KHL

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an international hockey league formed in February 2008 for clubs from Russia and other European and Asian countries. The league is the organizer of the KHL regular season, in which the Viktor Tikhonov Continental Cup is played, and the playoffs, in which 16 league teams compete for the Gagarin Cup. According to the results of the playoffs, the champion of Russia is determined, which becomes the best Russian club, and the champion of the KHL is the winner of the Gagarin Cup.The clubs are divided into two conferences, each of which is divided into two divisions.After the Interethnic Hockey League was disbanded in 1996, the best clubs in the CIS went to their national championships. In October 2005, the head of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sports, Vyacheslav Fetisov, proposed a project for a unified league for clubs in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Ukraine (and in the future, both Western Europe and the Far East), now called the Eurasian Hockey league (EAHL)[1]. A league independent of national federations, in particular the FHR, and independent of the PHL (the organization that holds the championship of the Russian Superleague)[2]. And the league, primarily focused on the commercial model, as in the NHL. Nine Russian clubs signed an agreement of intent. The start of the new league was scheduled for the 2006-2007 season with 12 clubs in the first season with the prospect of expanding to 20 or more clubs in subsequent seasons[3]. But the start of the project this season failed to materialize. In the next season of 2007-2008, this idea was vigorously discussed [4], but it did not come to real action. Finally, in February 2008, despite opposition from the FHR, a decision was made to launch a league, originally called the Open Russian Hockey League (ORHL), eventually named the Continental Hockey League (KHL). Alexander Medvedev became the President of the KHL, and Vyacheslav Fetisov became the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Almost all the ideas proposed for the EAHL league were embodied in this project: the participation of clubs from the CIS initially, and then from Western Europe; junior draft; division into nominal divisions and conferences; salary ceiling; nominal cup; stringent infrastructure requirements for clubs; "Long" playoff series up to 4 wins[5]. The only serious difference from the EAHL project was that the EAHL initially planned to take selected Super League clubs, while the KHL included all the clubs represented in the Super LeagueThe KHL was created on the basis of the Russian Hockey Superleague and at that time included 24 clubs. Of these, 21 clubs are from Russia, as well as one club each from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Latvia. Under a contract with the FHR, the Gagarin Cup winner also receives the title of champion of Russia, regardless of the nationality of the club.

The first KHL championship was held in the 2008/09 season, which the organizers consider experimental. On September 2, 2008, the first goal in the history of the tournament was scored by 31-year-old Dynamo Riga hockey player Alexander Nizhiviy against Amur. On September 4, 2008, the first hat-trick (against Dynamo Riga) was scored by Metallurg Novokuznetsk player Alexander Shinkar.

On April 12, 2009, the Ak Bars team from Kazan became the first winner of the Gagarin Cup and the KHL champion in the 2008/2009 season..In the 2021/22 season, 19 clubs from Russia and one club each from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia and Finland play in the league.