Russian Superleague
Encyclopedia
The Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey
league in Russia
. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League
(NHL) of North America
. It was a part of the Russian Pro Hockey League which was composed of three divisions — the Superleague, Major League (Vysshaya Liga), and First League
(Pervaya Liga).
The league was disbanded/rebranded after the 2007/2008 season, for/as the KHL
. The KHL absorbed all 20 teams from the previous RSL season, for a total of 24 for its inaugural campaign.
, which was founded in 1946. The Soviet era was dominated by the Red Army
-affiliated CSKA Moscow
, who won 32 of the 46 championships. The league lasted until 1992 due to the Soviet Union's collapse. After its transformation into the International Hockey League
, the league was rechristened the Russian Hockey League in 1996. From 1996 to 1999, league membership was Russian-only. In 1999, membership was open and the league went international, and was renamed the Russian Superleague.
There were 20 teams in the Superleague in 2007–08.
(IIHF) rules.
During the regular season, each team faced each other team three times (twice at home/once away, or once at home/twice away). Each team played 57 games during the regular season. If a game was drawn, a five-minute sudden-death overtime was played, followed by a shootout. Three points were awarded for a win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a loss in regulation.
The 16 teams with the best regular-season records qualified for the playoffs. Each playoff round was a best-of-five series. In each round, the teams were paired according to the regular season performance. The top team was paired with the bottom team, the second-ranked team was paired with the team with the second worst regular-season performance, and so on. The higher-ranked team played Games One, Two, and Five on home ice.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was a part of the Russian Pro Hockey League which was composed of three divisions — the Superleague, Major League (Vysshaya Liga), and First League
Pervaya Liga
The Russian Hockey League , until 2010 known as the First League , during the 2010–11 season known as the Championship of Russia between the club teams of regions , is an ice hockey league in Russia. It is a feeder league to the Kontinental Hockey League and the Vysshaya Khokkeynaya Liga. Majority...
(Pervaya Liga).
The league was disbanded/rebranded after the 2007/2008 season, for/as the KHL
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
. The KHL absorbed all 20 teams from the previous RSL season, for a total of 24 for its inaugural campaign.
History
The origins of the Superleague are in the old Soviet LeagueSoviet Hockey League
The Soviet Championship was the highest level ice hockey league in the Soviet Union, running from 1946 to 1992. Before the 1940s the game of ice hockey was not cultivated in Russia, instead the more popular form of hockey was bandy, with history of the game in Russia dating several centuries into...
, which was founded in 1946. The Soviet era was dominated by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
-affiliated CSKA Moscow
HC CSKA Moscow
HC CSKA Moscow is a Russian ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. It is referred to in the West as "Central Red Army" or the "Red Army Team" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army, popularly known as the Red Army...
, who won 32 of the 46 championships. The league lasted until 1992 due to the Soviet Union's collapse. After its transformation into the International Hockey League
International Hockey League (1992–1996)
The International Hockey League lasted from 1992 to 1996. It replaced the Soviet Union's Championship league. The last season was in 1995-1996, as the league was replaced replaced by the Russian Superleague the following season....
, the league was rechristened the Russian Hockey League in 1996. From 1996 to 1999, league membership was Russian-only. In 1999, membership was open and the league went international, and was renamed the Russian Superleague.
Teams (2007–08)
- Amur KhabarovskAmur KhabarovskAmur Khabarovsk is a professional hockey team based in Khabarovsk, Russia playing in the Kontinental Hockey League...
- Avangard OmskAvangard OmskAvangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
- Ak Bars Kazan
- CSKA MoscowHC CSKA MoscowHC CSKA Moscow is a Russian ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. It is referred to in the West as "Central Red Army" or the "Red Army Team" for its past affiliation with the Soviet Army, popularly known as the Red Army...
- Dynamo MoscowHC Dynamo MoscowHC Dynamo Moscow was a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Moscow. They were members of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League...
- Khimik Moscow Oblast
- Lada TogliattiHC Lada TogliattiHC Lada is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Togliatti, Russia. They were members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.Due to a lack of a satisfactory arena the KHL expelled the team...
- Lokomotiv YaroslavlLokomotiv YaroslavlHockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
- Metallurg MagnitogorskMetallurg MagnitogorskMetallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League...
- Metallurg NovokuznetskMetallurg NovokuznetskMetallurg Novokuznetsk is a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League.-History:-Champions:...
- MVD Moscow OblastHC MVD Moscow OblastHC MVD was a professional ice hockey club based in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, Russia. They werre members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. They are best known for winning the silver medal in the KHL backstopped by all star goaltender Michael Garnett in 2010...
- Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
- Salavat Yulaev UfaSalavat Yulaev UfaSalavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
- Severstal CherepovetsSeverstal CherepovetsHC Severstal Cherepovets is a professional ice hockey team based in Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League.-History:Founded in 1956, the club was originally known as Stroitel Cherepovets...
