The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an international hockey league uniting hockey clubs from eight European countries. The league was created on the basis of the Russian Hockey Superleague. The KHL has been successfully held and developed since 2008, with each season increasing the number of participants, the level of teams, the fan audience and international prestige. Each season the teams fight for the main trophy of the league - the Gagarin Cup, which is awarded to the league champion.
Teams in the KHL
AT debut season 2008/2009 24 clubs took part in the Continental Hockey League. Gradually, every year the number of participating teams increased, and at the moment 29 clubs from eight European countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Finland, Croatia, Slovakia, Latvia) play in the KHL. In the future, it is planned to expand the number of participants to 32 teams.
The structure of the season in the KHL
All teams in the Kontinental Hockey League are geographically divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Each conference, in turn, is divided into two divisions: in the east - the Bobrov Division and the Tarasov Division, in the west - the Kharlamov Division and the Chernyshev Division.
| Eastern Conference1 | Western Conference | ||
| Kharlamov division | Chernyshev Division | Bobrov Division | Tarasov Division |
KHL regular season
The first phase of the KHL is a regular season, in which each team plays 4 matches with opponents from its own division, 2 matches with teams from another division of its conference, and one meeting with clubs from another conference. Also, each team holds four more meetings with rivals from its division, and the matches are compiled in order to maximize the intrigue in the championship. In total, during the Regular Season, the teams play 60 matches each, determining the winners of divisions and conferences, as well as forming pairs for the next stage of the season - the playoffs.
KHL playoffs
The top 8 teams from each conference continue to fight for the Gagarin Cup, playing a series of knockouts up to four wins. Each conference determines the best team by fights according to the playoff system (1/4 finals, 1/2 finals and finals), after which the two best teams in the league play the final series also up to four victories, in which the Gagarin Cup is played.
KHL winners
For eight seasons at the Continental hockey league 5 teams won the Gagarin Cup. Two victories each have: Ak Bars (2009, 2010) Dynamo Moscow (2012, 2013), Metallurg Magnitogorsk (2014, 2016), and won once more: Salavat Yulaev (2011) and SKA ( 2015).
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an open international league uniting clubs from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia and Finland. At the moment, 24 teams play in the league, which are divided into the Western and Eastern conferences and 4 geographical divisions.
During the regular season, teams play 62 games each, after which the playoffs begin. 8 players get into the KHL playoffs the best teams from each conference. The league's main trophy is the Gagarin Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the playoffs.
The idea to create the Euro-Asian Hockey League originated in the mid-2000s. For the first time in public, Vyacheslav Fetisov voiced her in October 2005. The idea of creating a league that would be independent of national federations and become commercially successful appealed to many hockey officials from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
As a result, the KHL was created on the basis of the Russian Hockey Superleague. The first championship took place in the 2008/2009 season, in which 21 out of 24 clubs were Russian. In the future, the league was replenished with teams from Ukraine, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia, but in the last few years, the leadership of the KHL, on the contrary, has been reducing the number of teams.
Features of KHL betting
Clear dominance of several clubs
Clubs Western Conference have greater financial capabilities than the clubs of the Eastern Conference. First of all, CSKA and SKA stand out, which in recent years have significantly outperformed other KHL clubs. St. Petersburg and Moscow "soldiers" have more balanced lineups, as a result of which bookmakers rate them as favorites in almost every match.
The home match factor
This factor is especially important in the playoffs, where the value of home games matters the most. According to statistics, it is the team that plays at home that wins more often. It should be noted that in regular season games KHL betting for home matches when playing with rivals from another region can bring significant gains, since long-distance flights do not always have a positive effect on the performance of hockey players.
Outsiders can beat the favorite
In the course of the regular season in KHL matches, surprises often occur. So, the underdog can easily beat the team that leads the conference. This happens especially often at the end of the season, when the leaders have already secured a place in the playoffs and are deprived of proper motivation.
How to choose a bet on the KHL
Everyone is betting on KHL matches. The page above contains all the information you need to bet on the KHL: standings, schedule of games and the best odds for the upcoming matches. Also, free predictions from Legalbet experts and cappers are available to everyone.
The page of each match contains the current line-ups, match results, statistics of past games and more.
KHL Championship 2016/2017
The ninth season of the KHL 2016/2017 has already begun. The first match was played between CSKA and Metallurg. It was these teams that were supposed to open the season, as they are the owners of the Gagarin Cup and the Continental Cup last season. Even before this match, many fans and amateurs immediately rushed to the stands to support their favorite teams. But CSKA still lost the match.
