Kelssek Hockey League
Abbreviation | KHL, LKH |
---|---|
Sport | Ice hockey |
Country | Kelssek |
Most recent champions | Dinamo Lupinissia |
The Kelssek Hockey League (KHL) is the highest level of ice hockey competition in Kelssek. The KHL is the most popular domestic sports league in Kelssek measured by match attendance and television audience. The KHL's logo features the Premiership pennant, which was first awarded to the team with the best regular season record in 1896.
The national championship, the Desjardins Cup, is decided through a tournament held after the conclusion of the KHL regular season. The top four teams of each division qualify for the octo-finals of the Desjardins Cup playoffs. The eight teams with the next-best overall records, regardless of division, play a best-of-three matches qualification round with the winners proceeding to the octo-finals. Each round is then contested as a best-of-seven playoff series.
The league consists of 39 teams divided into three regional divisions of 13 teams each, known as the Northern League, Pacific League, and Western League. Every league season, each team plays four times against other teams in their division and once against teams from the other divisions.
The KHL sends four teams to represent Kelssek in the Hockey Champions League, consisting of the Desjardins Cup champion and the three division winners, or the team with the next-best regular season record if the Desjardins Cup champion was also a division winner.
Clubs
Club | Location | League | Arena | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ad Astra | Arvika | Western | Lightwood Arena | 13,200 |
Alavaria Vanors | Alavaria | Western | Laineä Arena | 17,200 |
AS Dieppe | Dieppe | Western | Palais des sports Laurent-Sarsisse | 18,900 |
CH Outineau | Outineau | Northern | Centre Belle | 20,600 |
Chevalles CH | Champjaune | Pacific | Colisée de Champjaune | 16,400 |
Breton Emeralds | Breton | Pacific | Maritime Life Arena | 18,700 |
Burnaby Ravens | Burnaby | Western | False Creek Arena | 18,900 |
Cantons-de-l'Ouest | Vieux-Hyères | Pacific | Aréna Supermagasins Galaxis | 12,500 |
Clayquot Partisans | Clayquot | Northern | SuperBarn Arena | 17,900 |
Colwyn Bay | Colwyn | Northern | Public Service Workers Centre | 16,500 |
CH Laurentides | Deux-Montagnes | Pacific | Aréna Banque Laçoir | 12,400 |
CH 1949 Beaujoire | Beaujoire | Pacific | Colisée Desartes | 11,200 |
CS Val d'Argent | Val d'Argent | Pacific | Aréna des Foreurs | 11,800 |
Éireann Dartmoor | Dartmoor | Pacific | Bayside Coliseum | 13,600 |
Escadron de Dorval | Dorval | Pacific | Place Henri-Bouchard | 14,800 |
Faucons de Saint-Rémy | Saint-Rémy | Pacific | Colisée de Saint-Rémy | 19,600 |
Internationale HC | Latrobe | Northern | Batman Yard | 18,300 |
Kalista Renegades | Kalista | Western | Hernan Sports Complex | 8,800 |
Kenora Thistle | Kenora | Northern | Mantan Park | 9,700 |
Kirkenes Dragons | Kirkenes | Northern | Harbourside Gardens | 19,200 |
Llandewi Brewi | Llandewi Brewi | Northern | Lakeland Arena | 17,500 |
Olympique Langlois | Langlois | Pacific | Aréna Olympique | 20,100 |
Olympique Laneux | Laneux | Western | Jardins de la Carée-Boudoin | 18,900 |
Glen Éira | Glen Éira | Northern | Ormonts Dome | 16,300 |
Grand Falls Haligonian | Grand Falls | Pacific | Goose Valley Arena | 13,400 |
Kingsharbour Royals | Kingsharbour | Northern | Trenton Place | 12,800 |
Langley-Mineru | Mineru | Western | Newbrig Centre | 15,200 |
Mazinaw Knights | Mazinaw | Western | Eoilenne Dome | 17,900 |
Natanel HC | Natanel | Western | Nurturia Centre | 18,900 |
Neorvins Wolves | Neorvins | Northern | Federation Arena | 19,200 |
Novonaya Rangers | Novonaya | Western | Novonaya Arena | 15,700 |
Pingouins de Lescure | Lescure | Pacific | Aréna Cap-du-Pâqis | 10,300 |
Redswyth Union | Redswyth | Northern | Salmonwynd Arena | 18,500 |
Red Star Clayquot | Clayquot | Northern | Portage Centre | 18,600 |
Vickery Vikings | Vickery | Western | Great Northern Arena | 18,700 |
Wenerderian HC | Pembina | Western | Valleyfield Place | 17,400 |
Wynleth Cambrian | Wynleth-an-Glyndr | Northern | Martinsgate Place | 16,800 |
Media coverage
The KBC's Hockey Night live broadcast on Saturday nights is a cultural institution. Originally a radio broadcast, it currently shows a double-header of games beginning at 7pm and 10pm Coastal every Saturday during the season on the KBC's main terrestrial network. KBC coverage of the Desjardins Cup playoffs also falls under this brand. The cable channel National Sports Network (NSN) is the other holder of national broadcast rights, and airs a live game on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm Coastal during the regular season. Reseau des sports national carries this broadcast in French branded as Méchants Mercredis à RSN.
Matches not broadcast nationally are usually shown on NSN cable channels on a regional basis. Subject to region-blocking within Kelssek, all matches are also streamed on the internet through the KHL's HockeyNet subscription service. All broadcast rights revenues are pooled and distributed to the league's member clubs based on final league position.
History
The KHL Premiership is a pennant awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.
Note that the Desjardins Cup runner-up does not gain a Hockey Champions League spot, although the Premiership winner always does since they are necessarily one of the division winners in the three-region format.
Recent winners
Season | Desjardins Cup | Runners-up | Premiership | HCL entrants |
---|---|---|---|---|
9 | Dinamo Lupinissia | Red Star Clayquot | Dinamo Lupinissia | Jokerit Arvika |
10 | Kirkenes Dragons | Neorvins Wolves | Olympique Langlois | Inter Latrobe, Burnaby Ravens |
11 | CH Outineau | Olympique Langlois | Olympique Langlois | Jokerit Arvika, Inter Latrobe |
12 | Inter Latrobe | Redswyth Union | Inter Latrobe | CH Outineau, Redswyth Union, Olympique Langlois |
Three-region format | ||||
13 | Inter Latrobe | Ad Astra | Dinamo Lupinissia | Kirkenes Dragons, CH Outineau |
14 | Dinamo Lupinissia | Inter Latrobe | Dinamo Lupinissia | CH Outineau, Kirkenes Dragons, Vickery Vikings |