The European Hockey League was a European ice hockey club competition which ran between the years 1996 and 2000. [1]
It was established in 1996 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and commercial partner CWL Telesport and first contested in 1996–1997. In 1996–97, twenty teams played in five divisions. After home and away intra-division games, the division winners plus the three best second-placed teams went into the quarter-finals. The first winners were Finnish club TPS, who beat Russian HC Dynamo Moscow 5–2. [2]
In the 1997–98 season, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The division winners and the two best second-placed teams progressed to the quarter-finals. The league was won by Austrian team VEU Feldkirch, who beat Russian side Dynamo Moscow 5–3. [3]
In the 1998–99 season, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The top two in each division were paired off against each other in two-game, home-and-away series. The winners of these six playoffs went into the semi-final round, which was played in two groups of three. The winner of each of these two groups played in the final. For the third year in a row, Dynamo Moscow lost the final, this time to fellow-Russians Metallurg Magnitogorsk. [4]
In the 1999–2000 season, 16 teams competed in four divisions. The two best clubs in each division advanced to the semi-final round, which was played as two-game, home-and-away series. The four winners of the semi-finals qualified for the EHL Top Four Final. In that final round, Metallurg Magnitogorsk defended its title, this time beating Czech club Sparta Prague 2–0. [5]
Following consultation with its commercial partner, then called CWL Holding AG, the IIHF decided to suspend the running of the European Hockey League for the 2000–01 season. Despite financial investment and the improved quality of the contest, attention from the media, spectators, and TV networks in Europe was not seen as satisfactory. In order to optimize exposure of the league in Europe, the IIHF decided to consult with European broadcasters starting with the 2001–02 season. An international club competition, in the tradition of the previous European Cup, was staged by the IIHF for the 2000–01 season, but the European Hockey League did not restart.
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 |  TPS | 5–2 |  Dynamo Moscow | Turku, Finland |
| 1997–98 |  VEU Feldkirch | 5–3 | Dynamo Moscow | Feldkirch, Austria |
| 1998–99 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 2–1 (OT) | Dynamo Moscow | Moscow, Russia |
| 1999–2000 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | 2–0 |  Sparta Prague | Lugano, Switzerland |
The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). The home arena, the 11,200 seat Hallenstadion, is in the Zürich district of Oerlikon. The team was founded in 1930 and played at the Dolder-Kunsteisbahn from its establishment until 1950.
The IIHF European Champions Cup (ECC) was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF. The Champions Cup was first played in 2005, as a replacement for the defunct European Cup (1965–1997), and the suspended European Hockey League (1996–2000). In the 2008–09 season, the ECC was replaced by the Champions Hockey League, which was the new official European club championship event. The new tournament was cancelled after only one season. However, another tournament with the same name was introduced in 2014.
Hockey Club Avangard, also known as Avangard Omsk, is a Russian professional ice hockey team from Omsk. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Eastern Conference of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. They also competed in the Champions Hockey League, losing the 2008–09 season championship round to Swiss club, the ZSC Lions.
The Hockey Club SKA, often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg. They are members of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The club never competed in a league final until the 2014–15 KHL season, where they defeated Ak Bars Kazan winning the Gagarin Cup. They won their second Gagarin Cup in 2017, defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In 2012, with an average of 10,126 spectators, the SKA became the first Russian club ever to average a five-digit attendance.
The Silver Stone Trophy was originally designed and produced for the now defunct European Hockey League (1997-2000) by Italian artist Enzo Bosi. It weighs seven kilograms in silver chisel, equivalent to one British stone, hence the name The Silver Stone. From 2005 until 2008, it was awarded to the winner of the IIHF European Champions Cup, with the winning team receiving a 1:1 replica of the trophy. In 2009, it was awarded to the winner of the Champions Hockey League.
The Champions Hockey League was a short-lived ice hockey tournament which was launched in 2008 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) after adopting the proposal put forth by Ovation Sports AG, and only played in the 2008–09 season. Its creation coincided with the IIHF's 100th anniversary and replaced the IIHF European Champions Cup, the previous competition for Europe's top ice hockey teams. The financial reward for progressing to the CHL Group Stage was a portion of the 16.9 million Swiss francs that was distributed between the teams with a 1,000,000 Swiss francs bonus going to the winner; the largest monetary reward ever given in any European ice hockey competition.
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The 2008 IIHF European Champions Cup was the fourth and the last edition of IIHF European Champions Cup. It was held in Saint Petersburg at the Ice Palace arena, from January 10 to January 13. The champions of 2007 of the six strongest hockey nations of Europe participate: Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS), Modo Hockey (SWE), HC Slovan Bratislava (SVK), Kärpät (FIN), HC Sparta Prague (CZE), HC Davos (SUI).
The Victoria Cup was a game or series of games played between professional ice hockey teams from Europe and the North American National Hockey League (NHL). The event was held twice, in 2008 and 2009.
The 2008–09 Champions Hockey League was the only season of the Champions Hockey League (2008–09), an IIHF-organized ice hockey tournament for the best club teams in Europe. The season was played with 12 teams from seven countries . Every participating team was guaranteed an appearance fee of 300,000 euro and the winner received 1,000,000 euro. Prize money was also be awarded for winning group stage matches, for the semi-final appearance and for the other finalist . In total, 10 million euros were distributed, the largest prize sum ever in a European hockey club competition. The ZSC Lions from Switzerland won the competition by beating Russia's Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the finals.
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The 2008 Victoria Cup was the first edition of the Victoria Cup challenge, played on October 1, 2008, between the 2008 European Champions Cup winners, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), at the PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. The game was played under IIHF rules. The Rangers won the challenge as they battled from a 3–0 deficit to win the game 4–3.
The Junior Hockey League (MHL), sometimes translated as the Minor or Youth Hockey League, is a major junior ice hockey league in Eurasia, founded in 2009. It currently consists of 33 teams from 4 countries. Currently, all teams but one are subsidiaries for their respective KHL or VHL professional counterparts. A player's age cannot be older than 20. The Kharlamov Cup, named after star ice hockey player Valeri Kharlamov, is awarded annually as the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia's official Junior Championship, following a 16-team playoff at the end of the regular season.
The Russian Superleague, commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League (NHL) of North America. It was a part of the Russian Pro Hockey League which was composed of three divisions — the Superleague, Major League, and First League.
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Ilya Antonovsky is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with HC Ryazan in Supreme Hockey League (VHL).