The KHL is a European hockey league. What is the KHL: characteristics, teams, season structure, trophies How KHL and NHL are translated

Hockey in Europe is extremely popular. On international championships European teams play enough high level. Considering that it had long been in need of updating, management decided to take drastic measures.

What does the abbreviation KHL mean?

The KHL is an open international championship. The first championship, according to all its organizers, was experimental, since it is impossible in the first year of its existence to take into account all the nuances when organizing the largest hockey league in the world. It was organized on the basis of the Russian Super League. The KHL draw determines:

Championship winner. The KHL championship is won by the team that scores the most points after playing all regular season games.
Division winner. It is revealed as a result of all games of the regular season.
Pairs of participants in playoff games. All KHL games are compiled in advance by the league management. They are organized in such a way as to arouse the greatest interest among viewers.

Championship format

The KHL Championship consists of two conferences, which are divided geographically: Eastern and Western. Each conference has two divisions. Based on this, it turns out that there are 4 divisions in the KHL, each of which has 7 teams, with the exception of the Chernyshev division, since recently the Red Star Kunlun team was added there, and it became the eighth in a row.

Each KHL team must play four games with other teams in its division and two games with participants from another division of its conference. In addition, each representative of the league will play an additional 4 games with representatives of their division.

Points system

For a won match, each KHL team takes a maximum of three points. Two points are awarded to the team that was able to win in extra time or in a shootout. If a team loses in extra time or in a shootout, it receives only one point. When a team loses a match, no points are awarded.

At the end of the games, the winner of the division is the team that scored the most points. The calculation is carried out taking into account absolutely all games, and not just the results of games within the division. All results of the matches are recorded by the KHL management.

The standings, presented for teams and their fans, includes statistics on the performance of teams in the conference and separately in each division.

Playoff draw

Each team playing in the KHL can participate in the first stage of the playoffs of the Kontinental Hockey League championship. To do this, she must take at least 8th place in her conference. The first two spots in the playoffs are awarded to the teams that finish first in their division. The remaining places are occupied by teams in descending order of points.

As a result of the drawing, the winners of the conferences will first be revealed. And then these teams will fight in the final. The Gagarin Cup is won by the club that has won all the victories in the knockout games. At each stage, participants will play a series of games up to four victories.

The first champion of the league was Kazan Ak Bars. This club showed strong hockey throughout the season and rightfully took all the prizes.

League expansion

The KHL is the largest in the world. Immediately after its foundation, 21 people took part in the drawing Russian team, and teams from Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan played in the championship to the delight of hockey fans. The KHL is a prestigious and popular league in which many teams want to participate. Since its inception, the number of participants has been steadily growing.

There are now 29 teams playing in the championship. Representatives from Croatia, Finland, Slovakia and even China were added. List of applications for participation from different countries is getting bigger. But not everyone meets the league's requirements.

The KHL is a prestigious league, participation in which requires an initial payment and stable further funding. It also requires having your own stadium that will meet the established requirements.

Many were surprised by the addition of a team from Beijing to the league. It was created specifically for participation in the KHL. The club included Chinese stars and eighteen foreigners. A well-known figure to all Russian fans was appointed coach. The team's results in the first season have been poor so far. But in the future it will definitely grow and compete with the giants of European hockey.

Continental is developing and striving to become better. In terms of entertainment, it is no longer inferior to the National Hockey League. It’s not for nothing that many leading players leave it for the KHL. Pavel Datsuk and Ilya Kovalchuk returned to their homeland after the creation of the league.

The Continental Hockey League (KHL) is an open international league that unites clubs from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia and Finland. There are currently 24 teams in the league, which are divided into Western and Eastern conferences and 4 divisions based on geography.

During the regular season, teams play 62 games, after which the playoffs begin. The top 8 teams from each conference qualify for the KHL playoffs. The main trophy of the league is the Gagarin Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the playoffs.

The idea of creating a Euro-Asian Hockey League originated in the mid-2000s. For the first time it was voiced in public by Vyacheslav Fetisov in October 2005. The idea of creating a league that would be independent of national federations and become commercially successful was liked by many hockey officials from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

As a result, the KHL was created on the basis of the Russian Hockey Super League. The first championship took place in the 2008/2009 season, in which 21 out of 24 clubs were Russian. Subsequently, the league was replenished with teams from Ukraine, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia, but in the last few years the KHL management, on the contrary, has been reducing the number of teams.

