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Kontinental Hockey League
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The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It is considered to be the second-best league in the world, and the top of the European elite leagues. Two teams from the KHL are guaranteed qualification into the Champions Hockey League season. The Gagarin Cup, named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, is awarded annually to the league champion, following a 16-team playoff at the end of the regular season.
The league was formed in 2008 from a predecessor organization, the Russian Superleague (RSL).
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Encyclopedia
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It is considered to be the second-best league in the world, and the top of the European elite leagues. Two teams from the KHL are guaranteed qualification into the Champions Hockey League season. The Gagarin Cup, named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, is awarded annually to the league champion, following a 16-team playoff at the end of the regular season.
The league was formed in 2008 from a predecessor organization, the Russian Superleague (RSL). The RSL, in turn, was a secessor to the Soviet Hockey League, which was founded in 1946 with only five teams. The KHL began its operations with 24 teams, 21 of which are based in the Russian Federation with the remaining 3 located in Belarus, Latvia, and Kazakhstan, respectively. There has been speculation that more teams from other countries teams will join in subsequent years.
Players
Russians constitute a large majority of the players in the KHL because of its origins as a Soviet/Russian closed-league. A minority of the players are from other Eastern European and Northern European countries, with an influx of Canadians beginning to sign on with clubs as the league gains prominence. The KHL operates at a high skill level, as did its precursor the RSL, and it is only accepting elite teams from existing leagues as new members. Though now an open-league, Russian teams are currently 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. These rules in particular are likely to change as soon as 2009-2010 if the league expands further beyond Russia.
Prior to the inaugural season, several KHL teams have signed several players from the NHL. 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), leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Teams
2008–09
In its inaugural season, the KHL has 24 teams, including all 20 teams from the RSL; Barys Astana from Kazakhstan; Khimik Voskresensk from Russia; Dynamo Minsk from Belarus; as well as Riga-based Latvian team Dinamo Riga.
2009–10 Expansion
It has been reported that the league seeks to expand to 30 teams.
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg failed to enter the league for the 2008-09 season due to financial problems; however, the club plans to join the league for the 2009-10 season.
The Czech Republic's HC Energie Karlovy Vary has signed letters of intent with the KHL. Barring budget and payroll issues, they should be able to compete for the 2009-10 season. The club will continue its operations in the Czech Extraleague, as well as create an expansion franchise consisting of top Czech players.
Possible Expansion
Two teams invited from Sweden include Frölunda HC and Färjestads BK; neither club has accepted nor rejected the offer as of yet. Ukraine's Sokil Kyiv is attempting to join, but financial issues have delayed a bid until at least the 2010-11 season. According to Russia Today News, Finland's Kärpät is also interested, as well as German teams Eisbären Berlin and Kölner Haie . The league also wants to expand to Austria by affiliating EC Red Bull Salzburg. SKA Saint Petersburg General manager Barry Smith said that an affiliation may be possible in three or four years. Red Bull and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, however, favours playing in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga..
The Belarus Ice Hockey Federation has announced that it plans to include up to four Belarussian teams in the KHL, with league VP Vladimir Shalaev confirming the prospect of 2 teams from Belarus for the 2009-10 season. Of these, Junost Minsk, along with HC Homyel (which may relocate to Babruysk due to arena complications) of the Belarusian Extraliga, are actively taking steps to join the KHL. An announcement is expected to be made by February 12.
Of the Russian Major League, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk has expressed interest in joining in the future, with ownership hoping to ascend by 2013 or beyond. By the end of they 2008 plan to have a 5,500 capacity arena completed to meet KHL specifications. The low population of this area, however, makes it highly unlikely a team will ever garner enough interest to warrant such an investment. HC Dmitrov is also hoping to make a bid to join the league within 2-3 years.
Season structure
The opening round began on September 2, 2008. The regular season is scheduled to come to a close on February 26, 2009. Playoffs will begin on March 1, 2009, and will end on April 12 at the latest.
During the regular season, each team will play fifty-six games: four games against each of the teams in their own division and two games against each of the other teams. The sixteen top-ranked teams will receive playoff berths. The division winners are seeded 1 through 4, based on their ranking relative to one another (like in the NHL), and the other twelve are seeded 5 through 16 based on ranking, regardless of their division. The top seed plays the sixteenth seed, the second plays the fifteenth, and so on. The first two playoff rounds will be best-of-five series, and the final two rounds will be best-of-seven series. After each round, the top remaining seed will always be paired against the lowest remaining seed. The league champion will be awarded the Gagarin Cup.
Trophies and awards
The KHL presents annual awards to its most successful players. The Cherepanov Memorial Trophy will be awarded annually to the top rookie.
See also
External links
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