ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Prior to the final of the European Champions Cup on Sunday, the foundation of its successor Champions Hockey League was announced. The CHL will be played with with four preminary round groups made up of three teams each. Including home and away semi-final and final games, in total, 30 games will be played during the 2008-2009 season.
The intentions to launch the Champions Hockey League, whose inaugural campaign will coincide with the 100-Year Anniversary season of the IIHF, were originally unveiled in April 2007. The contract between the International Ice Hockey Federation, the agency Ovation Sports and the investors was signed for three years. The contract has yet to be ratified by the participating national associations and leagues, which is expected in a few weeks.
In the inaugural season, the CHL will start in October with the group stage. The Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and Sweden will be represented by two teams: the national champion and the regular season winner. If the national champion has won both the playoffs and the regular season, the second-placed team of the regular season will be the second participant. Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland will take part with only the national champion. The twelfth team is to be announced later.
- The CHL group stage (6 rounds total, 2 home and 2 away games per team) will be played on October 8, 22, 29, November 12, 19 and December 3, 2008.
- The group winners will advance to the semi-finals (pairings determined by draw), which will be played on December 10, 2008, and January 7, 2009 (home and away).
- The home and away games for the final are scheduled for January 21 and 28, 2009.
- All games will be played on Wednesdays.
“The fans, broadcasters, clubs, and players all want the national champion to play for the European crown,” said Craig Thompson, the CEO of Ovation. No games in the hockey leagues of the European participants will be played on those Wednesdays and most do not overlap with major football (soccer) games. Thompson, as well as the IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner, bring knowledge from the founding of the football Champions League.
The winner will receive the Silver Stone Trophy as the best club team of Europe and will also participate in the Victoria Cup, a new competition between European and NHL challengers. The date, venue and format will be announced very soon. For the inaugural Victoria Cup on October 1, 2008, the ECC winner will be qualified.
"The Champions Hockey League will not only contribute to the sportive development of club hockey in Europe, but it will also be financially very rewarding for the clubs," the IIHF president René Fasel said. A total prize sum of 10 million Euro per season will be distributed. "This is by far most substantial prize sum ever introduced in European club hockey," added Fasel.
The prize money will be distributed as follows:
- 300,000 Euro per team (appearance fee)
- 50,000 Euro for each win in the group stage
- 200,000 Euro for semi-final appearance
- 1,000,000 Euro to the CHL winner
- 500,000 Euro for the other finalist
- 300,000 Euro to each participating league
- 100,000 Euro to each participating national association
This league has been made possible thanks to support from a group of international private investors including Gazprom - all of them great enthusiasts of ice hockey. “Of course, it is our ambition that the CHL will be a permanent feature on the hockey calendar beyond 2011,” said Fasel.
Gazprom is happy to be part of this new competition and its Vice-President Alexander Medvedev points out that nothing will not be paid with government money. “Our investment does also respond but not conflict with our idea of the new Russian Open League,” Medvedev added.
As of the 2009-2010 season, the CHL will expand to having champion teams from 24 countries as there will be two rounds of qualifications prior to the 12-team CHL group stage. After the first year, a new European Club ranking is planned and will be utilised to determin the constellation of the clubs.
“We strongly believe that European club hockey has enormous potential. As we are extremely happy to have reached an agreement with the current investors, the CHL remains a significant investment opportunity for other potential shareholders”, Fasel added.
