European Hockey League 1998/99

The 1998/99 season of the European Hockey League was the third edition of the competition of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF . It was held between September 15, 1998 and February 14, 1999. A total of 24 teams from twelve nations took part. The leagues from Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden were each represented with three teams in the competition, while Switzerland and Great Britain each provided two participants.

As winner of the competition, the Final Four in the Sports Palace Luzhniki in the Russian capital Moscow was organized, who went Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League forth, which thus was able to win an international title for the first time and on the Silverstone Trophy immortalized. At the beginning of the following season, the Russian team met the winner of the IIHF Continental Cup to play off the winner of the IIHF Super Cup .

Due to a new tournament format, the record number of 94 games was played in the course of the competition. A total of 226,597 spectators attended the 72 preliminary round games, which corresponds to an average of just 3,147 per game. The absolute leader was Jokerit Helsinki , who were able to attract an average of 8,548 spectators to the Hartwall Areena in the course of their three preliminary round matches .

Attendees

The 24 participants who attended the third event came from twelve different European leagues. The strongest among them had more than one participant, including the Finnish SM-liiga , Swedish Elitserien , Czech Extraliga , Russian Superleague and the German Ice Hockey League with three each and the Swiss National League A and the British Ice Hockey Superleague with two.

As in the previous year, a large field of participants started, but the Czech champions HC Slovnaft Vsetín - as well as the two teams behind them - did not participate, so only six champions from the seven best leagues played. A total of ten national title holders and four runner-up champions took part in the competition. There were also some wildcards , including one for the defeated finalist from the previous year.

• HIFK Helsinki (Master of SM-liiga )
• Ilves Tampere (runner-up in the SM-liiga)
• Jokerit Helsinki (third in the SM-liiga)
• Färjestad BK Karlstad (Master of the Elitserien )
• Djurgårdens IF Stockholm (runner-up in the Elitserien)
• Leksands IF (third in the main round of the Elitserien)
• HC Sparta Prague (fourth in the main round of the Extraliga )
• HC Chemopetrol Litvínov (main round seventh of the Extraliga)
• HC Dukla Jihlava (main round ninth under the Extraliga)
• Ak Bars Kazan ( Super League Champion )
• HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk (runner-up in the Super League)
• HK Dynamo Moscow (last year's finalist; fifth in the Superliga)
• Adler Mannheim (Champion of the German Ice Hockey League )
• Eisbären Berlin (runner-up in the German Ice Hockey League)
• Frankfurt Lions (second in the main round of the German Ice Hockey League)
• EV Zug (champions of the National League A )
• Friborg-Gottéron (second in the main round of the National League A)
• Ayr Scottish Eagles ( Ice Hockey Superleague Champion )
• Manchester Storm (second in the main round of the Ice Hockey Superleague)
• HC Slovan Bratislava ( extra league champions )
• Grenoble Métropole Hockey 38 (champions of Ligue Magnus )
• VEU Feldkirch (defending champion; champion of the Austrian Bundesliga )
• HC Bozen (champions of Serie A )
• Vålerenga IF Oslo (Master of the Elite Series )

HIFK Helsinki Ilves Tampere Jokerit Helsinki Färjestads BK Djurgårdens IF Leksands IF HC Sparta Prague HC Litvínov HC Dukla Jihlava Ak Bars Kazan HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk HK Dynamo Moscow Adler Mannheim Polar bears Berlin Frankfurt Lions EV train Friborg-Gottéron Ayr Scottish Eagles Manchester Storm HC Slovan Bratislava Grenoble Métropole Hockey VEU Feldkirch HC Bolzano Vålerenga IF Oslo

Field of participants in the 1998/99 season

Group stage

In the group stage, which was held from September 15 to December 8, 1998, a total of 24 teams took part in six groups of four teams. These determined the placements in the league system . The first and second group in each group reached the intermediate round.

Group A

In Group A, the Eisbären Berlin - as the first German team ever and first in the group - and Jokerit Helsinki reached the intermediate round . Berlin was able to defeat the Finns both in the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki and in the local corrugated iron palace. Nevertheless, both came to 13 points in the end. HC Dukla Jihlava and Djurgårdens IF Stockholm , who were the only three Swedish teams not to be represented in the next round, had no chance of getting a ticket for the second round.