The beginning of the season always attracts a lot of attention. And it will be very important to know personnel changes and changes in the teams. This largely determines the result of each team at a certain stage.
Rookies and outsiders
This season has left all the teams of last season. Nobody left the championship and they will all fly forward to victories with renewed vigor to prove to their fans that they are worthy of attention and respect.
As for the newcomers, there were a large number of applicants. And these clubs from various European countries
"Mramus" from Sweden. They were able to collect all the documents that are required to provide for participation. In addition, the team's budget was approved.
Polish Cracovia. It should be noted that, although this hockey club was founded much earlier than in Russia, the level of play in the country remains at a low level. First of all, the club should think about the financial situation, so that there is an opportunity to be in the KHL.
Over the past many years, the team from Tyumen, Rubin, has not been able to get into the KHL. And there is a main and serious reason for this - the infrastructure that does not meet the requirements of the KHL regulations.
There were also many questions about the participation of clubs from China in the KHL. Initially, "China Dragon" got into the application, and after them - "Red Star KunLun". The last command was very cryptic. But nevertheless, it was "KunLun" that became full participants 9th season of the Continental Hockey League. They will start their performance in the match against Amur. This event will take place on September 1st.
Beautiful numbers
In the current season of the KHL, there will be a lot of beautiful numbers and events in each match. So, Mikko Koskinen, SKA goalkeeper, will play his 100th match for the team. Evgeny Artyukhin (Siberian striker) will play his 500th match in the Russian Championship. With good performance, Vityaz forward Alexander Nikulin will score as many as 400 points. And after two games played in the season, Ilya Proskuryakov from Torpedo will celebrate his 250th match in the championship. Approaching the cherished mark and others KHL players: M. Biryukov (249 matches), V. Kolesnik (199), E. Ivannikov (99).
For Mikko Koskinen, other anniversaries are on the way. At the moment he has 49 matches, which he played for his team 49 matches without goals. But this will be very difficult to achieve due to the complex calendar.
Coaching changes
Some of the current clubs KHL season In the off-season, they changed their coaches. The reasons for this were numerous factors and the desire to have an experienced mentor at the head. Together with Sergei Zubov, who coached SKA, Oleg Znarok will now try to bring the team forward, who, it is worth noting, leads the entire men's hockey team. Vanguard has not been without changes. Now they have Fedor Kanareikin.
Dynamo Minsk has acquired a Canadian coach Craig Woodcroft. He just started two years ago. coaching career. But he, as an assistant, was able to bring the team to gold medals. Instead of Ravil Yakubov, Valery Belov became the Vityaz coach. Alexander Gulyavtsev began to coach Severstal, and in Amur Miskhat Fakhrutdinov replaced Andrey Nikolishin.
And finally, we can dwell on the newcomer of the tournament - Chinese team"Kunlun". Such a club is headed by Vladimir Yurzinov, who has extensive experience playing in the KHL, namely working with such clubs as Torpedo NN, Severstal, Salavat Yulaev and others.
Judges' settings
Before the start of the season, a seminar was held, at which the referees of the championship received their last and main instructions for holding matches. They must act according to the regulations and cannot deviate from it. The judges demonstrated this already in the pre-season, when Raspaev was suspended indefinitely, and Popikhin and Skudra were also punished for a fight on the ice.
Judges will now have jerseys with a new design. This is done so that they keep up with the times and keep up with the style. Each judge must show the level of the league and it creates the very first impression of the construction of the game.
Despite the fact that not all referees were able to take part in the pre-season matches, such an opportunity will be provided already in the very first matches.
The season will end on February 18, 2017. And already from February to April 2017, it will be possible to watch excellent matches in the playoffs of the Gagarin Cup.