Features of betting on the KHL

Clear superiority of several clubs

Clubs Western Conference have greater financial capabilities than clubs in the Eastern Conference. First of all, CSKA and SKA stand out, which in last years significantly superior to others KHL clubs. The St. Petersburg and Moscow “army men” have more balanced lineups, as a result of which bookmakers rate them as favorites in almost every match.

Home match factor

This factor is especially important in the playoffs, where the value of home games is highest value. According to statistics, the team that plays at home often wins. It is worth noting that in regular season games KHL bets for home matches when playing with opponents from another region can bring significant gains, since long-distance flights do not always have a positive effect on the performance of hockey players.

Underdogs can beat favorites

As the regular season progresses, surprises often occur in KHL matches. So, the underdog can easily beat the team that is leading in the conference. This happens especially often at the end of the season, when the leaders have already secured their place in the playoffs and are deprived of proper motivation.

How to choose a bet on the KHL

Everyone is taking bets on KHL matches. The page above provides all the information necessary for betting on the KHL: standings, game schedule and the best odds for the upcoming matches. Also, everyone has access to free forecasts from experts and cappers of the Legalbet website.

The page for each match shows the current team lineups, match results, statistics of past games and more.

As a matter of fact:

The NHL is an entirely commercial league and does not depend on anyone other than investors, businessmen and club owners. Let's not forget to mention the players' union. The KHL is connected with the Ministry of Sports, and does everything for the Russian National Team - with light hand the Ministry of Sports is changing the regulations, the limit on foreign players, etc., as long as our hockey players occupy high places at second-rate tournaments, creating the illusion that domestic hockey everything is fine.

The NHL is not affiliated in any way with statesmen. In the KHL, the president of the Nth team is one of Putin’s friends and a major businessman, in addition, the entire world of our elite is on the board of directors. The other team is sponsored by RosNeft, and Sechin has a personal stake in its success. In general, in Russia, very high-ranking officials are involved in hockey.

3. The KHL, like hockey in general, does not pay off as a business in Russia. Only 1-2 teams make a profit from franchises and home matches, while overseas hockey is a thriving business that brings incredible amounts of money to club owners.

In Russia there is less attendance (but in some cities only due to the capacity of the arenas) than in America and Canada. In the NHL, the average attendance is 15 thousand, and in Russia - from 4 to 5 thousand.

KHL and NHL have different size platforms, which directly affects the game. In the KHL there are more platforms - accordingly, hockey is not so contact, it is more combinational and sweeping. In the NHL, on the contrary, the courts are smaller - there is more contact play, more shots on goal and less time to think. What is more spectacular is up to you to decide.

In the KHL, teams that take the first eight places in their conferences qualify for the playoffs. In the NHL, several places are allocated under the wild card system, and sometimes teams with fewer points than their opponents end up in elimination games.

The regulations regarding the interpretation of fights are also different, power techniques, dangerous attacks and other things related to the safety of players.

The NHL has richer traditions - there is the “white storm”, and throwing octopuses onto the ice, and everything else. For much of what is permitted overseas, we would be held accountable.

And finally, every hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL. All his aspirations are to get into the best league in the world, and many regard our championship as a backup option. Many players, having not received a contract in America or Canada, go to Russia, some outstanding foreign hockey players come to us to finish their careers. Of course, we are talking about great players who are well known and visible to everyone, with ambitions.

In general, with the exception of some differences, both leagues play hockey and compete for the Stanley Cup and Gagarin Cup. Don't think that the NHL is much better than our league. Russia has its own unique atmosphere, its own developing culture of pain and traditions. The NHL’s “Battle of the Hudson” and “Battle of the Alberta” will have their own Army Derby and the same Green. Of course, you shouldn’t compare the level of hockey here and there, because it’s different. But nothing compares to going to some Mytishchi Arena and enjoying the fact that your team has won. Here, not overseas.

If you have only recently become interested in the exciting world of hockey, then it is very likely that much of it will be incomprehensible to you at first. For example, what is the KHL? We will cover all the significant characteristics of the league.

What is the KHL?

KHL - Continental Hockey League. This is an international open association whose members are hockey clubs from the Russian Federation, China, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Finland, Belarus, Latvia. Every year teams compete for the main trophy - the Gagarin Cup. In addition to him, the Continental Cup named after. Tikhonov and the title of Russian club champion.