September 15, 1998	Polar bears Berlin	4: 2 (0: 1, 1: 0, 3: 1)	HC Dukla Jihlava	Wellblechpalast , Berlin Spectators:
September 15, 1998	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	1: 3 (0: 2, 1: 0, 0: 1)	Jokerit Helsinki	Globen , Stockholm spectators:
September 29, 1998	Polar bears Berlin	4: 3 n.V. (2: 1, 1: 2, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	Wellblechpalast, Berlin Spectators:
September 29, 1998	Jokerit Helsinki	4: 3 (1: 2, 1: 1, 2: 0)	HC Dukla Jihlava	Hartwall Areena , Helsinki spectators:
October 13, 1998	Jokerit Helsinki	1: 3 (1: 1, 0: 1, 0: 1)	Polar bears Berlin	Hartwall Areena, Helsinki spectators:
October 27, 1998	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	4: 1 (2: 1, 1: 0, 1: 0)	HC Dukla Jihlava	Globen, Stockholm spectators:
October 27, 1998	Polar bears Berlin	5: 4 n.P. (0: 2, 2: 1, 2: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Jokerit Helsinki	Wellblechpalast, Berlin Spectators:
November 3, 1998	HC Dukla Jihlava	5: 2 (1: 1, 2: 1, 2: 0)	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	Horácký zimní stadium , Jihlava spectators:
November 17, 1998	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	3: 1 (0: 1, 1: 0, 2: 0)	Polar bears Berlin	Globen, Stockholm spectators:
November 17, 1998	HC Dukla Jihlava	2: 4 (0: 3, 0: 1, 2: 0)	Jokerit Helsinki	Horácký zimní stadium, Jihlava spectators:
December 1, 1998	HC Dukla Jihlava	2: 4 (0: 1, 0: 1, 2: 2)	Polar bears Berlin	Horácký zimní stadium, Jihlava spectators:
December 1, 1998	Jokerit Helsinki	4: 3 (1: 0, 0: 0, 3: 3)	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	Hartwall Areena, Helsinki spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	Polar bears Berlin	6th	3	2	0	1	21:15	13
2.	Jokerit Helsinki	6th	4th	0	1	1	20:17	13
3.	Djurgårdens IF Stockholm	6th	2	0	1	3	16:18	7th
4th	HC Dukla Jihlava	6th	1	0	0	5	15:22	3

Group B

The advancement in Group B developed into a purely Scandinavian affair. Both Färjestad BK Karlstad , who failed in the quarter-finals last year despite the best preliminary round, and HIFK Helsinki , who were in no way inferior to city rivals Jokerit, made it to the intermediate round . HC Slovan Bratislava , which was still surprising last year, was eliminated with one point less than Karlstad, as were the Frankfurt Lions . Frankfurt had the weakest defense in the competition with 34 goals conceded. Four of the twelve matches were only decided after the regular playing time.

September 22, 1998	Färjestad BK Karlstad	4: 3 n.V. (1: 0, 2: 0, 0: 3, 1: 0)	HC Slovan Bratislava	Isstadion , Karlstad spectators:
September 22, 1998	HIFK Helsinki	9: 3 (0: 2, 5: 0, 4: 1)	Frankfurt Lions	Helsingin Jäähalli , Helsinki audience:
October 6, 1998	Färjestad BK Karlstad	4: 3 n.V. (2: 1, 1: 0, 0: 2, 1.0)	Frankfurt Lions	Isstadion, Karlstad spectators:
October 6, 1998	HC Slovan Bratislava	1: 2 n.P. (1: 1, 0: 0, 0: 0, 0: 0, 0.1)	HIFK Helsinki	ST Aréna , Bratislava spectators:
October 20, 1998	Frankfurt Lions	4: 3 n.P. (0: 2, 1: 1, 2: 0, 0: 0, 1: 0)	HC Slovan Bratislava	Ice rink , Frankfurt am Main Spectators:
October 20, 1998	HIFK Helsinki	5: 3 (1: 0, 1: 2, 3: 1)	Färjestad BK Karlstad	Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki audience:
November 10, 1998	Färjestad BK Karlstad	5: 1 (1: 0, 2: 1, 2: 0)	HIFK Helsinki	Isstadion, Karlstad spectators:
November 10, 1998	HC Slovan Bratislava	5: 2 (3: 1, 0: 0, 2: 1)	Frankfurt Lions	ST Aréna, Bratislava spectators:
November 24, 1998	Frankfurt Lions	4: 6 (0: 3, 2: 0, 2: 3)	Färjestad BK Karlstad	Ice rink, Frankfurt am Main Spectators:
November 24, 1998	HIFK Helsinki	3: 2 (2: 0, 1: 0, 0: 2)	HC Slovan Bratislava	Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki audience:
December 8, 1998	Frankfurt Lions	4: 7 (1: 2, 2: 3, 1: 2)	HIFK Helsinki	Ice rink, Frankfurt am Main Spectators:
December 8, 1998	HC Slovan Bratislava	3: 2 (1: 0, 1: 2, 1: 0)	Färjestad BK Karlstad	ST Aréna, Bratislava spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	HIFK Helsinki	6th	4th	1	0	1	27:18	14th
2.	Färjestad BK Karlstad	6th	2	2	0	2	24:19	10
3.	HC Slovan Bratislava	6th	2	0	3	1	17:17	9
4th	Frankfurt Lions	6th	0	1	1	4th	20:34	3

