IIHF European Champions Cup

This article is about the men's ice hockey event. For the women's ice hockey event, see IIHF European Women's Champions Cup.

The IIHF European Champions Cup (ECC) was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF. The Champions Cup was first played in 2005, as a replacement for the defunct European Cup (1965–1997), and the suspended European Hockey League (1996–2000).[1] In the 2008–09 season, the ECC was replaced by the Champions Hockey League, which was the new official European club championship event.[1] The new tournament was cancelled after only one season. However, another tournament with the same name was introduced in 2014.

Format

The competition featured the reigning club champions from the top six European hockey nations according to the IIHF World Ranking; these teams were known as the Super Six. Two groups of three played in a round-robin tournament, with the winners of each group facing off in a championship game. The two groups were named after international hockey legends Alexander Ragulin and Ivan Hlinka.

ECC winners (2005–2008)

Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue
2005 Russia Avangard Omsk 2–1 (OT) Finland Kärpät St. Petersburg, Russia
2006 Russia Dynamo Moscow 4–4 (2-1 SO) Finland Kärpät St. Petersburg, Russia
2007 Russia Ak Bars Kazan 6–0 Finland HPK St. Petersburg, Russia
2008 Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5–2 Czech Republic Sparta Praha St. Petersburg, Russia

Participants and results (2005–2008)

2005 results

Group A

Group B

Final

Russia Avangard Omsk – Finland Kärpät – 2:1 (OT)

2006 results

Alexander Ragulin division

Ivan Hlinka division

Final

2007 results

Alexander Ragulin division

Ivan Hlinka division

Final

2008 results

Alexander Ragulin division

Ivan Hlinka division

Final

Predecessors

European Cup (1965–1997)

The European Cup, also known as the Europa Cup, was a European ice hockey club competition for champions of national leagues which was contested between 1965 and 1997, governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The competition was originated by Günther Sabetzki,[2] based on the Association football European Cup (now UEFA Champions League). Teams were seeded and drawn into groups of four teams, with the winners of each group progressing to the next round, where they were drawn into groups again. Each round was played over a long weekend (Friday to Sunday) in a single venue, until one final group was left, the winner of which would be considered the champion.

The tournament encountered problems. Countries had different levels of development in ice hockey, so some teams were weaker than others, resulting in a number of uncompetitive, one-sided games. Organisational difficulties were also posed by the refusal of some Soviet Union teams to play away games in certain places. This resulted in no final being held some years, and more than one final being held in others. The competition was discontinued after 1997.

Winners
Knockout, 1966–1978
Season Winner Score Runner-up
1966 Czechoslovakia ZKL Brno 6–4, 7–5, 6–2, 6–1 West Germany EV Füssen
1967 Czechoslovakia ZKL Brno 3–2, 5–4 Finland Ilves
1968 Czechoslovakia ZKL Brno 3–0, 3–3 Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava
1969 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 9–1, 14–3 Austria EC KAC
1970 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 2–3, 8–5 Soviet Union Spartak Moscow
1971 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 7–0, 3–3 Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava
1972 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 8–2, 8–3 Sweden Brynäs
1973 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 6–2, 12–2 Sweden Brynäs
1974 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 2–3, 6–1 Czechoslovakia Tesla Pardubice
1975 Soviet Union Krylya Sovetov Moscow 2–3, 7–0 Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava
1976 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 6–0, 4–2 Czechoslovakia Poldi Kladno
1977 Czechoslovakia Poldi Kladno 4–4, 4–4 (2-1 SO) Soviet Union Spartak Moscow
1978 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow 3–1 Czechoslovakia Poldi Kladno
Group, 1979–1990
Season Winner Runner-up Third Venue
1979 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia Poldi Kladno Finland Ässät Innsbruck, Austria
1980 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Finland Tappara Czechoslovakia Slovan Bratislava Innsbruck, Austria
1981 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Finland HIFK Czechoslovakia Poldi Kladno Urtijëi, Italy
1982 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia TJ Vítkovice West Germany SC Riessersee Düsseldorf, West Germany
1983 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava Finland Tappara Tampere, Finland
1984 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava East Germany Dynamo Berlin Urtijëi, Italy
1985 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow West Germany Kölner EC Czechoslovakia Dukla Jihlava Megève, France
1986 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Sweden Södertälje SK West Germany SB Rosenheim Rosenheim, West Germany
1987 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia TJ VSŽ Košice Sweden Färjestad BK Lugano, Switzerland
1988 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia Tesla Pardubice Finland Tappara Davos, Switzerland
1989 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Czechoslovakia TJ VSŽ Košice West Germany Kölner EC Cologne, West Germany
1990 Soviet Union CSKA Moscow Finland TPS Sweden Djurgårdens IF Berlin, West Germany
Knockout, 1991–1997
Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue
1991 Sweden Djurgårdens IF 3–2 Soviet Union Dynamo Moscow Düsseldorf, Germany
1992 Sweden Djurgårdens IF 7–2 Germany Düsseldorfer EG Düsseldorf, Germany
1993 Sweden Malmö IF 3–3 (1-0 SO) Russia Dynamo Moscow Düsseldorf, Germany
1994 Finland TPS 4–3 Russia Dynamo Moscow Düsseldorf, Germany
1995 Finland Jokerit 4–2 Russia Lada Togliatti Helsinki, Turku, Finland
1996 Finland Jokerit 3–3 (3-2 SO) Germany Kölner Haie Cologne, Germany
1997 Russia Lada Togliatti 4–3 (OT) Sweden Modo Düsseldorf, Germany

