European hockey fans anxiously await the start of the Champions Hockey League in the summer of 2014, but it's not the first club hockey championship in Europe.
by Derek O'Brien
While the Champions Hockey League is a new venture this season, ice hockey clubs have been competing for a European championship for decades.
The first and longest-running competition was the European Cup, which was played from 1966 to 1997. Organized by the IIHF, the European Cup underwent a few format changes over the years, sometimes using a knockout format, sometimes a group format, and some years a combination of both.
Czech club ZKL Brno won the first three European Cups, followed by a long run of dominance by Soviet powerhouse CSKA Moscow, known as the “Red Army”. CSKA dominated the Soviet league during this time and was equally dominant on the international stage, winning the European Cup 20 times in 22 years between 1969 and 1990, including the last 13 in a row. In the 1990s, however, there was a bit more parity, as six clubs from three different countries won the last eight European Cups.
The 1996-97 season was the last for the European Cup and the first for the European Hockey League, a new club competition similar to the UEFA Champions League of football. The league lasted four years and was won by three different clubs. After Metallurg Magnitogorsk defended its title with a 2-0 win over Sparta Prague to win it in 2000, there was not another champion crowned for the top level of European club hockey for five years.
For the next several years, the top international competition for European club hockey was the Continental Cup, but this did not often feature representatives from the continent's top leagues. The Continental Cup continues today and is considered a second-tier club hockey competition.
Finally, in 2005, the European Champions Cup was created. This was a short tournament colloquially referred to as the “Super Six” because it featured the champions from the top six domestic leagues in Europe. In its four years, it was dominated by Russian clubs, who won the title each time.
In 2008-09, the first incarnation of the Champions Hockey League was launched. It was an ambitious project that featured representatives from the top seven leagues in Europe initially, but was eventually to include 22 different countries. Ultimately, however, it lasted only one season, with Swiss club ZSC Lions Zurich defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the final.
From 2010 until 2013, the European Trophy was the top club hockey championship of Europe. For the history of the European Trophy and its predecessor, the Nordic Trophy, click here.
Below is a list of all the club hockey champions of Europe, from 1966 to 2013.
European Cup
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | ZKL Brno (TCH) | EV Fussen (FRG) |
| 1967 | ZKL Brno (TCH) | Ilves Tampere (FIN) |
| 1968 | ZKL Brno (TCH) | Dukla Jihlava (TCH) |
| 1969 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | KAC Klagenfurt (AUT) |
| 1970 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Spartak Moscow (URS) |
| 1971 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Dukla Jihlava (TCH) |
| 1972 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Brynas Gavle (SWE) |
| 1973 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Brynas Gavle (SWE) |
| 1974 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | HC Pardubice (TCH) |
| 1975 | Krylya Sovetov Moscow (URS) | Dukla Jihlava (TCH) |
| 1976 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Poldi Kladno (TCH) |
| 1977 | Poldi Kladno (TCH) | Spartak Moscow (URS) |
| 1978 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Poldi Kladno (TCH) |
| 1979 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Poldi Kladno (TCH) |
| 1980 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Tappara Tampere (FIN) |
| 1981 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | IFK Helsinki (FIN) |
| 1982 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | TJ Vitkovice (TCH) |
| 1983 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Dukla Jihlava (TCH) |
| 1984 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Dukla Jihlava (TCH) |
| 1985 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Kolner HC (FRG) |
| 1986 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | Sodertalje SK (SWE) |
| 1987 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | TJ VSZ Kosice (TCH) |
| 1988 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | HC Pardubice (TCH) |
| 1989 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | TJ VSZ Kosice (TCH) |
| 1990 | CSKA Moscow (URS) | TPS Turku (FIN) |
| 1991 | Djurgarden Stockholm (SWE) | Dynamo Moscow (URS) |
| 1992 | Djurgarden Stockholm (SWE) | Dusseldorfer EG (GER) |
| 1993 | Malmo Hockey (SWE) | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) |
| 1994 | TPS Turku (FIN) | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) |
| 1995 | Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) | Lada Toglitatti (RUS) |
| 1996 | Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) | Kolner Haie (GER) |
| 1997 | Lada Togliatti (RUS) | Modo Ornskoldsvik (SWE) |
European Hockey League
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | TPS Turku (FIN) | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) |
| 1998 | VEU Feldkirch (AUT) | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) |
| 1999 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS) | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) |
| 2000 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS) | Sparta Prague (CZE) |
European Champions Cup
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Avangard Omsk (RUS) | Karpat Oulu (FIN) |
| 2006 | Dynamo Moscow (RUS) | Karpat Oulu (FIN) |
| 2007 | Ak Bars Kazan (RUS) | HPK Hameenlinna (FIN) |
| 2008 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS) | Sparta Prague (CZE) |
Champions Hockey League
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI) | Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS) |
European Trophy
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Eisbaren Berlin (GER) | HV71 Jonkoping (SWE) |
| 2011 | Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) | Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) |
| 2012 | Lulea Hockey (SWE) | Farjestad Karlstad (SWE) |
| 2013 | JYP Jyvaskyla (FIN) | Farjestad Karlstad (SWE) |