Group C

Group C saw last year's finalists VEU Feldkirch and HK Dynamo Moscow meet in the preliminary round . It turned out, however, that the Austrians had won the title last year once, while Dynamo was aiming for the title for the third time. The Feldkirch team were able to win their home game against Moscow, but that didn't change the early elimination. In addition to the Muscovites, the Swiss champions EV Zug also reached the intermediate round in second place. As fourth in the group Vålerenga IF Oslo failed as did Feldkirch. Still, Oslo and Zug were only separated by two points in the end.

September 22, 1998	EV train	7: 3 (2: 2, 2: 0, 3: 1)	Vålerenga IF Oslo	Herti stadium , Zug spectators:
September 22, 1998	VEU Feldkirch	3: 2 n.P. (0: 1, 1: 1, 1: 0, 0: 0, 1: 0)	HK Dynamo Moscow	Vorarlberghalle , Feldkirch spectators:
October 6, 1998	EV train	5: 8 (1: 3, 2: 4, 2: 1)	HK Dynamo Moscow	Herti stadium, Zug spectators:
October 6, 1998	Vålerenga IF Oslo	4: 3 n.V. (1: 0, 1: 2, 1: 1, 1: 0)	VEU Feldkirch	Jordal Amfi , Oslo spectators:
October 20, 1998	HK Dynamo Moscow	9: 4 (3: 1, 1: 0, 5: 3)	Vålerenga IF Oslo	Sports Palace Luzhniki , Moscow Spectators:
October 20, 1998	VEU Feldkirch	3: 4 n.P. (1: 1, 2: 2, 0: 0, 0: 0, 0: 1)	EV train	Vorarlberghalle, Feldkirch spectators:
November 10, 1998	EV train	7: 4 (2: 1, 1: 3, 4: 0)	VEU Feldkirch	Herti stadium, Zug spectators:
November 10, 1998	Vålerenga IF Oslo	5: 6 n.P. (2: 2, 3: 0, 0: 3, 0: 0, 0: 1)	HK Dynamo Moscow	Jordal Amfi, Oslo spectators:
November 24, 1998	HK Dynamo Moscow	3: 1 (1: 0, 1: 1, 1: 0)	EV train	Sports Palace Luzhniki, Moscow Spectators:
November 24, 1998	VEU Feldkirch	3: 1 (2: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Vålerenga IF Oslo	Vorarlberghalle, Feldkirch spectators:
December 8, 1998	HK Dynamo Moscow	7: 4 (2: 0, 2: 4, 3: 0)	VEU Feldkirch	Sports Palace Luzhniki, Moscow Spectators:
December 8, 1998	Vålerenga IF Oslo	5: 3 (3: 1, 2: 2, 0: 0)	EV train	Jordal Amfi, Oslo spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	HK Dynamo Moscow	6th	4th	1	1	0	35:22	15th
2.	EV train	6th	2	1	0	3	27:26	8th
3.	VEU Feldkirch	6th	1	1	2	2	20:25	7th
4th	Vålerenga IF Oslo	6th	1	1	1	3	22:31	6th

Group D

The group winners of Group D, Ilves Tampere , started the group stage very badly with two defeats. Four victories in a row finally sealed the group victory. Meanwhile, a duel between Leksands IF and Manchester Storm developed for second place , which had already caused surprises last year. So they won against Tampere and got eight out of a possible nine points from the first three games. Nevertheless, they had to relinquish second place to Leksand in the end, as they lost their home game against HC Bozen on the penultimate matchday.

