Djurgården Stockholm is one of the 26 founding members of the Champions Hockey League. However, two years ago they were relegated from the Swedish Hockey League -- the country's top league -- to the Allsvenskan, the second league. Due to a rule that states a club must play in it's country's top league to play in the CHL, Djurgården had to get promoted this past season, and they did. Club president Jenny Silfverstrand explains what lies ahead for the 123-year-old club.

by Lukáš Kratochvil

Djurgården spent the last two seasons in the second division. How did that happen to a club with such a long and successful history?

Well, we didn't do some things well enough, both on and off the ice, and so we had a really bad season and we were relegated.

How difficult was it to get back to the top Swedish league?

The second Swedish league is a pretty good one. It was really hard, but you have to be focused on what you do. I think that our sport division did really great work, so we had a good team with fantastic chemistry and that was the key to succeed and promote.

Your team is one of those involved in establishing this Champions League, but you wouldn't be allowed to play in it if you remained in the second division. Did that put you under some pressure?

It has been a really long journey for the CHL, and we are one of the founders, so it would be sad if we were not allowed to play, but we had two years to get back into the SHL (top Swedish league), which we did. One of the good things now is the fact that we can actually play in the CHL.

When you mention Djurgården in Europe, one of the first things that come to mind is "great fans". Are you counting on their support in the upcoming season in the SHL and CHL?

Sure, during the last two years in the second league, our fans were with us all the way, and we hope there will be even more fans now. Last year, we went to Berlin for the European Trophy and more than 500 fans from Stockholm came to support us, so we hope to have another "Berlin weekend" with our fans (smiling).

You mentioned the time it's taken to get the CHL project to this point. What is the most important thing in this new competition for your club?

I think that all organisations need to develop, and the CHL is a great way to help European hockey do so. That's why we like this idea.

When you negotiate with players, does it play any role that you are going to play in the CHL?

Maybe in a few years it will. We have to be patient; it's going to take a while to make this a really big league with some name.

As you said, it's a brand new competition. What are you expecting from the first season?

I hope that the media are going to be in the same boat and help us promote the league. This will be very important in the first year, so I hope they help us.

Are you expecting any complications that might come with playing two top leagues at the same time?

No, since the SHL, CHL and IIHF are planning their schedules together, it shouldn't be a problem.

Regarding the roster, does it have to be wider than usual when you are going to play in both the SHL and CHL?

At this time, we are still signing players, but we'll see during the season how it's going.