Asterian Hockey League
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Current season, competition or edition: 2023-2024 | |
 | |
| Sport | Ice Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 26, 1917, Sainte-Marie, Monbec, Cassier |
| Inaugural season | 1917–18 |
| Commissioner | Jacques Guilbert |
| No. of teams | 38 |
| Countries |  Cassier (8 teams) Rizealand (8 teams) Chistovodia (7 teams) Asterian Federative Republic (6 teams)File:Eldmark.png Eldmark (6 teams)  Vinalia (1 team) Vanhar (1 team)Choachua (1 team) |
| Headquarters | Sainte-Marie, Monbec, Cassier |
| Continent | Asteria Superior |
| Most recent champion(s) | Eldmark |
| Most titles | Sainte-Marie Habitants (26th title) |
| TV partner(s) | Cassier Hockeynet Cascom Media/Cascom Sports Chistovodia Rizealand RBC Rizal Sports RSN Eldmark ESS ASN Sport Vinalia |
| Official website | AHL.com |
The Asterian Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in Asteria Superior, currently comprising 38 teams: 8 in Cassier and Rizealand, 7 in Chistovodia, 6 in Eldmark and the Asterian Federative Republic, and 1 in Vinalia, Vanhar, and Choachua. The AHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues within the Asterias. The Albert Cup is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
The Asterian Hockey League was founded on November 26, 1917 as the Cassien Hockey League (Gaullican: Ligue de Hockey Cassien) (LHC), in Sainte-Marie, Monbec. It was officially rebranded to the Asterian Hockey League in 1920, following the addition of two Rizean teams to the league. More teams would be added to the league over the course of several major mergers and expansions, eventually reaching its current size of 38 teams across 8 different countries. The AHL is the [#th] largest professional sport league in the world by revenue, behind [other leagues].
The AHL's regular season is typically held from October to May, with each team playing 82 games. Following the conclusion of the regular season, 20 teams will advance to the Albert Cup playoffs, a five-round tournament that runs into late June to determine the league champion. Since the league's founding in 1917, the Sainte-Marie Habitants have won the most combined AHL titles with 26, four of which were championship series before the league took full exclusivity of the cup. The reigning league champions are the (Eldmark team), who defeated the (Rizealand team) in the 2023 Albert Cup Finals.
History
Establishment
- Roots in Cassier and LHC years
- Introduction of Rizean teams and the Great War
Early Years
- Exclusively Cassien and Rizean teams until 1970
- Expansion into Eldmark, 1970s and 80s
Expansion Era
- The Chistovodia deal
- The '92 Expansion into the AFR
- Introduction of Vinalia, Vanhar, and Choachua
Teams
The Asterian Hockey League consists of 38 teams divided amongst two different conferences. Each conference is split into two divisions, one with 7 teams and the other with 6.
2022-23 Season teams
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Manager | Head coach | Captain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehemens Hockey Conference | ||||||||||
| North | Sainte-Marie Habitants | Sainte-Marie | TM Arena | 21,000 | 1909 | 1917 | Étienne Desrochers | Henri Paré | Théophile Dufresne | |
| Andade Bûcherons | Andade | CAC Arena | 18,500 | 1910 | 1917 | François Béliveau | Clément Larouche | Maurice Desjardins | ||