The All-Russian Hockey League (VHL)[1][2] (Russian: Всероссийская хоккейная лига (ВХЛ), Vserossiyskaya hokkeinaya liga (VHL)), also known as the Major Hockey League[3][4]orHigher Hockey League (HHL),[5] is a professional ice hockey league in Eurasia, and the second highest level of Russian hockey.
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| No. of teams | 29 (2023–2024 season) |
| Countries | Russia (29 Teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Khimik Voskresensk (1st title) |
| Most titles | Toros Neftekamsk (3) |
| Related competitions | Kontinental Hockey League VHL-B Junior Hockey League National Junior Hockey League |
| Official website | www |
Though currently acting independently, plans were in place to convert it to a farm system for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s 2010–11 season.[6] It was preceded by the Major League of the Russian Championship (Vysshaya Liga) that formerly held a relegation role for the Russian Superleague and was governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of the 2022–23 season, most VHL teams were affiliated with a KHL team (e.g., Khimik Voskresensk is affiliated with KHL's Spartak Moscow), while some teams of the VHL are not affiliated with a KHL team.[citation needed]
The Russian Classic (Russian: Русская классика, Russkaya klassika) is an outdoor ice hockey game that is played during the Supreme Hockey League regular season. So far, the visiting team has won every edition of the game.
| Date | Venue | Sport | Location | Home Team | Visiting Team | Score | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17, 2012 | Central Stadium | Football, Rugby | Krasnoyarsk | Sokol Krasnoyarsk | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 2–3 | 16,100 |
| January 19, 2014 | Central Stadium | Football | Chelyabinsk | Chelmet Chelyabinsk | Lada Togliatti | 2–5 | 9,200 |
| February 14, 2015 | Sputnik Stadium | Football | Nizhny Tagil | Sputnik Nizhny Tagil | Yuzhny Ural Orsk | 0–4 | 8,350 |
| February 7, 2016 | Khimik Stadium | Football | Tver | THK Tver | Buran Voronezh | 1–2 (OT) | 6,350 |
| January 14, 2017 | Park Legend | Moscow | Dynamo Balashikha | Khimik Voskresensk | 1–3 | 1,831 | |
| January 28, 2018 | Central Stadium | Football | Kurgan | Zauralie Kurgan | Rubin Tyumen | 0–4 | 3,000 |
Since its foundation in 2010, 40 different clubs have played in the VHL, and 34 of them have at least once qualified for the playoffs. Only one club (Toros Neftekamsk) has made the playoffs in all nine championships of the VHL, reaching the semi-final stage six times. The table gives the final regular season ranks for all teams, with the playoff performance encoded in colors. The teams are ordered by their best championship results.
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