Eastern Belisarian Hockey League
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Current season, competition or edition: 2022-2023 VVHL season | |
| File:Chilean Ice Hockey Crest.jpg | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 31, 1968 |
| Inaugural season | 1968-1969 |
| Commissioner | Kimo Eidhmazur |
| No. of teams | 22 |
| Countries | |
The Eastern Belisarian Hockey League (Ludic: Восточная Велисарийская Хоккейная Лига; Vostochnaya Velisariyskaya Khokkeynaya Liga; VVHL) is an international professional ice hockey league. The VVHL is comprised of 22 teams distributed across six countries in Eastern Belisaria and Tsurushima. The league is the premier ice hockey organization in its geographical boundaries and draws both audiences and talent from a greater international reach.
The VVHL was founded in 1968 through a merger of the Ludvosiyan Elite Hockey League and the Veliko National League with an initial roster of five teams. The league has subsequently undergone waves of expansion in 1974, 1983, 1997, and 2010 to arrive at its current number of 22 teams.
History
Organization
Rules
The Eastern Belisarian Hockey League plays on a narrow-sized rink, measuring 61 m long and 26 m wide and generally follows the standard rules for international ice hockey. Major differences include the assessment of certain penalties and the format of overtime. Overtime is consistent across the regular season and playoffs, with the typical number of five skaters (plus a goalie) per team reduced to three skaters. There is no limit to the number of overtime periods that may be played, but the format is sudden death and the game ends as soon as one team scores a tie-breaking goal.
The modern season consists of 803 games. Each team plays every other team in their division four times and every team in the opposite division three times for a total of 73 games per team in a season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in each division are seeded into a playoff bracket, with each matchup decided by a best-of-seven games series. The final series for the VVHL Championship is contested between the champions of the Northern division and the Southern division. Teams typically play four pre-season exhibition games against a rotating selection of opponents in their division.
The point system in the VVHL awards three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime loss, and no points for a regulation loss.
Teams
| Team | City | Country | Arena | Capacity | Founded/joined | General manager | Head coach | Captain | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angrast Ice Dragons | Angrast | Drevstran | Winter Solstice Arena | 8,000 | 1997 | Latisman Orbraggar | Antton Dobornik | Nicholaus Warosesky | Southern |
| Blue Salamanders | Beredino | Gresnaya | Arena | ### | 2010 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1968 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1968 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1968 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1974 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1983 | ||||
| Team | City | Ludvosiya | Arena | ### | 1983 | ||||
| Kennai Mariners | Kennai | Tsurushima | Kennai Seaside Athletics Complex | ### | 1997 | ||||
| Kitagan Mountain Tengu | Otara | Tsurushima | Enizawa Stadium | ### | 2010 | ||||
| Barderec Crucible | Barderec | Ostrozava | Barderec Omnisport Arena | 15,149 | 1997 | Ecaterina Vskovina | Pavlo Illych Volkovati | Sklenár Nedved-Falkovici | |
| Team | Bastyak | Nekulturnya | Arena | ### | 1974 | Northern | |||
| Team | City | Nekulturnya | Arena | ### | 1974 | ||||
| Team | City | Nekulturnya | Arena | ### | 2010 | ||||
| Nizogorod Knights | Nizogorod | Velikoslavia | Nizogorod Hockey Complex | 14,200 | 2010 | Ingor Iskorosten | Svein Predslav | Voldemar Grimask | |
| Torla Reindeer | Torla | Velikoslavia | Torlakupol Arena | 10,700 | 1983 | Vissivald Gorinsk | Yaro Gorik | Zigrid Iziasovich | |
| Engels Wolf Pack | Engels | Velikoslavia | The Den | 10,200 | 1997 | Ingegerd Stada | Volodimeru Haraldovich | Gleb Vissivaldovich | |
| Zarinsk Bears | Zarinsk | Velikoslavia | Orlof Centre | 18,400 | 1968 | Peter Mikhalko | Torvil Lutsk | Daniil Holmgard | |
| Levograv Giants | Levograv | Velikoslavia | Zulli-Klim Iceplex | 12,040 | 1968 | Davyd Gostomysel | Ingor Gardharek | Volodimeru Mielnir | |
| Kollavik Chiroptera | Kollavik | Velikoslavia | Grand Athletics Amphitheatre | 16,320 | 1974 | Feofan Mestnik | Grigori Kontor | Alexander Nezhatyna | |
| Kostyanopol Falcons | Kostyanopol | Zamorodna | NONU Central Arena | 14,290 | 1983 | Osyp Yevhenuk Blybudynok | Anton Antonuk Nebohodunky | Vahon Volodyharuk Horetsky | |
| Baraban Black Riders | Barabanopol | Zamorodna | Barabash Regional Iceplex | 9,320 | 1997 | Yakyv Lukyanuk Lys'nyk | Yvanko Vanyovuk Saloman | Devyd Petryvuk Mydnyk |
Trophies and awards
The winning team of the VVHL Championship Final is awarded the Unity Cup. The Unity Cup was introduced in the 1969-1970 season. For the inaugural season, the victorious Zarinsk Bears team was awarded medals. In the off-season, it was determined that a permanent, exchangeable award should be created to embody both the values of competition and unity of the sport, which at the time was contested exclusively between Ludvosiyan and Veliko teams. There is only one copy of the Unity Cup which is maintained by the victor throughout the regular season.
In addition to the Unity Cup, trophies are awarded for divisional championships. The Northern and Southern championships are awarded differently, however. The Tsarevich Coronet of Athletics is awarded to the champion of the Northern Division, which is qualified as the team which places first in points at the end of the regular season. In contrast, the Southern Champions' Trophy is awarded to the team in the Southern Division that wins the Southern divisional playoff bracket and participates in the VVHL Championship Final. Both divisional championships were first awarded in the 1974-1975 season.