KHL games have been played since 2008 - that’s when the league was formed. Initially it consisted of 24 clubs. Today (season 2017/2018) their number has increased to 27.

Total attendance KHL games next:

Regular championships - 3.5-5.2 million viewers in different seasons.
Play-offs - from 450 to 600 thousand spectators.

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

Continental League includes the KHL proper, as well as the MHL ( youth league) and WHL (women's league).

History of formation

In 1996, the International Hockey League was disbanded: the best teams The CIS had no choice but to participate only in national competitions. In 2005, V. Fetisov (head of the Federal Agency for Culture and Sports of the Russian Federation) proposed a league project for Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. It must be independent from the Professional Hockey League and the Federation Russian hockey, while also being commercially oriented, like the NHL.

The idea was vigorously discussed for several seasons, but it could not be realized. In February 2008, a decision was signed to start the Open Russian Hockey League (then the ORHL was renamed the KHL). What is the KHL? This is a project in which it was possible to implement almost all planned ideas:

participation of both CIS teams and Western European clubs;
certain salary ceilings;
junior draft;
ungrouping into divisions;
playoff competitions up to 4 wins;
strict requirements for the infrastructure of clubs;
personal cup;
membership of clubs belonging to the Super League.

U KHL tournament The pioneer table appeared in the 2008-2009 season. The first goal was scored by hockey player A. Nizhivy (Dynamo Riga) against Amur. Initially, the participants were 21 clubs from the Russian Federation and three teams from Latvia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Ak Bars became the first KHL champion and winner of the Gagarin Cup.

Geographical division

What is the KHL? These are two conferences - Eastern and Western. Each of them has two more divisions within itself - each is named after a famous hockey player. The result is:

Eastern Conference.
- Chernyshev Division:
  - "Avangard" from Omsk;
  - "Amur" from Khabarovsk;
  - "Admiral" from Vladivostok;
  - "Barys" from Astana;
  - "Kunlun" from Beijing;
  - "Siberia" from Novosibirsk;
  - "Salavat Yulaev" from Ufa.
Western Conference.
- Tarasov Division:
  - "Vityaz" from Podolsk;
  - "Dynamo" from Moscow;
  - "Lokomotiv" from Yaroslavl;
  - "Sochi";
  - "Severstal" from Cherepovets;
  - "Torpedo" from N. Novgorod;
  - CSKA from Moscow.
- Bobrov Division:
  - "Dynamo" from Riga;
  - "Dynamo" from Minsk;
  - "Yorkite" from Helsinki;
  - "Slovan" from Bratislava;
  - "Spartak" from Moscow;
  - SKA from St. Petersburg.

Season structure

Let's look at the structure of competitions held by the KHL.

Regular season. The first stage is 56 games for each team. Of these, 52 are played twice with each opponent, plus 4 additional games are scheduled. Points are awarded here as follows:

3 - for victory.
2 - for a shootout or victory in overtime.
1 - for a loss in shootouts or overtime.

The club that scores the most points will be victorious in the regional championship. He is awarded the Continental Cup.

Playoffs. Those teams that took 1st to 8th place in the conferences move on to the second stage of the competition. The first 2 places go to the winners within their divisions.

At this stage the following are determined:

winners of the Western and Eastern Conferences;
winner of the Gagarin Cup;
champion of the Russian Federation, as well as silver and bronze medalists.

In addition, the “Hope” tournament is also held for those teams who took 9th and lower places at the first stage.

Trophies, awards and winners

IN KHL results victories are as follows:

Gagarin Cup - to the winner in the playoff competition.
Continental Cup - the team that finished the regular season with the maximum number of points.
The Nadezhda Cup is played among clubs that are not included in the playoffs.
Prize "Second" - to the players who scored the latest and fastest goal.
Trophy named after Cherepanov - the best hockey player, who played his first season in the KHL.
"Golden Stick" - to the most valuable player in regular competitions.
Prize for the best hockey player in the playoffs.
Special trophies for the best referee, head of the KHL club.

In conclusion, let's look at absolute champions- winners of the Gagarin Cup:

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

So we figured out what the KHL is. In terms of the entertainment value of the games, the star quality of the hockey players, and the professionalism of the teams, the Continental League today is not inferior to the NHL.