Linked to the incidents that happened at the Round of 16 return game between Brynäs IF and Adler Mannheim on 7 November 2017, the Champions Hockey League would like to give the following concluding statement:
After a long and constructive dialogue between the two organizations, the CHL is pleased with the commitment Brynäs IF showed on Tuesday on their website (Read: Here). The Swedish club has silenced all rumours regarding a possible withdrawal from our competition and clearly stated that they “intend to continue the involvement in the CHL this season.”
The CHL would like to emphasize that the incidents that happened at the end of the aforementioned game neither represent the great sport of ice hockey in general, nor the values for which our competition stands. It brought into question not only the integrity of the involved players and teams but also the CHL as a competition. Such behaviour has never been accepted in CHL games and never will be. Therefore, the independent CHL Disciplinary Board immediately investigated and issued a verdict within 24 hours.
To date, the four-game suspension for Interference is the toughest sanction the CHL Disciplinary Board has ever given out – considering that the maximum number of games a team can play in one CHL season is 13. A further Adler Mannheim player suspension and, for the first time, a suspension given to a Head Coach, show that the CHL is taking the incidents very seriously and is protecting the integrity of players, teams and the CHL brand.
The CHL understands that the club, as well as fans and media, struggle with the fact that the verdict is not extended to the German league. Such a decision is not in our power as the CHL does not have superior authority over national leagues. Sweden is currently the only country in Europe that has, by their own choice, put in place a system which automatically suspends players in both national and international games. Related to the Mannheim case, the German League has informed the CHL that it has no legal basis to take any action.
Reflecting on what has happened, the CHL accepts that this disparity between governing bodies' regulations needs further attention, and the Board has decided to concentrate its efforts to bring DOPS in Europe closer together. The CHL will initiate discussions with national leagues as a high priority and encourage them to be open to putting this topic on the agenda of European ice hockey, in order to develop not only our sport but also player safety.