KHL: the best league in Russia
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is a professional association top division ice hockey league in Russia and a number of other countries. The KHL league was formed in 2008 on the basis of the clubs of the Kontinental Hockey League. In Russia, it ranks 1st among the world's hockey leagues. The KHL League teams play each other twice - home and away, a total of 728 games. 2 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. If the teams have the same number of points, the tie-break is determined by the number of wins, then by the goal difference, and a number of other factors.
Elite teams of the KHL
As of 2023, Ak Bars Kazan had won the KHL more than any other club, with 3 titles in total. The club most recently won the competition in 2018, defeating CSKA Moscow in the shootout in the final. The others are CSKA Moscow, SKA Saint Petersburg, and Dynamo Moscow, which are part of an elite group.
Schedule of the next season: what to expect?
In the 2023-24 KHL season, 23 teams are competing, with Lada Togliatti rejoining the league. Each club will play 68 games across 165 game days. Lada Togliatti is in the Kharlamov Division, Eastern Conference. In 2022-23, 22 teams competed split into four divisions. The transition from 22 to 23 teams is due to Lada Togliatti's return, with no other promotions mentioned.
A team's path to the KHL
Winning the Gagarin Cup guarantees a KHL 1-qualifying round spot. If the winners of the Gagarin Cup and Continental Cup finish in the top 8, then their places are taken by the next highest-placed finishers in the KHL table who have not already qualified for Russia.
KHL stars: players behind the league's success
KHL all-time top ice hockey scorer is Sergei Mozyakin, with 426 goals, all for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single season with 48 in the 2016-2017 campaign and is the only player ever to win the league's top scorer award in 5 different seasons. The overall prize pool for the tournament is not publicly disclosed, with the winner set to receive an undisclosed amount of prize money and a trophy.