September 22, 1998	HC Bolzano	1: 4 (1: 2, 0: 1, 0: 1)	Leksands IF	Ice wave , Bolzano spectators:
September 22, 1998	Manchester Storm	4: 2 (2: 0, 1: 0, 1: 2)	Ilves Tampere	MEN Arena , Manchester spectators:
October 6, 1998	HC Bolzano	1: 2 (1: 1, 0: 1, 0: 0)	Manchester Storm	Ice wave, Bolzano spectators:
October 6, 1998	Ilves Tampere	2: 3 (0: 0, 1: 2, 1: 1)	Leksands IF	Hakametsä , Tampere spectators:
October 13, 1998	HC Bolzano	2: 6 (0: 2, 1: 1, 1: 3)	Ilves Tampere	Ice wave, Bolzano spectators:
October 20, 1998	Leksands IF	2: 3 n.P. (1: 0, 1: 0, 0: 2, 0: 0, 0: 1)	Manchester Storm	Isstadion , Leksand spectators:
October 27, 1998	Manchester Storm	2: 3 n.V. (2: 1, 0: 1, 0: 0, 0: 1)	Leksands IF	MEN Arena, Manchester spectators:
November 10, 1998	Ilves Tampere	5: 2 (3: 1, 1: 0, 1: 1)	HC Bolzano	Hakametsä, Tampere spectators:
November 24, 1998	Leksands IF	2: 4 (1: 1, 1: 2, 0: 1)	Ilves Tampere	Isstadion, Leksand spectators:
November 24, 1998	Manchester Storm	2: 5 (1: 0, 1: 4, 0: 1)	HC Bolzano	MEN Arena, Manchester spectators:
December 8, 1998	Leksands IF	6: 3 (2: 2, 3: 0, 1: 1)	HC Bolzano	Isstadion, Leksand spectators:
December 8, 1998	Ilves Tampere	7: 3 (3: 0, 2: 0, 2: 3)	Manchester Storm	Hakametsä, Tampere spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	Ilves Tampere	6th	4th	0	0	2	26:16	12
2.	Leksands IF	6th	3	1	1	1	20:15	12
3.	Manchester Storm	6th	2	1	1	2	16:20	9
4th	HC Bolzano	6th	1	0	0	5	14:25	3

Group E

Group E saw a duel between HC Sparta Prague , who had recovered from last year's preliminary round, and HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk , who scored the best attack of the entire group stage with 41 goals for first place in the group. Ironically, both teams lost their home game in a direct duel. Due to the direct comparison, Prague took the top spot and thus saved the honor of the Czech EHL teams. The two other teams in the group, Grenoble Métropole Hockey 38 and Friborg-Gottéron , had no chance against the Czechs and Russians and lost all games against them.

September 15, 1998	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	4: 7 (1: 1, 1: 3, 2: 3)	HC Sparta Prague	Romasan Ice Palace , Magnitogorsk Spectators:
September 22, 1998	Friborg-Gottéron	2: 4 (0: 1, 0: 2, 2: 1)	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	Patinoire de Saint-Léonard , Friborg spectators:
September 29, 1998	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	2:12 (1: 5, 0: 3, 1: 4)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Patinoire Clémenceau , Grenoble spectators:
September 29, 1998	HC Sparta Prague	5: 1 (1: 0, 3: 1, 1: 0)	Friborg-Gottéron	Sportovní hala , Prague spectators:
October 6, 1998	Friborg-Gottéron	3: 6 (1: 2, 0: 1, 2: 3)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Patinoire de Saint-Léonard, Friborg spectators:
October 13, 1998	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	0: 3 (0: 0, 0: 2, 0: 1)	HC Sparta Prague	Patinoire Clémenceau, Grenoble spectators:
October 27, 1998	HC Sparta Prague	4: 3 (2: 1, 2: 0, 0: 2)	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	Sportovní hala, Prague spectators:
October 27, 1998	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	7: 0 (3: 0, 2: 0, 2: 0)	Friborg-Gottéron	Romasan Ice Palace, Magnitogorsk Spectators:
November 10, 1998	Friborg-Gottéron	2: 6 (1: 2, 1: 2, 0: 3)	HC Sparta Prague	Patinoire de Saint-Léonard, Friborg spectators:
November 17, 1998	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	9: 3 (1: 1, 6: 1, 2: 1)	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	Romasan Ice Palace, Magnitogorsk Spectators:
December 1, 1998	Grenoble Métropole Hockey	4: 3 n.P. (1: 1, 1: 1, 1: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Friborg-Gottéron	Patinoire Clémenceau, Grenoble spectators:
December 1, 1998	HC Sparta Prague	2: 3 (0: 2, 1: 1, 1: 0)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Sportovní hala, Prague spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	HC Sparta Prague	6th	5	0	0	1	27:13	15th
2.	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	6th	5	0	0	1	41:17	15th
3.	Grenoble Métropole Hockey 38	6th	1	1	0	4th	16:33	5
4th	Friborg-Gottéron	6th	0	0	1	5	11:32	1

