This week’s Champions Hockey League Flashback game is the one game every player dreams of – the CHL Final. The final is always an intense game – both teams are just 60 minutes of game time away from lifting the European Trophy, so it comes as no surprise that they leave everything out on the ice. But no CHL final has ever been as close as the one in 2016/17, where Sparta Prague battled it out against reigning champions the Frölunda Indians.
Sparta, a traditional Czech powerhouse, have featured in the CHL since its inauguration in 2014/15. Despite not making it further than the Round of 16 in their two previous seasons, their form looked promising ahead of 2016/17. They battled their way to the Czech Extraliga Playoff Final the year prior, narrowly missing out on the title to fellow CHL club Bílí Tygři Liberec , and were looking to make a mark on the European stage. They started their three team Group Stage run with a big 7-2 win against Polish debutants Comarch Cracovia, followed by a run of two wins and a loss to qualify for the Round of 32.
There they were matched with a familiar face – Finnish side Kärpät Oulu, who eliminated the Czech team in the Round of 16 the year prior and made it all the way to the 2015/16 CHL Final. Sparta, lusting for payback, managed a 1-1 draw at home and miraculously won the return leg in Finland with a sole overtime goal. This new found CHL form boosted their confidence and game and in the following two elimination rounds, the Round of 16 and the Quarter-Finals, Sparta sent both Swedish club HV71 Jönköping and Swiss giants SC Bern packing – often defying the odds and fighting back to win games.
In the Semi-Finals, Sparta faced Swedish side the Växjö Lakers. They came out on top in both the home game and the return game, winning 6-1 on aggregate and booking their place against Frölunda in the big Final.
Despite entering the 2016/17 season as both SHL and CHL Champions, Frölunda had early trouble in the Group Stage. They struggled to play consistently and only recorded two wins and two narrow losses. Points wise they were on par with their other group stage oponnents and all three Group A teams had a shot of making the Playoffs, but Frölunda ultimately managed to pull through on the final game day and qualify for the first elimination round.
But their troubles were far from over. The first elimination round pitted them against Belarus team Yunost Minsk and the first game ended in a surprise 2-3 defeat for Frölunda. A drastic change was needed, and this game ended up becoming a wakeup call for the CHL Champions, as in the return game in Sweden, Frölunda hammered Minsk 5-0 and kickstarted a run of form that the CHL had never seen.
The Round of 16 and Quarter-Finals bore witness to four impressive performances from the Swedish side – Frölunda comfortably qualified for the Semi-Finals, scoring 19 goals and only conceding four in the process.
Swiss side Fribourg-Gottéron, Frölunda’s Semi-Finals opponents, were also no match for in-form Frölunda. They won 5-1 at home and 4-0 on the road to book their place in the Final after one of the most prolific Playoff runs in CHL history.
But both Sparta’s and Frölunda’s seasons all came down to this final game. Who would end up lifting the European Trophy as 2017 CHL Champions? Tune in live tonight at 19:00 CET to watch the ultimate CHL Flashback game!