DOMESTIC CUP COMPETITIONS
NHLX has taken some traditional league structures in European club hockey and shaken things up. Top clubs from various nations are now in the Europa Super League. The KHL has contracted with many lower-tier KHL clubs now in the VHL. Promotion and demotion has been added to all the larger nations’ league structures – even to leagues that don’t currently have it. The result? Many fascinating new possibilities but also the potential for some traditional domestic rivalries to disappear.
I want NHLX to have both those new possibilities and to retain tradition. The best way to do this with teams from the same nation scattered across two or more leagues is to have domestic league Cup competitions in addition to the main leagues. And to take things a step further, I wanted to standardize these Cuo competitions across the major hockey-playing nations in Europe.
The result are a series of domestic Cup competitions for nations listed below, plus a couple of bonus competitions between neighboring leagues. All of these Cups have:
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Standardized scheduling that does not interfere with league schedules.
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Standardized rules.
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Geographic breakdown of the Group stages – so geographical rivals are guaranteed to face each other even if they are in different leagues or tiers.
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Named for famous hockey players in each of the respective Cup countries.
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Group dates occur in December…group winners enter the Cup playoffs in late February to determine the winner. All professional clubs from each of the countries participate. For example, in the Demitra Cup in Slovakia features all Slovak-based Extaliga and second-tier Hokejová Liga clubs as well as Slovan who are in the prestigious ESL and Bratislava Capitals who ply their trade in the ICEHL. So it really is a chance to compare clubs across different leagues and tiers for domestic glory!
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NHLX DOMESTIC CUP COMPETITIONS
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MAKAROV CUP (RuSSIA)
Named for legendary Soviet winger Sergei Makarov, the Makarov Cup is contested by the 45 professional Russian-based clubs across the KHL, VHL and PHL. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Lidström CUP (SWEDEN)
Nicklas Lidström needs little introduction as one of hockey’s all-time best defensemen. He lends his famous name to the domestic Swedish Cup, which features the 32 professional Swedish clubs across the ESL, SHL and Allsvenskan. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Selänne Cup (FINLAND)
The Finnish domestic Cup competition is named after the “Finnish Flash”, Teemu Selänne – the explosive Hall of Fame winger. It is contested by the 30 professional Finland-based clubs across the ESL, Liiga and Mestis. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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von Arx Cup (SWITZERLAND)
While Reto von Arx had a very minor and unnoteworthy NHL career, he is a legend in his native Switzerland where he played over 1,000 NLA games for a single club, HC Davos – winning 6 titles and 3 MVPs in the process. The von Arx Cup features the 27 Swiss clubs based in the ESL, NL and SL. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Jágr Cup (CZECH REPUBLIC)
Named for the NHL’s 2nd all-time leading scorer and holder of one of the longest and most decorated careers in hockey history - Jaromír Jágr. The Czech domestic Cup features the 32 professional Czech-based clubs from the ESL, Extraliga, 1.Liga and ICEHL. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Kölzig Cup (GERMANY)
“Ollie the Goalie” ranks top 30 all-time in the NHL among goalies in saves, wins, games and minutes. And now the former German international lends his name to the German domestic Cup, featuring 31 clubs across the ESL, DEL and DEL2. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Demitra Cup (SLOVAKIA)
One of Slovakia’s greatest talents, Pavol Demitra died tragically in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash of 2011 but is memorialized in perpetuity in the name of Slovakia’s domestic Cup which features all 26 professional Slovak clubs across the ESL, Extraliga, Hokejová Liga and ICEHL. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Vanek Cup (AUSTRIA)
Perhaps Austria’s most talented player ever, Thomas Vanek lends his name to Austria’s domestic Cup competition which sees all 13 professional clubs in Austria based in both the ICEHL and AlpsHL face each other for domestic glory. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Topatigh Cup (ITALY)
Named for Lucio Topatigh – “Il Falco di Gallio”. Not a household name in North America but an Italian legend and winner of the inaugural Torriani Award, given by the IIHF to honor top international players from non-traditional hockey nations. The Topatigh Cup features the 9 professional Italian clubs in the ICEHL and AlpsHL. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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Ocskay Cup (HUNGARY)
Gábor Ocskay was posthumously awarded the Torriani Award after a tragic heart attack just weeks before the 2009 World Championships - to which Ocskay had led Hungary to for their first time in history. The Cup which bears his name now sees his beloved Fehérvár AV19 out of the ICEHL take on the other 9 professional Hungarian clubs for domestic glory. Here are the initial group stages each year, divided by region. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
NHLX BONUS CUP COMPETITIONS
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In addition to the domestic Cups above, NHLX has two additional Cups featuring domestic clubs from rival competitions that are "next door neighbors". These four nations have homogenous domestic leagues as a standard (the winner of their leagues are also by default the domestic champions) - so the Cups feature cross-border clashes to determine regional supremacy.
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CHANNEL CUP (Great Britain & FRANCE)
Named for the famous body of water that separates these two natural rivals, the Channel Cup sees all 12 British clubs from the Elite Ice Hockey League and all 12 French clubs from Ligue Magnus battle for regional dominance. Here are the initial group stages each year, each a mix of clubs. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
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NORDIC CUP (NORWAY & DENMARK)
The Nordic Cup sees the 12 Norwegian clubs out of that country's Elitserien battle with the 12 Danish clubs from the Superisligaen for regional dominance. Here are the initial group stages each year, each a mix of clubs. The top two from each group stage in December head to the Cup tournament in February.
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Click on any screenshot to enlarge.