Western Conference
Bobrov Division: SKA (St. Petersburg), Spartak (Moscow), Dynamo (Minsk, Belarus), Dynamo (Riga, Latvia), Jokerit (Helsinki, Finland), Medvescak (Zagreb, Croatia), Slovan (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Tarasov Division: CSKA (Moscow), Dynamo (Moscow), Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl), Vityaz (Podolsk), Severstal (Cherepovets), Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod), HC Sochi (Sochi) )
Eastern Conference
Kharlamov division: Metallurg (Magnitogorsk), Ak Bars (Kazan), Lada (Tolyatti), Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg), Tractor (Chelyabinsk), Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk), Yugra ( Khanty-Mansiysk)
Chernyshev Division: Salavat Yulaev (Ufa), Avangard (Omsk), Sibir (Novosibirsk), Admiral (Vladivostok), Amur (Khabarovsk), Metallurg (Novokuznetsk), Barys ( Astana, Kazakhstan), Kunlun (Beijing, China)
KHL Regular Championship 2016-2017: schedule, structure
1. Following the results of the regular season, 8 teams from each conference are eligible to participate in the playoffs. In each conference, the first two "seeding" numbers are received by the teams that took first places in their divisions, in order according to the points scored. In each conference, seed numbers 3 through 8 are given to the teams with the most points at the end of the regular season, regardless of the division in which they played. The advantage of the home ground at all stages of the Gagarin Cup is given to teams with a higher number of "seeding". In each conference, pairings for each stage of the playoffs are formed according to the principle: the highest number of the "seeding" plays with the lowest number of "seeding", the second in a row - with the penultimate one, etc.
2. Matches of all playoff series are played up to four wins, the maximum number of matches is seven. The first two matches and, if necessary, the fifth and seventh are played on the fields of the clubs with the higher seeding number in the pair. The winner of the series is the team that wins four matches of the series. A team that loses four games in a series ceases to participate in the playoffs.
Note: in the event that in any series of playoff matches it is no longer necessary to hold the fifth, sixth or seventh matches, the start of the next series of matches may be postponed to an earlier date by the decision of the Vice President for Hockey Operations of the KHL.
3. A series of matches of the 1/8 finals of the Gagarin Cup are held according to the schedule:
4. A series of matches of the 1/4 finals of the Gagarin Cup are held on the following dates:
5. A series of matches of the 1/2 finals of the Gagarin Cup are held on the following dates:
6. The winners of the semi-finals meet in the Gagarin Cup final. A series of matches of the final is held up to four victories, the maximum number of matches is seven. The first two matches and, if necessary, the fifth and seventh matches are played on the field of the club with the higher seed number in the pair. The winner is the team that wins four matches in the series.
Note: in the event that in the finals of the championship there are teams that have the same seed number in their conferences, the advantage of its site is given to the team that took more than high place in the overall standings of the regular season.
The final matches of the Gagarin Cup are held on the following dates: April 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20, 2017.
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an open international league uniting clubs from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia and Finland. At the moment, 24 teams play in the league, which are divided into the Western and Eastern conferences and 4 geographical divisions.
During the regular season, teams play 62 games each, after which the playoffs begin. The top 8 teams from each conference qualify for the KHL playoffs. The league's main trophy is the Gagarin Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the playoffs.
The idea to create the Euro-Asian Hockey League originated in the mid-2000s. For the first time in public, Vyacheslav Fetisov voiced her in October 2005. The idea of creating a league that would be independent of national federations and become commercially successful appealed to many hockey officials from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
As a result, the KHL was created on the basis of the Russian Hockey Superleague. The first championship took place in the 2008/2009 season, in which 21 out of 24 clubs were Russian. In the future, the league was replenished with teams from Ukraine, Slovakia, Finland, Croatia, but in the last few years, the leadership of the KHL, on the contrary, has been reducing the number of teams.
Features of KHL betting
Clear dominance of several clubs
Western Conference clubs have more financial resources than Eastern Conference clubs. First of all, CSKA and SKA stand out, which in recent years have significantly outperformed other KHL clubs. St. Petersburg and Moscow "soldiers" have more balanced lineups, as a result of which bookmakers rate them as favorites in almost every match.
The home match factor
This factor is especially important in the playoffs, where the value of home games matters the most. According to statistics, it is the team that plays at home that wins more often. It is worth noting that in games of the KHL regular season, bets on home matches when playing with opponents from another region can bring significant gains, since long-distance flights do not always have a positive effect on the performance of hockey players.
Outsiders can beat the favorite
In the course of the regular season in KHL matches, surprises often occur. So, the underdog can easily beat the team that leads the conference. This happens especially often at the end of the season, when the leaders have already secured a place in the playoffs and are deprived of proper motivation.
How to choose a bet on the KHL
All legal bookmakers in Russia accept bets on KHL matches. The page above contains all the information you need to bet on the KHL: the standings, game schedule and the best odds for the upcoming matches. Also, free predictions from Legalbet experts and cappers are available to everyone.
The page of each match contains the current line-ups, match results, statistics of past games and more.