European Hockey League (1996–2000)

The European Hockey League was a European ice hockey club competition which ran between the years 1996 and 2000.

It was established in 1996 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and commercial partner CWL Telesport and first contested in 1996–1997. In 1996–1997, twenty teams played in five divisions. After home and away inter-division matches, the division winners plus the three best second-placed teams went into the quarter-finals. The first winners were Finnish side TPS, who beat Russian HC Dynamo Moscow 5–2.

In the 1997–1998 season, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The division winners and the two best second-placed teams progressed to the quarter-finals. The league was won by Austrian side VEU Feldkirch, who beat Russian side Dynamo Moscow 5–3.

In 1998–1999, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The top two in each division went into playoff matches. The winners of these six playoffs went into the semi-final round, which was played in two groups. The winner of each of these two groups played in the final. For the third year in a row, Dynamo Moscow lost the final, this time to fellow-Russians Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

In 1999–2000, 16 teams competed in four divisions. The two best clubs in each division advanced to the semi-final round, which was played as home and away games. The four winners of the semi-finals qualified for the EHL Top Four Final. In that final, Metallurg Magnitogorsk defended its title, this time beating Czech side Sparta Praha 2–0.

Following consultation with its commercial partner, then called CWL Holding AG, the IIHF decided to suspend the running of the European Hockey League for the 2000–2001 season. Despite financial investment and the improved quality of the contest, attention from the media, spectators, and TV networks in Europe was not seen as satisfactory. In order to optimise exposure of the league in Europe, the IIHF decided to consult with European broadcasters starting with the 2001–2002 season. An international club competition, in the tradition of the previous European Cup, was staged by the IIHF for the 2000–2001 season, but the European Hockey League did not restart.

European Hockey League Finals
Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue
1997 Finland TPS 5–2 Russia Dynamo Moscow Turku, Finland
1998 Austria VEU Feldkirch 5–3 Russia Dynamo Moscow Feldkirch, Austria
1999 Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2–1 (OT) Russia Dynamo Moscow Moscow, Russia
2000 Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2–0 Czech Republic Sparta Praha Lugano, Switzerland

IIHF Continental Cup (1997–present)

Main article: IIHF Continental Cup

The Continental Cup is an ice hockey tournament for European clubs, begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the IIHF European Cup. It was intended for teams from countries without representatives in the European Hockey League, with participating teams chosen by the countries' respective ice hockey associations.

IIHF Super Cup (1997–2000)

Main article: IIHF Super Cup

The IIHF Super Cup was an ice hockey event played between the champions of the two main European club tournaments at the time; it began in 1997 and ended in 2000.

Successors

IIHF Champions Hockey League (2008–2009)

Champions Hockey League was conducted by 14 teams of which 12 are in the group stage. It replaced the IIHF European Champions Cup in 2008. The league was staged for one year only.

IIHF Champions Hockey League Final

Season Winner Score Runner-up
2008-2009 Switzerland ZSC Lions 2–2 5–0 Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Champions Hockey League (2014–present)

On December 9, 2013, the IIHF officially announced that they had launched a new tournament with a similar name as their previous tournament, born out of the European Trophy, starting in the 2014–15 season.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "IIHF Club Competition History". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
  2. ↑ Ice Hockey and Olympism page 187
  3. ↑ "European Cup (1966-1997)". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
  4. ↑ New era dawns for Europe

External links