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History of KHL


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To find the history of KHL, you have to look at the Russian Superleague (RSL). The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) was formed in 2008 and it replaced the Russian Superleague.

The history of the Russian Superleague is basically the history of KHL. The history of the Russian Superleague can be traced to the old Soviet Championship League, which was created in 1946. The Soviet Championship League was dominated by the Red Army affiliated team CSKA Moscow, who won 32 of the 46 championships.

The league lasted until 1992 until the Soviet Union collasped. After the Soviet Union collapse, it became the International Hockey League. In 1996 the league was changed into Russian Hockey League.

From 1996 to 1999, to join the league you had to be Russian. In 1999, membership was open and the league went international. Also in that year, the league was renamed the Russian Superleague..

At the end of the 2007-08 season, the Russian Superleague ceased operation. In March 2008 the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) was formed.


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KHL game between Dynamo Riga vs Atlant Moscow Oblast. Thanks to svictoria29 at flickr.com for the picture.


The KHL is the strongest league in Europe. There are currently 24 teams in the league. 21 teams are in the Russian Federation, and the remaining 3 teams are based in Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Belarus.

The majority of players in the league are Russian. 26.4% of the players are from Eastern European, Northern European, and North American countries. There are also a few number of North American players in the league.

In the NHL, there are 23 nations represented in the league, in the KHL there are 15 nations represented. There are a total of 721 players in the KHL, and only 206 are non Russian.


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Jaromir Jagr, a 2 time Stanley Cup Champion, Hart Trophy winner (NHL MVP), and 7 time NHL All Star currently plays in the KHL for Avangard Omsk. Thanks to Maine Surfer at flickr.com for the picture.


Some people in the hockey world think that the KHL could compete with the NHL in the near future in terms of popularity worldwide, players, and money. Some notable NHL stars have left the NHL to play in the KHL such as Jaromir Jagr, Sergei Zubov, and Sergei Fedorov to name a few.

The KHL is considered the strongest professional league in Europe by the IIHF and second strongest league in the world behind the NHL. It is less then 5 years old and only time will tell where the league will go and where it's place will be in the hockey world.

Here is a list of former NHL players who currently play in the KHL

To find out more about the history of KHL, teams, and players in the KHL, click here.


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Fans at a KHL game. Notice how it is kinda similar to European soccer games in terms of people holding flags and bring instruments to the game, something you don't see at NHL games. Thanks to svictoria29 at flickr.com for the picture.


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