The year 2022 has been a big one here in the Champions Hockey League and with holiday season in full swing, Christmas just days away and New Year's just around the corner, we wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for following us and, regardless of who you support, being part of Europe's biggest club ice hockey competition for the past year.
But before we go, here are five moments that really stood out for us in 2022!
2022 CHL Final
Back in March of this year, Sweden's Catena Arena was abuzz as a sold-out crowd packed the venue to watch Rögle Ängelholm and Tappara Tampere battle it out for the European Trophy in the 2021/22 Final. The close game saw Daniel Zaar score twice to win Rögle their very first piece of major silverware as the Swedes won the CHL in their debut season on Europe's biggest stage.
After a 2020/21 season that was called off due to a global pandemic and a 2021/22 season that also faced its issues along the way, the amazing Final was a breath of fresh air and a true sigh of relief for everyone involved. Take a look for yourselves!
New format unveiled for 2023/24
Early in November 2022, the CHL held its General Assembly in Zug, Switzerland, where the shareholders of the Champions Hockey League voted in favour of introducing a new competition format starting with the upcoming 2023/24 season, meaning 2023/24 will go ahead with a new format featuring 24 participating teams and many more changes.
The biggest change to the competition's format since its inception will be introduced to allow the CHL to run a balanced, attractive and entertaining competition, which will allow fans to see Europe's truly top teams play each other earlier in the competition and will also mean that each and every game will count. Find out more here!
100th team to feature in the CHL
Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana’s qualification for the 2022/23 season made them the 100th team to qualify for the pan-European competition, meaning that over the course of the past seven played seasons, 100 different teams have featured on Europe’s biggest stage and shed blood, sweat and tears on their quest for the European Trophy.
For some, playing in the CHL was a hard-earned one-time reward for a successful domestic season, but for others, CHL Game Days have earned a fixed position in their calendars and competing for the title of European Champions has become a permanent part of their year-to-year goals - here's to many more in 2023 and beyond!
Official TikTok channel!
Ahead of the start of this season, the Champions Hockey League launched its official channel on TikTok, one of the world's fastest-growing media platforms, with the aim of providing behind-the-scenes Game Day content, goal and save montages, funny interactions with players, challenges and more.
How's it been going? Over the past months, the channel has racked up nearly 350 thousand likes, nearly 20 thousand regular followers and produced viral hits that have reached hockey fans across the globe - one of which has been played an astonishing 5.8 million times...
Want to get in on the action as well? Follow us @Championshockeyleague!
Amazing fan support
It's all about the fans, and 2022 has been another year in which we've seen amazing fan support across the continent. Veteran teams, returnees or newcomers - regardless of which category a team falls into, fans have flooded arenas and gone on crazy away game trips to support their favourite teams against Europe's best. Take a look at some of our favourite fan moments!
Regardless of what you celebrate, enjoy the end of the year and be sure to return in 2023 for the CHL Semi-Finals in January and ultimate one-game Final in February!