Group F.

The closest thing was pool F, where the first and third were only separated by one point. As the group leader with eleven points, Ak Bars Kazan made it into the intermediate round. Behind them, the Adler Mannheim - tied with the Ayr Scottish Eagles  - were able to achieve second place and thus also reached the next round. The decisive factor was the Mannheim team's victory on the last match day in a direct duel with the Scots. As the bottom of the group, HC Chemopetrol Litvínov was eliminated with only four points.

September 15, 1998	Ayr Scottish Eagles	3: 6 (0: 1, 2: 2, 1: 3)	Adler Mannheim	Centrum Arena , Prestwick Spectators:
September 15, 1998	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	1: 4 (0: 1, 1: 2, 0: 1)	Ak Bars Kazan	Zimní stadion Litvínov , Litvínov spectators:
September 29, 1998	Ak Bars Kazan	5: 4 n.V. (3: 0, 1: 2, 0: 2, 1: 0)	Adler Mannheim	Sports Palace , Kazan Spectators:
September 29, 1998	Ayr Scottish Eagles	4: 3 (2: 1, 2: 2, 0: 0)	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	Centrum Arena, Prestwick Spectators:
October 13, 1998	Ak Bars Kazan	2: 4 (1: 1, 1: 1, 0: 2)	Ayr Scottish Eagles	Sports Palace, Kazan Spectators:
October 13, 1998	Adler Mannheim	6: 0 (3: 0, 1: 0, 2: 0)	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	Ice stadium at Friedrichspark , Mannheim Spectators:
October 27, 1998	Ayr Scottish Eagles	3: 1 (1: 0, 1: 1, 1: 0)	Ak Bars Kazan	Centrum Arena, Prestwick Spectators:
October 27, 1998	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	5: 4 n.P. (3: 1, 0: 1, 1: 2, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Adler Mannheim	Zimní stadion Litvínov, Litvínov spectators:
November 17, 1998	Adler Mannheim	2: 7 (1: 1, 1: 1, 0: 5)	Ak Bars Kazan	Ice stadium at Friedrichspark, Mannheim Spectators:
November 17, 1998	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	5: 4 n.P. (2: 1, 0: 2, 2: 1, 0: 0, 1: 0)	Ayr Scottish Eagles	Zimní stadion Litvínov, Litvínov spectators:
December 1, 1998	Ak Bars Kazan	3: 2 (1: 1, 1: 0, 1: 1)	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	Sports Palace, Kazan Spectators:
December 1, 1998	Adler Mannheim	6: 5 (1: 1, 2: 1, 3: 3)	Ayr Scottish Eagles	Ice stadium at Friedrichspark, Mannheim Spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	OTS	OTN	N	Gates	Points
1.	Ak Bars Kazan	6th	3	1	0	2	22:16	11
2.	Adler Mannheim	6th	3	0	2	1	28:25	11
3.	Ayr Scottish Eagles	6th	3	0	1	2	23:23	10
4th	HC Chemopetrol Litvínov	6th	0	2	0	4th	16:25	4th

Intermediate round

For the intermediate round, which is held once in this format, the first and second placed of the six preliminary round groups qualified. In the first round, two teams - one group winner and one group runner-up - met each other on a return leg. If both teams had won a game or both games ended in a draw, the second game was followed by decisive overtime or, if necessary, a penalty shoot- out that started when the score was 0-0. The goal difference played no role. The six winning teams of the comparisons reached the second round.

The second qualifying round for the Final Four was played between the six qualifiers of the first round in two groups of three teams. The first and second in the group finally reached the Final Four .

