About the KHL

About the KHL

The Kontinental Hockey League is an International League, set up in March 2008 to promote the successful development of hockey in Russia and other countries in Europe and Asia.

On March 27, 2008 the Hockey Federation of Russia (FHR) officially handed over all rights to stage the national championship to the KHL. The highest ranked Russian team will be proclaimed the Champion of Russia.

The four divisions of the League are named in honor of famous players and coaches: Vsevolod Bobrov, Anatoly Tarasov, Valery Kharlamov and Arkady Chernyshev. 24 clubs from Russia, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan compete from September to April to lift the coveted Gagarin Cup.

The KHL Championship tournament is divided into regular season and play-offs:

• in the regular season all teams play 56 games (four against opponents in their own division and two games against opponents from other divisions);
• in the play-off series the best 16 teams of the regular season - eight from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western - compete for the Gagarin Cup.