Nordic & European Trophy

The Champions Hockey League league has its roots in a pre-season European club tournament established in 2006. First called the Nordic Trophy and then the European Trophy, it has grown in number of teams and stature until getting to this point.

While the Champions Hockey League ranges today all over Europe, the competition that evolved into it actually began in Northern Europe back in 2006. At that time, four Swedish clubs – Djurgården Stockholm, Frölunda Indians, Färjestad Karlstad and Linköping HC – and four Finnish clubs – IFK Helsinki, Kärpät Oulu, Tappara Tampere and TPS Turku – established the Nordic Trophy. All eight of those clubs are now shareholders of the CHL. That August, the eight clubs played a seven-game round-robin schedule against each other, followed by a one-game final, in which Färjestad defeated Kärpät 5-1.

The format was the same in 2007 and it was expanded to 10 teams in 2008 and 12 teams in 2009. That year, Finland and Sweden held separate tournaments.

In 2010, the event's current form was starting to take shape, as teams from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic were added – 18 in all – and the tournament was renamed the European Trophy. Also in 2010 came the introduction of a knockout-style playoff tournament called the Red Bulls Salute, hosted by Red Bull Salzburg. Eight teams went to Austria in early September for the three-round playoff, with Eisbären Berlin emerging victorious with a 5-3 win over HV71 Jönköping.

The field was expanded to 24 teams in 2011, divided into four groups of six. Until this point, it had been entirely a pre-season tournament, but with the prestige of the event increasing, the 2011 Red Bulls Salute was held in December. Salzburg were the winners, defeating Jokerit Helsinki 3-2 in the final in Vienna.

The European Trophy continued to grow: 32 clubs in 2012 and 2013, with now even some group-stage games being played after the start of the domestic leagues. Before the start of the 2013 edition, it was already decided that it would be the last time the event would be called the European Trophy, as plans to launch the Champions League were already in the works. JYP Jyväskylä won the last Red Bulls Salute, defeating Färjestad 2-1 in Berlin.

The Nordic Trophy and European Trophy played a fundamental role in the establishment of the CHL, with most of their participants now A-license holders. The name of the CHL's championship trophy is the European Trophy, in recognition of this role.

Nordic Trophy

European Trophy

Past European Club Championships

Since its start in 2014, the Champions Hockey League has established as Europe's preeminent ice hockey competition, but it's not the first club ice hockey championship on the continent, as clubs have been competing for a European championship for decades.

The first and longest-running competition was the European Cup, which was played from 1966 to 1997. Organized by the IIHF, the European Cup underwent a few format changes over the years, sometimes using a knockout format, sometimes a group format, and some years a combination of both.

Czech club ZKL Brno won the first three European Cups, followed by a long run of dominance by Soviet powerhouse CSKA Moscow, known as the “Red Army”. CSKA dominated the Soviet league during this time and was equally dominant on the international stage, winning the European Cup 20 times in 22 years between 1969 and 1990, including the last 13 in a row. In the 1990s, however, there was a bit more parity, as six clubs from three different countries won the last eight European Cups.

The 1996/97 season was the last for the European Cup and the first for the European Hockey League, a new club competition similar to the UEFA Champions League of football. The league lasted four years and was won by three different clubs. After Metallurg Magnitogorsk defended its title with a 2-0 win over Sparta Prague to win it in 2000, there was not another champion crowned for the top level of European club hockey for five years.

For the next several years, the top international competition for European club hockey was the Continental Cup, but this did not often feature representatives from the continent's top leagues. The Continental Cup continues today and is considered a second-tier club hockey competition and a qualification tournament to the Champions Hockey League. 

Finally, in 2005, the European Champions Cup was created. This was a short tournament colloquially referred to as the “Super Six” because it featured the champions from the top six domestic leagues in Europe. In its four years, it was dominated by Russian clubs, who won the title each time.

In 2008/09, the first incarnation of the Champions Hockey League was launched. It was an ambitious project that featured representatives from the top seven leagues in Europe initially but was eventually to include 22 different countries. Ultimately, however, it lasted only one season, with Swiss club ZSC Lions Zurich defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the final.

From 2010 until 2013, the European Trophy was the top club hockey championship of Europe. For the history of the European Trophy and its predecessor, the Nordic Trophy, see above.

Below is a list of all the club hockey champions of Europe, from 1966 to 2013.

European Cup

European Hockey League

European Champions Cup

Champions Hockey League

European Trophy