What is the CHL: characteristic, team, season structure trophies

If you have just recently been carried away by the breathtaking world of hockey, it is very likely that a lot here at first you will not understand. For example, what is the CHL. We'll cover all the important characteristics of the league.

What is the KHL?

KHL - Kontinental Hockey League. This international open association, whose participants are hockey clubs from Russia, China, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Finland, Belarus, Latvia. Each year, teams compete for the trophy - it's Gagarin Cup. Besides him, the Cup is played Continent them. Tikhonov and title of club champion Russia.

KHL games are conducted since 2008 - that the league was formed then. Initially, it consisted of 24 clubs. Today (season 2017/2018), their number increased to 27.

KHL games popularity is as follows:

• Regular Season - 3, 5-5, 2 million viewers in different seasons.
• Play-offs - from 450 to 600 thousand spectators.

If you look at the attendance, the most favorite teams are the "vanguard", the SKA, "Dinamo-Minsk".

Continental League includes proper CHL and MCL (youth league) and ZHHL (female league).

The history of the

In 1996, it was disbanded Interethnic Hockey League: the best teams of the CIS could do nothing as the only participate in national competitions. In 2005 Vyacheslav Fetisov (the head of the Federal Agency for Culture and Sport of the Russian Federation) proposed a project for the League of Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It must be independent of the Professional Hockey League and the Federation of Russian hockey, and thus be commercially oriented, as the NHL. Several seasons of the idea of ​​much discussion, but to realize it did not work. In February 2008, a decision on the start of the Open Russian Hockey League (later renamed ORHL CHL) was signed. What is the KHL? This project, which managed to sell almost all of the planned ideas:

• as a part of CIS teams and clubs in the west of Europe;
• certain wage ceilings;
• Draft juniors;
• ungroup in divisions;
• competition playoffs to 4 wins;
• stringent infrastructure requirements of clubs;
• with the name Cup;
• Membership clubs belonging to the Super League.

In the KHL standings pioneer appeared in the 2008-2009 season. The first goal was scored by A. Nizhivy hockey player ( "Dinamo Riga") against "Cupid." Initially, participants were 21 clubs from Russia and three teams from Latvia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The first champion KHL Gagarin Cup, and became the owner of "Ak Bars".

The geographic division of

What is the KHL? This two conferences - Eastern and Western. Each of them has within it two more divisions - each named after the famous hockey player. As a result, there is:

• Eastern Conference.
  • Chernyshev Division:
    • "Avangard" from Omsk;
    • "Cupid" from Khabarovsk;
    • "Admiral" from Vladivostok;
    • "Barys" Astana;
    • "Kunlun" Beijing;
    • "Siberia" from Novosibirsk;
    • "Salavat Yulaev" from Ufa.

  Kharlamov Division:

  • "Ak Bars" of Kazan;
  • "Motorist" from Ekaterinburg;
  • "Harmony" of Togliatti;
  • "Metallurg" from Magnitogorsk;
  • "Neftekhimik" from Nizhnekamsk;
  • "Tractor" from Chelyabinsk;
  • "Ugra" of Khanty-Mansiysk.
• The Western Conference.
  • Division Tarasova:
    • "The Knight" from Podolsk;
    • "Dynamo" from Moscow;
    • "locomotive" of Yaroslavl;
    • "Sochi";
    • "Severstal" from Cherepovets;
    • "Torpedo" from Nizhny Novgorod;
    • CSKA Moscow.
  • Bobrov Division:
    • "Dynamo" from Riga;
    • "Dinamo" from Minsk;
    • "York" from Helsinki;
    • "Slovan" Bratislava;
    • "Spartacus" in Moscow;
    • SKA St. Petersburg.

The structure of the season

Let's look at the structure of the competition, held by the CHL.

Regular season. The first stage - 56 games each team. Of these, 52 are held twice every opponent, plus what are appointed by the 4 extra games. Points are awarded are as follows:

• 3 - for the win.
• 2 - for a series of shootouts or victory in over-half.
• 1 - for losing in shootouts or over-half.

The club, which attains the most points will be the triumph of the regional championship. He handed the cup Continent.

Playoffs. Those teams, which took 1 st to 8 th place in the conference, go to the second stage of the competition. The first two places - the winners in their divisions.

At this stage, it is determined:

• winners of the Western and Eastern Conference;
• Gagarin Cup;
• Russian champion, as well as silver and bronze medalists.

In addition, the wires and "Hope" tournament for those teams who are in the first stage took 9th place and lower.

Trophies, awards and winners of

The KHL results wins the following:

• Gagarin Cup - triumphant in playoff competition.
• Continental Cup - the team that finished the regular season with the maximum number of points.
• Cup "Hope" - is played out among the clubs that are not included in the playoffs.
• Prize "Second" - players who scored the most recent and fastest goal.
• name Cherepanov Trophy - the best hockey player, played the first season in the CHL.
• "Golden Hockey Stick" - tsenneyshemu player regular competitions.
• Prize for the best hockey player of the playoffs.
• Special trophies best judge, the head of the club of the KHL.

In conclusion, we look at the absolute champions - Gagarin Cup holders:

• "Ak Bars" - 2009, 2010
• "Metallurg-Magnitogorsk" - 2014, 2016
• "Dynamo-Moscow" - 2012, 2014
• SKA - 2015, 2017
• "Salavat Yulaev" - 2011

So ​​we figured, what the CHL. For games entertainment, "star" players, professional team Continental League today is not inferior to the NHL.