If you ask a kid what plans he (or she) has for his (or her) future, you'll probably hear anything between becoming an Instagram model, a YouTuber, a celebrity blogger or even to make millions playing video games. And there is, of course, the sports stardom that's added to the mix: kids around the world express their desires to become soccer players, basketball players, and such - the sport depends on what country or area they live in. European kids are most likely dreaming of becoming professional soccer players, given that it's the most followed sport over there. And a surprisingly low number of kids dream of becoming professional ice hockey players - this seems to be reserved for North American kids, especially those from Canada. The reason for this is probably the fact that they don't know about the major professional ice hockey leagues in Europe. To remedy this deficiency, let's take a look at two of the biggest professional ice hockey leagues outside North America.
Kukla's Korner Hockey
The Two Biggest Professional Ice Hockey Leagues Outside North America
Kontinental Hockey League
The KHL - Kontinental Hockey League - is the biggest international ice hockey league outside North America. It is generally considered the premier ice hockey league in Europe and Asia, second only to the NHL. It consists of 25 teams from Russia, Finland (where ice hockey is one of the national sports), Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and Slovakia, and is planning to expand to more countries in the near future. The KHL has the third highest average attendance in Europe, attracting more than 6,100 spectators per game in the regular season. The Gagarin Cup - the KHL equivalent of the Stanley Cup - is presented to the winner of the league's playoffs each year. It is named after Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. It is a 40-pound monster made of silver with gold plating. In the 2017–18 season, HC CSKA Moscow took home the cup for the second time in its history.
Champions Hockey League
The Champions Hockey League is a lot like the UEFA Champions League in the world of soccer: it is an international competition for the teams in the first-tier leagues in various European countries. In the 2017-2018 season, the CHL featured 32 teams from 13 leagues, with Sweden's SHL being the highest-ranking league in it. The last season of the CHL had an average attendance of 3,369 per match (over 421,000 attendees in total) and the title (along with the almost 3-foot, 44-pound European Trophy designed by Wesley Wernimont) was taken home by Finland's JYP Jyväskylä.
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
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