St. Petersburg to Host New IIHF Super Six Competition
St. Petersburg, Russia and the 12,300-seat Ice Palace will host the IIHF Super Six club championship of Europe for the first three years of competition. The inaugural IIHF Super Six will be played on January 13 – 16, 2005 in the state-of-the-art arena, which was also host of the 2000 IIHF World Championship.
St. Petersburg is also scheduled to host the 2006 and the 2007 IIHF Super Six under the agreement between the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and Telesport, Moscow, the IIHF’s local Super Six partner. The agreement was also signed by the representatives of the national associations and leagues from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
The IIHF Super Six will be the premiere European club competition, as it will determine the club champion of Europe.
The 2003-2004 national champions from the top ranked European countries (according to the 2004 IIHF World Ranking) which will be invited to participate in the 2005 IIHF Super Six are:
Czech Republic: HC Zlin
Finland: Karpat Oulu
Germany: Frankfurt Lions
Russia: Avangard Omsk
Slovakia: Dukla Trencin
Sweden: HV71, Jonkoping
The teams will be divided into two groups and will play a single round-robin. Each group winner will then play in the gold medal game. A total of seven games will be played in four tournament days. The groups and schedule will be released at a later date.
'With this competition between the very best club teams in Europe, the IIHF opens a new territory in international ice hockey', said IIHF President René Fasel. 'This is something that European club hockey and the fans have been missing since the European Hockey League folded four years ago.'
'There is an ongoing discussion between people in the hockey community about which leagues and which teams that are the best in Europe and the IIHF Super Six will settle that in this fan friendly format which is very easy to recognize and to embrace', says René Fasel. 'I would like to thank Alexander Steblin, the President of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and Peter Makarenko, the CEO of Telesport for their efforts in making it possible to launch this club competition. It is very fitting that we go to a perfectly modern arena in one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe when initiating this project.'
Mr. Makarenko’s Telesport company was established in the 90s to promote major sport events and it has previously been involved in volleyaoll and soccer.
'This is our first involvement in ice hockey', says the CEO of Telesport. 'We see a great potential in a European club competition and that’s why we decided to sign a three-year agreement with the IIHF. Everyone knows that any start-up period is difficult and that is why it is important to have a long term plan in order to develop the competition.'
There is also a long term ambition to extend the competition to also involve the Stanley Cup champion for a match-up that would see the IIHF Super Six champion play the best NHL team to determine the club champion of the world.
'Further down the line there is definitely a desire to match the best club team of Europe against the Stanley Cup champion for a world club supremacy', says René Fasel. 'Many fans are still talking about the great games between CSKA Moscow and the Montreal Canadiens in the 70s and 80s and the potential of games like these is even bigger today'.
'It just makes great sportive sense that the best teams both continents one day can play a world club final just like they do in soccer for example', says Peter Makarenko. 'But first we must establish the IIHF Super Six and make this a great tournament.'
The following total prize money will be distributed among the teams:
2005: 600,000 CHF
2006: 700,000 CHF
2007: 800,000 CHF
The prize money distribution between the six teams will be specified at a later date.
For further information:
Szymon Szemberg
IIHF Information & Media Relations Manager
Brandschenkestrasse 50, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland
0041-1-562 22 75 (direct), 0041-79-774 07 11 (mobile)
0041-1-562 22 39 (Fax)
szemberg@iihf.com www.iihf.com
St. Petersburg is also scheduled to host the 2006 and the 2007 IIHF Super Six under the agreement between the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and Telesport, Moscow, the IIHF’s local Super Six partner. The agreement was also signed by the representatives of the national associations and leagues from the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
The IIHF Super Six will be the premiere European club competition, as it will determine the club champion of Europe.
The 2003-2004 national champions from the top ranked European countries (according to the 2004 IIHF World Ranking) which will be invited to participate in the 2005 IIHF Super Six are:
Czech Republic: HC Zlin
Finland: Karpat Oulu
Germany: Frankfurt Lions
Russia: Avangard Omsk
Slovakia: Dukla Trencin
Sweden: HV71, Jonkoping
The teams will be divided into two groups and will play a single round-robin. Each group winner will then play in the gold medal game. A total of seven games will be played in four tournament days. The groups and schedule will be released at a later date.
'With this competition between the very best club teams in Europe, the IIHF opens a new territory in international ice hockey', said IIHF President René Fasel. 'This is something that European club hockey and the fans have been missing since the European Hockey League folded four years ago.'
'There is an ongoing discussion between people in the hockey community about which leagues and which teams that are the best in Europe and the IIHF Super Six will settle that in this fan friendly format which is very easy to recognize and to embrace', says René Fasel. 'I would like to thank Alexander Steblin, the President of the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia and Peter Makarenko, the CEO of Telesport for their efforts in making it possible to launch this club competition. It is very fitting that we go to a perfectly modern arena in one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe when initiating this project.'
Mr. Makarenko’s Telesport company was established in the 90s to promote major sport events and it has previously been involved in volleyaoll and soccer.
'This is our first involvement in ice hockey', says the CEO of Telesport. 'We see a great potential in a European club competition and that’s why we decided to sign a three-year agreement with the IIHF. Everyone knows that any start-up period is difficult and that is why it is important to have a long term plan in order to develop the competition.'
There is also a long term ambition to extend the competition to also involve the Stanley Cup champion for a match-up that would see the IIHF Super Six champion play the best NHL team to determine the club champion of the world.
'Further down the line there is definitely a desire to match the best club team of Europe against the Stanley Cup champion for a world club supremacy', says René Fasel. 'Many fans are still talking about the great games between CSKA Moscow and the Montreal Canadiens in the 70s and 80s and the potential of games like these is even bigger today'.
'It just makes great sportive sense that the best teams both continents one day can play a world club final just like they do in soccer for example', says Peter Makarenko. 'But first we must establish the IIHF Super Six and make this a great tournament.'
The following total prize money will be distributed among the teams:
2005: 600,000 CHF
2006: 700,000 CHF
2007: 800,000 CHF
The prize money distribution between the six teams will be specified at a later date.
For further information:
Szymon Szemberg
IIHF Information & Media Relations Manager
Brandschenkestrasse 50, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland
0041-1-562 22 75 (direct), 0041-79-774 07 11 (mobile)
0041-1-562 22 39 (Fax)
szemberg@iihf.com www.iihf.com