First qualifying round

For the first qualifying round, the games of which were played on January 5 and 12, 1999, five champions, three runners-up and four teams that were placed behind in the national championship qualified after the group stage. Russia and Finland were the only countries still represented with three teams in the competition, Germany and Sweden had two participants.

Probably the most explosive duel of the round took place in Helsinki , where city rivals Jokerit and HIFK met . The reigning champion from the Helsingfors district clearly decided the duel after victories both in a third-party hall and in his own hall. The third Finnish representative Ilves Tampere also reached the round of the last six with two wins against the Swiss champions EV Zug . Similar to the Finns, the Russians were able to place two teams in the next round. While HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk retaliated for the defeat it suffered at Ak Bars Kazan in the re- edition of the Super League duel of the previous season, HK Dynamo Moscow, two-time EHL finalists, needed extra time in the second and decisive game to eliminate Leksands IF from Sweden. With the reigning Swedish champions Färjestad BK Karlstad , the second Swedish team also failed after two defeats at the Eisbären Berlin . The most successful EHL season of the German participants was crowned by the Adler Mannheim , who won the decisive penalty shootout against the renowned Czech club HC Sparta Prague and thus made the next round an internal matter between Finland, Russia and Germany.

January 5, 1999	Färjestad BK Karlstad	3: 5 (0: 1, 3: 1, 0: 3)	Polar bears Berlin	Isstadion , Karlstad spectators:
January 12, 1999	Polar bears Berlin	3: 1 (1: 1, 0: 0, 2: 0)	Färjestad BK Karlstad	Wellblechpalast , Berlin Spectators: 3,500

January 5, 1999	Jokerit Helsinki	2: 3 (1: 1, 1: 0, 0: 2)	HIFK Helsinki	Hartwall Areena , Helsinki spectators:
January 12, 1999	HIFK Helsinki	7: 5 (3: 0, 1: 4, 3: 1)	Jokerit Helsinki	Helsingin Jäähalli , Helsinki spectators: 7,980

January 5, 1999	Leksands IF	2: 1 (0: 1, 1: 0, 1: 0)	HK Dynamo Moscow	Isstadion , Leksand spectators:
January 12, 1999	HK Dynamo Moscow	2: 1 (1: 0, 1: 0, 0: 1)	Leksands IF	Luzhniki Sports Palace , Moscow Spectators: 6,000
		Extra time 1-0

January 5, 1999	EV train	3: 5 (1: 2, 1: 2, 1: 1)	Ilves Tampere	Herti stadium , Zug spectators:
January 12, 1999	Ilves Tampere	6: 3 (2: 1, 0: 2, 4: 0)	EV train	Hakametsä , Tampere spectators: 5,046

January 5, 1999	Adler Mannheim	6: 4 (1: 0, 3: 2, 2: 2)	HC Sparta Prague	Ice stadium at Friedrichspark , Mannheim Spectators:
January 12, 1999	HC Sparta Prague	10: 4 (4: 1, 5: 2, 1: 1)	Adler Mannheim	Paegas Arena , Prague Spectators: 5,246
		Penalty shootout 0: 1

January 5, 1999	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	4: 2 (1: 1, 1: 0, 2: 1)	Ak Bars Kazan	Romasan Ice Palace , Magnitogorsk Spectators:
January 12, 1999	Ak Bars Kazan	3: 2 (1: 1, 0: 0, 2: 1)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Sports Palace , Kazan Spectators: 3,500
		Penalty shootout 0: 1

Second qualifying round

The second qualifying round for the Final Four was played between January 22 and 24, 1999 among the six qualifiers of the first round in two groups of three of three teams. There were two teams each from Finland, Russia and Germany in the semifinals, including two reigning champions and all three runners-up from their respective countries.

In contrast to the group stage, a game could end in a draw, so there were only two points for a win instead of three. If the score was even after 60 minutes, both clubs received one point each.

Group A

The group A games were played in the Wellblechpalast in Berlin . Already after the first two days of the tournament the Eisbären Berlin and HK Dynamo Moscow were confirmed as Final Four participants after victories over the third participant, the Adler Mannheim . The final draw between the two qualifiers only decided on the starting position for the final tournament. Since Moscow had the better goal difference in the end, they took the top spot.

