Six leagues form 'Hockey Europe'

by James Mirtle on Oct 22, 2008 1:49 PM CDT Comment 5 comments

This isn't an issue getting any coverage in North America right now, but I've had a few European sources drop me notes about how upset some hockey leaders in Sweden and Finland are with the leadership of the IIHF when it comes to transfer agreements and international tournaments.

Now, six of those European leagues are forming their own organization to help negotiate for their rights with the NHL and KHL:

The leading professional ice hockey leagues from Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland (as an associated member) have established a new organization named "Hockey Europe". The purpose of the Group and its founding members is to promote cooperation, amicable relations and unity of these Leagues and their member Clubs in a middle of the heavy heated competition between the new launched Russian Ice Hockey League KHL and the North-American NHL.

Hockey Europe will furthermore concentrate to help the six founding members and possible new members to promote and improve professional ice hockey competitions in all its aspects and safeguard the general interests of its Members and European ice hockey as a whole.

Finnish league CEO Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen will become Hockey Europe's first president and general manager. The organization has its registered office in Cologne, Germany.

United, these leagues are much stronger than on their own. It's not hard to imagine scenarios where small, underfunded leagues like those in Slovakia and Germany are being bullied by the NHL and KHL, and this should help give them more support in negotiations.

According to one Finnish reader, one sticking point has been the fact that "leagues are shut down in November, December and February for IIHF tournaments" and players are "paid by their clubs" while the revenue from television and the gate at those events is going to the IIHF.

There has also been some discussion of creating a Scandinavian league involving Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian clubs within the next few years as a way to compete with the KHL's financial resources.

I'll be keeping an eye on all this.

0 recs | Comment 5 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Read More: european hockey, iihf, hockey europe

Comments

I really hope this “Hockey Europe” conglomeration can use Voltron as their mascot. No other reason than nostalgic symbolism, but it would be cool.

http://battleofcalifornia.blogspot.com/

by Earl Sleek on Oct 22, 2008 2:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Cheetara Me Hockey Europe

Can I vote for the Thundercats with Germany being Snarf?

The population of Pominville keeps rising!

by Blackcapricorn on Oct 22, 2008 2:25 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ahem

Finland isn’t part of Scandanavia. There’s a reason that the article you referred to called it a “Nordic” league. Finnish language and heritage is a fair bit different than Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland (the actual 4 Scandanavian countries). :)

Speaking of which, I hope Denmark gets a team or two in a supposed Nordic league.

Those leagues have been getting hosed by the IIHF, for sure. With the current Champions League running, and the KHL and NHL aggressively infringing on their players and territory, a merger of sorts makes some sense.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Oct 22, 2008 2:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

great thing

This was much needed. The IIHF is a useless, visionless bureaucratic mess and the prospect of being assimilated club by club into the KHL was not a rosy prospect for European clubs.

Now maybe they can work together and help develop hockey in those smaller markets like Germany & Great Britain.

by AwkwardMoment on Oct 22, 2008 5:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs