As the very best European hockey teams slowly gear up for the upcoming 2024/25 season, Europe's biggest club ice hockey competition prepares to enter its milestone 10-year anniversary season. Before the festivities start, join us for part 2 of our series highlighting 10 of the most iconic CHL moments and values!
Missed part 1? Head here to catch up!
Fairy tale season for Rouen
The Rouen Dragons made history in 2021/22 as the first-ever Challenger League team to reach the Quarter-Finals. Despite early setbacks, they bounced back to secure a spot in the knockout stage. In their first Quarter-Finals, Rouen fought back from a 0-2 deficit to draw Tappara 3-3, setting the stage for an exciting Return Game in France. Rouen's determination and home crowd support left a lasting impression on everyone.
100th team to qualify for the CHL
In 2022, Olimpija Ljubljana joined the Champions Hockey League family and added Slovenia to the competition's history books. They also became the milestone 100th team to participate in the pan-European club ice hockey competition!
Abbots win the European Trophy twice
There are very few players who have won the CHL multiple times. But only two people have done so in different roles. Twin brothers Cam and Chris Abbot were essential players of Luleå Hockey when they won the first edition of the CHL in 2014/15. Seven seasons later, they led Rögle Ängelholm to their first-ever title in club history when they became CHL Champions – Cam as head coach and Chris as sports director.
Nordic dominance broken
After eight years of Swedish and Finnish dominance, Swiss club Genève-Servette found the recipe to break the Nordic dominance and lifted the European Trophy this February after an epic Final at home in Geneva. Their success shows that the balance of power in European club ice hockey appears to be shifting.
No CHL without Tappara
The most successful club in Finnish ice hockey history are the one and only team to have qualified and played in each and every CHL season to date. They've reached two Finals, in 2022 and 2023, standing on the losing side once, while in the other, they finally got their hands on the European Trophy – a well-deserved achievement after displaying excellence in the competition on and off the ice over the years.