January 22, 1999	Polar bears Berlin	5: 3 (2: 1, 1: 1, 2: 1)	Adler Mannheim	Wellblechpalast , Berlin Spectators:
January 23, 1999	HK Dynamo Moscow	6: 1 (1: 0, 1: 1, 4: 1)	Adler Mannheim	Wellblechpalast, Berlin Spectators:
January 24, 1999	Polar bears Berlin	2: 2 (0: 1, 0: 1, 2: 0)	HK Dynamo Moscow	Wellblechpalast, Berlin Spectators:

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	HK Dynamo Moscow	2	1	1	0	08: 03	3
2.	Polar bears Berlin	2	1	1	0	07: 05	3
3.	Adler Mannheim	2	0	0	2	04:11	0

Group B

Group B games were played in the Helsingin Jäähalli of Helsinki . In the first tournament game, the host HIFK Helsinki was defeated by league rivals from Tampere 4: 5 and was therefore under pressure in the final game of the tournament against HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk from Russia. After Tampere and Magnitogorsk split 2-2 on the second day, Tampere was already safely qualified. Since Helsinki was also defeated by the Russians, they reached the Final Four in Moscow as group winners due to the best goal difference .

January 22, 1999	HIFK Helsinki	4: 5 (1: 4, 1: 0, 2: 1)	Ilves Tampere	Helsingin Jäähalli , Helsinki audience:
January 23, 1999	Ilves Tampere	2: 2 (0: 1, 2: 1, 0: 0)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki audience:
January 24, 1999	HIFK Helsinki	1: 3 (0: 1, 1: 1, 0: 1)	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	Helsingin Jäähalli, Helsinki audience:

Pl.		Sp	S.	U	N	Gates	Points
1.	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	2	1	1	0	05: 03	3
2.	Ilves Tampere	2	1	1	0	07: 06	3
3.	HIFK Helsinki	2	0	0	2	05: 08	0

Final round

The semifinals and the two placement games were decided in just one duel. The group leaders of the two intermediate round groups crossed over against the group runners-up in the other group. In the event of a tie after regular time, extra time followed and, if necessary, a penalty shootout .

Final Four

The Final Four with the two semi-finals and the following placement games for third place and final victory took place on February 13th and 14th, 1999 in the Sportpalast Luschniki in Moscow, Russia .

	Semifinals				final
	HK Dynamo Moscow	3
	Ilves Tampere	1
					HK Dynamo Moscow	1
					HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	2
					3rd place match
	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	5			Ilves Tampere	1
	Polar bears Berlin	1			Polar bears Berlin	4th

Semifinals

Due to the results of the intermediate round, the hosts from Moscow met the Finnish representative Ilves Tampere and HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk played against the Eisbären Berlin. The two Russian teams had avoided a direct duel in the semifinals due to their group wins.

In the first game, the Muscovites won the final ticket for the third time in a row with a 3-1 win over Ilves Tampere. They turned a 1-0 deficit after the first third. In the second game, the Russian representative in the form of Metallurg Magnitogorsk also prevailed. They clearly defeated Berlin 5-1, although the Germans had held a 0-0 for a long time.

February 13, 1999	HK Dynamo Moscow	3: 1 (0: 1, 1: 0, 2: 0)	Ilves Tampere	Sports Palace Luzhniki , Moscow Spectators:
February 13, 1999	HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk	5: 1 (0: 0, 2: 0, 3: 1)	Polar bears Berlin	Sports Palace Luzhniki, Moscow Spectators:

3rd place match

In the game for third place, the Eisbären Berlin clearly prevailed 4: 1 against Tampere. After a balanced initial section, Berlin gradually expanded its lead and secured third place. It was also the best result of a German team in the history of the EHL.

February 14, 1999

Ilves Tampere

1: 4 (1: 1, 0: 1, 0: 2)

Polar bears Berlin

Sports Palace Luzhniki, Moscow Spectators:

final

The final saw HK Dynamo Moscow in the final for the third time in a row. For Magnitogorsk it was the first participation in the EHL final and the second ever after they had been defeated in the final of the IIHF Federation Cup 1995/96 .

Both teams went into the encounter very carefully, which meant that it was still 0-0 after the second period. After Alexander Koreschkow gave Magnitogorsk the lead, Dynamo leveled the game eight seconds before the end after a shot by Andrei Markow and forced extra time . There the team from the Urals finally won 2-1 over the capitals, who could not use the home advantage and were also defeated in the final for the third time. Wladimir Antipin scored the decisive goal . For Metallurg it was the first ever European Cup triumph.