- Sibir Novosibirsk
- SKA Saint PetersburgSKA Saint PetersburgSKA Saint Petersburg is a Russian professional ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. SKA is an abbreviation for "Sports Club of the Army"...
- Spartak MoscowHC Spartak MoscowHC Spartak is a professional ice hockey team based in Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League .-History:One of the sections of the Spartak Moscow sports club, HC Spartak Moscow was established in 1946...
- Torpedo Nizhny NovgorodTorpedo Nizhny NovgorodTorpedo Nizhny Novgorod is an ice hockey club in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League....
- Traktor Chelyabinsk
- Vityaz ChekhovVityaz ChekhovHockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
Competition
The competition consisted of the regular season and the play-off. The games were played in accordance with the International Ice Hockey FederationInternational Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
(IIHF) rules.
During the regular season, each team faced each other team three times (twice at home/once away, or once at home/twice away). Each team played 57 games during the regular season. If a game was drawn, a five-minute sudden-death overtime was played, followed by a shootout. Three points were awarded for a win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a loss in regulation.
The 16 teams with the best regular-season records qualified for the playoffs. Each playoff round was a best-of-five series. In each round, the teams were paired according to the regular season performance. The top team was paired with the bottom team, the second-ranked team was paired with the team with the second worst regular-season performance, and so on. The higher-ranked team played Games One, Two, and Five on home ice.
Russian Super League champions
- 20082007–08 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:*Round of 16: 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 March**Salavat Yulaev - Amur 3-1 **Metallurg Mg - Neftekhimik 3-2 **CSKA - Traktor 3-0...
— Salavat Yulaev Ufa - 20072006–07 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:...
— Metallurg Magnitogorsk - 20062005–06 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:...
— Ak Bars Kazan - 20052004–05 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:3rd place: HK Awangard Omsk − Lokomotive Jaroslawl 0:2...
— Dynamo Moscow - 20042003–04 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:...
— Avangard Omsk - 20032002–03 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:3rd place: HK Lada Togliatti – HK Awangard Omsk 2:0...
— Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - 20022001–02 Russian Superleague season-Standings:-Playoffs:3rd place: HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk – HK Awangard Omsk 1,5:0,5...
— Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - 20012000–01 Russian Superleague season-First round:- Group A :- Group B :- Group C :-Playoffs:3rd place: Sewerstal Tscherepowez – Lokomotive Jaroslawl 1,5:0,5...
— Metallurg Magnitogorsk - 20001999–00 Russian Superleague season-Regular season:-Playoffs:-Relegation:...
— Dynamo Moscow - 19991998–99 Russian Superleague season-Regular season:-Playoffs:- Relegation :...
— Metallurg Magnitogorsk - 19981997–98 Russian Superleague season- Western Conference :- Eastern Conference :- Final round :-Playoffs:-Relegation:...
— Ak Bars Kazan (Cup of Russia — Metallurg Magnitogorsk) - 19971996–97 Russian Superleague season- Western Conference :- Eastern Conference:- Final round :-Playoffs:3rd place: HK Metallurg Magnitogorsk − Salawat Julajew Ufa 1:2-Relegation:...
— Torpedo Yaroslavl (since 2000 named as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)
International Hockey League champions
- 19961995–96 IHL (Russia) season- Western Conference :-Eastern Conference :- Final round :- Qualification round :-Playoffs:...
— Lada Togliatti - 19951994–95 IHL (Russia) season- Western Conference :- Eastern Conference :-Playoffs:...
— Dynamo Moscow - 19941993–94 IHL (Russia) season-Standings:-Playoffs:...
— Lada Togliatti - 19931992–93 IHL (Russia) season- Group 1 :- Group 2 :- Group 3 :- Group 4 :- Western Conference :- Eastern Conference :-Playoffs:...
— Dynamo Moscow
Players with most championships
- Four-time winners:
- Igor Schadilov 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008
- Alexei Tereschenko 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008
- Vladimir AntipovVladimir AntipovVladimir Borisovich Antipov is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the Kontinental Hockey League....
1997, 2002, 2003, 2008
See also
- Russian Elite Hockey Scoring ChampionRussian Elite Hockey Scoring ChampionThe following is a list of the annual point scoring champions of the top Russian ice hockey league of each era, from the Soviet Championship League to the current Kontinental Hockey League.-Soviet Championship:*1965-66 Anatoli Firsov*1966-67 Victor Polupanov...
- Russian Elite Hockey Goal Scoring ChampionRussian Elite Hockey Goal Scoring ChampionThe following is a list of the annual goal scoring champions of the top Russian ice hockey league of each era, from the Soviet Championship League to the current Kontinental Hockey League.-Soviet Championship:*1946–47 Anatoly Tarasov*1947–48 Vsevolod Bobrov...