CHL Season Review 2018/19

EDITORIAL “PLAYING IN THE CHL IS A SPORTING CHALLENGE.” Peter Zahner, CHL President T he fifth Champions Hockey League season is history! And it culminated in a fantastic way with a sold-out Final in the Scandinavium arena in Gothen- burg. In front of a record-breaking crowd of 12,044 fans, the home team Frölunda Indians demonstrated why they have been called the powerhouse of European club ice hockey: In their fourth CHL Final in five years, the Swedes earned their third title with a 3-1 victory against Red Bull Munich. However, despite the defeat, I would like to emphasise that the German side can also be very proud of what they have achieved as they truly went beyond and delivered an outstanding 2018/19 CHL campaign. Overall, the parity among teams stood out in the 2018/19 CHL season. We started with 32 teams from 14 countries and on the way to Frölunda Indians being crowned champions, many others made their mark. Take HC Bolzano (ITA) and Rouen Dra- gons (FRA) for example, who became their respective countries’ first ever qualifier for the CHL Playoffs. Or Czech powerhouse HC Pilsen who were on a roll with a perfect record – until they faced the eventual champions in the Semi-Finals. And don’t forget about the two Red Bull teams. The Semi-Final between Munich and Salzburg was something new to European ice ho- ckey and created tremendous excitement for the CHL. From August to February we witnessed many tight duels, which highlights the strong competition amongst Europe’s elite ice hockey clubs. Playing in the CHL is a sporting challenge – there are no easy games anymore. Over 40% of the Group Stage games last season and 17 out of 29 playoff games were decided by only one goal. Furthermore, for the first time in CHL history there were four different countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden) represented in the Semi-Finals. All signs which indicate that almost any team can win the CHL. History has been made in the five Champi- ons Hockey League seasons up to date with the Frölunda Indians being a big part of it. We are looking forward to the future and will keep on working hard and evolving the competition to make it even more exciting for the clubs, leagues, sponsors, partners, broadcasters and fans. I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you to the aforementioned stakehol- ders and I am already looking forward to next season. Peter Zahner, President In his first year as CHL President Peter Zahner witnessed many tight duels and strong competition amongst Europe's elite. 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE