Champions Hockey League returns

06 Dec 2010 | Fredrik Pålsson

The IIHF today announced that the CHL will return for the next three seasons. 16 teams divided in four groups will play in the competition for the European title.

After the 2009/2010 season being cancelled because of the financial crisis the International Ice Hockey Federation today announced that the Champions Hockey League will be back for the next three seasons. IIHF will finance the tournament with CHF 1.5 million per year. IIHF will also provide compensation for the clubs that would have played in the cancelled 2009/2010 season.

“The inaugural Champions Hockey League showed that European ice hockey is ready for a pan-continental league,” said IIHF President René Fasel. “It showed that all stakeholders, primarily the clubs and its large fan base, can be the beneficiaries of this competition which provides an additional value on top of the already successful domestic competition. Europe’s top-fifty hockey clubs attract a domestic league attendance of around 18 million fans per year. Apart from soccer, there is no other team sport in Europe that has this following. Together we are ready to treat this committed group of fans to even more high-quality hockey" Fasel told IIHF official home page.

The re-launch of the CHL will be played with 16 teams. The national champions and regular season winners from the seven top-ranked European countries, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland will play in the league together with the 2011 Continental Cup winner and the 2009 Champions Hockey League winner, ZSC Lions.

The league will have 62 games with a round robin with four groups with double games. Playoffs will be played with home and away, quarter finals, semi finals and final. The 2011/2012 edition will start on September 7 2001 with the final scheduled for January 18 and 25.