February 14, 1999

HK Dynamo Moscow A. Markow (59:52)

1: 2 n.V. (0: 0, 0: 0, 1: 1, 0: 1)

HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk A. Koreschkow W. Antipin

Sports Palace Luzhniki, Moscow Spectators:

statistics

Best scorer

Abbreviations: Sp = games, T = goals, V = assists , pts = points, +/- = plus / minus ; Fat: tournament best

Group stage

player	team	Sp	T	V	Pt	+/-	SM
Wes Walz	train	6th	7th	5	12	+4	4th
Sergei Osipov	Magnitogorsk	6th	6th	6th	12	+14	8th
Mikhail Borodulin	Magnitogorsk	6th	5	6th	11	+13	35
Konstantin Schafranow	Magnitogorsk	4th	3	8th	11	+14	2
Brian Rafalski	HIFK Helsinki	6th	4th	6th	10	+8	10
Zdeno Cíger	Bratislava	6th	4th	5	9	+8	8th
Juha Lind	Jokerit Helsinki	6th	6th	2	8th	+8	14th
Alexei Tschupin	Kazan	6th	6th	2	8th	+7	31
Andrei Markow	Moscow	6th	5	3	8th	+6	8th
Patrik Martinec	Prague	6th	4th	4th	8th	+9	2

Intermediate and final round

Raimo Helminen , the top scorer of the intermediate and final round

player	team	Sp	T	V	Pt	+/-	SM
Raimo Helminen	Tampere	6th	3	7th	10	−4	0
Marc Fortier	Berlin	6th	3	5	8th		6th
Andrei Rasin	Magnitogorsk	6th	2	5	7th		4th
Sami Ahlberg	Tampere	6th	3	3	6th	−5	0
Jackson Penney	Mannheim	4th	3	3	6th		14th
Pelle Svensson	Berlin	6th	4th	1	5		4th
Mike Bullard	Berlin	6th	4th	1	5		6th
Gordon Hynes	Mannheim	4th	2	3	5		2
Peter Larsson	Tampere	6th	2	3	5	−4	2
Oscar Ackeström	Tampere	6th	2	3	5	−4	6th

Best goalkeeper

Abbreviations: Sp = games, TOI = ice age (in minutes), GT = goals conceded, SO = shutouts , Sv% = shots saved (in%), GTS = goals conceded; Fat: tournament best

Group stage

player	team	Sp	TOI	GT	SO	Sv%	GTS
Johan Hedberg	Leksand	5	313: 54	11	0	92.95	2.10
Milan Hnilička	Prague	4th	220: 00	9	0	92.91	2.45
Mario Brunetta	Berlin	5	310: 00	13	0	92.44	2.52
Oleg Grachev	Kazan	3	180: 00	7th	0	92.05	2.33
Mikael Tellqvist	Stockholm	3	180: 00	7th	0	91.76	2.33

Intermediate and final round

player	team	Sp	TOI	GT	SO	Sv%	GTS
Boris Tortunov	Magnitogorsk	6th	372: 09	10	0	93.06	1.61
Johan Hedberg	Leksand	2	120: 54	4th	0	92.73	1.99
Ildar Muchometov	Moscow	6th	361: 54	9	0	91.43	1.49
Udo Doehler	Berlin	4th	240: 00	11	0	91.13	2.75

Awards

Winning team

European Hockey League winner HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Goalkeepers: Sergei Semchenok , Boris Tortunow Defenders: Vladimir Antipin , Vadim Glowazki , Aleh Lyawonzjeu , Aleh Mikultschyk , Valeri Nikulin , Andrei Saposhnikov , Andrei Sokolov , Igor Zemlyanoi , Sergei Tertyschny Attackers: Mikhail Borodulin , Alexander Golz , Sergei Gomoljako , Rawil Gusmanow , Valeri Karpow , Alexander Koreschkow , Evgeni Koreschkow , Andrei Kudinow , Sergei Osipow , Andrei Petrakow , Dmitri Popow , Andrei Rasin , Konstantin Schafranow , Alexei Stepanow Head coach: Valery Belousov

literature

• Stephan Müller: International Ice Hockey Encyclopaedia: 1904 - 2005 . Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Germany 2005, ISBN 978-3-8334-4189-9 , pp. 440-441 .

Web links

• Results of the tournament at hockeyarchives.info
• Results and statistics of the tournament at hokej.snt.cz