Since the inaugural 2014/15 season the Champions Hockey League has seen many competitors come and go, all vying for the glory of being crowned Europe's best. Today we recap the challenges, the contenders, and the historic nights.
"Nordic" best sums up the opening CHL season. Three Swedish and one Finnish team graced the Semi-Finals, and it soon became an all Swedish battle in the Final, with Luleå Hockey taking the ultimate prize, winning 4-2 against Frölunda Gothenburg. It wasn't without its difficulties though, Luleå had to overcome a sizeable five-point aggregate deficit by Red Bull Salzburg just to make it out of the Round of 16!
The following season was one of vengance for Frölunda, who repeated their strong earlier performance through the Group Stage. Following a 6-1 tally on aggregate against Swiss rivals HC Davos during the Semi-Finals the Swedes looked primed for success, and they were. Frölunda potted two goals late in the first period against Finnish side Kärpät Oulu in the Final, and defended their lead to take the 2-1 win, and hoist the European Trophy for the first time.
The 2016/17 CHL Final featured Frölunda for the third time running, but this time a new aspirant emerged. It was Czech side Sparta Prague, who after two seasons qualified for their first Finals appearance. The Czechs went all the way, taking the match to overtime, but Frölunda's Nicklas Lasu notched the OT winner, giving the Swedes back-to-back victories.
Two entirely new teams featured in the 2017/18 season's Final, but still with a Scandinavian twist. After three fruitless seasons for both JYP Jyväskylä and the Växjö Lakers, it was a breakthrough year for the duo. Despite a scoreless first period, Finnish side JYP were able to find the net twice during the second and third periods, while Växjö were kept scoreless. The 2-0 victory for the JYP made them the first Finnish team to raise the coveted European Trophy.
The overwhelming success of nordic teams over the last four seasons set the bar high, but Red Bull Munich decided it was their time to shine. They too came tantalisingly close to making the 2018/19 CHL Season theirs.
They made it all the way to the Final where they faced-off against Frölunda. Sadly, for the Germans, Frölunda had netted three points before the end of the second period, and despite finding the back of the net during the third, they couldn't claw their way back from the 3-1 deficit.
Frölunda continued their impeccable record for Finals appearances in 2019/20, and navigated tightly contested battles through their Quarter-Final and Semi-Final matches. On the other side, Czech challengers Mountfield HK had made light work of their rivals, running the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals gauntlet with relative ease. The Final however, was a battle that started and ended in the first period. Despite Mountfield opening the scoring, the team from Gothenburg had three goals scored in succession, and in less than three minutes. With two scoreless periods following, the game ended 3-1 in favour of Frölunda.
The pause of the 2021/22 season meant teams (and fans) had to wait patiently and excruciatingly for the nod to proceed, and with that green light came the green and white jerseys of new Swedish contenders, Rögle Ängelholm. The never-before-seen participants shook up the league from the get go, and most notably, or notoriously, ended Frölunda's hopes of another Finals appearance in the Semi-Finals.
With 29 points to their name so far, Rögle have managed something that only two other Swedish teams (Luleå and Frölunda) have managed to do, which is the feat of making it all the way to a CHL Final in their first year of participation. So what was the recipe for success? We might never know the exact formula but we can postulate. The duo of Cam and Chris Abbot was instrumental in Luleå's CHL success as players, and that experience has paid dividends. After transitioning from playing to coaching, Cam Abbot has spent five seasons as Head Coach building up Rögle as a team worthy of the Final, while brother Chris is also involved in Rögle's success as club sports director.
On the other end of the ice will be Tappara Tampere who will make their first ever CHL Final appearance on March 1.
A quick look at their current stats gives a glimpse of just how impressive the club have been from the first puck drop back in August. They have scored 41 goals this season, which is 3.73 goals per game and are among the top three in goal differential (+16) and top five in powerplay percentage (32.65%).
After dispatching Red Bull Munich 3-0 in their Semi-Final single game clash, the Finns are now just weeks away from the big Final and just 60 minutes of game time away from lifting the European Trophy and cementing their place in CHL history!
This is set be another Final for the history books!
More info about this year's CHL Final here.