accessed May 12, 2017 .
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