The Champions Hockey League league has it's 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.

by Derek O'Brien

While 2014/2015 will be the first Champions Hockey League season, the competition that evolved into it actually began in Northern Europe back in 2006. At that time, four Swedish clubs – Djurgarden Stockholm, Frolunda Gothenberg, Farjestad Karlstad and Linkoping HC – and four Finnish clubs – HIFK Helsinki, Karpat Oulu, Tappara Tampere and TPS Tampere – established the Nordic Trophy. All eight of those clubs are now permanent members 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 Farjestad defeated Karpat 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 re-named the European Trophy. 2010 also saw 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 Eisbaren Berlin emerging victorious with a 5-3 win over HV71 Jonkoping.

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. Red Bull 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 Jyvaskyla won the last Red Bulls Salute, defeating Farjestad 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