Canadian venues, salary caps and even a draft – the KHL does not stand still and is constantly looking for ways to get better. This is not surprising, because the domestic league was created to compete with the NHL. It is clear that it will not be possible to do it right away, but our championship quickly became the strongest in Europe.

However, in Finland they decided to turn the whole hockey world around and create their own Super League, which will outshine our championship. This proposal was made by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Finnish Liigi Heikki Hiltunen.

Is the KHL going to be the No. 2 championship in Europe soon?

Where did it all start?

Hiltunen’s proposal can be seen as a defensive reaction to the possible expansion of the NHL. More recently, across the ocean there was talk that the best league in the world could expand to Europe. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly believes that sooner or later a team will appear in the Old World that will fight for the Stanley Cup. Or maybe even Europe will be represented by a whole division.

– As for permanent investments in 15 years, I am constantly asked if we will be represented on a permanent basis by teams in Europe. I definitely see it in the future, but I can’t predict exactly when it will happen. The infrastructure in Europe is different from that in North America, which is a hindrance in the short term. But in the long run, I definitely see an NHL presence in Europe,” Daly said on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Such statements are not Daly’s attempt to gain credibility among North American fans. NHL policy lately confirms all the words of the deputy commissioner. For example, not only exhibition matches are already being held in Europe, but even regular season games. And the World Cup in 2024 is planned to be held on two continents at once.

Photo: © JONAS LJUNGDAHL / imago-images.de / Global Look Press

“We still want to have one preliminary round pool in Europe and a preliminary round pool in North America, and move the semi-final and final to another city in North America. I think this shortlist will cover more traditional hockey markets,” said Daley.

That is, the NHL is conducting a systematic attack on Europe. And it is obvious that if clubs appear in the Old World that will play in the North American league, then local fans will not be dragged to the games of the domestic championship. It is unlikely that the Europeans will choose the battle of the top clubs of Poland and Latvia, and not the conditional “Washington” with Alexander Ovechkin. Therefore, in Finland they decided to play ahead of the curve and create a competitive league.

Why exactly Finland?

The Suomi team in 2022 showed a fantastic result. The Finns won the Olympic Games and took gold at the World Championships. Finland now holds the sole first place in the IIHF rankings. Therefore, the current Olympic champions decided that they could finally get out of the shadow of the NHL and KHL by creating their own league. After all, Finnish hockey players, who outgrow the domestic championship, begin to seek happiness in Russia or overseas.

— Now Liiga can expand much more widely. I see the potential in the fact that Liiga could be the catalyst for the creation of a top league in Europe, as opposed to the arrival of the NHL in Europe. Top Finnish clubs, and maybe all our clubs will be able to go to the European Championship. There are many possible models – the top clubs in European leagues could split off to play in their own league, or all the leagues together, with the exception of the KHL, would form the European League,” Hiltunen said.

Hiltunen chose the most suitable time for such statements. European teams left the KHL – Dynamo Riga and Jokerit will now play in their domestic championships. And the number of legionnaires in Russian clubs has noticeably decreased. Against this background, Hiltunen decided to talk about his project. In his opinion, the European League will become the strongest on the continent and will be more spectacular than the KHL.

Photo: © Petter Arvidson / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press

At the same time, Hiltunen has already said that the clubs from our championship will not be invited to the new league. However, hockey players with Russian and even Belarusian passports are unlikely to be allowed to play there. For example, until recently, the media discussed the story of a Belarusian player who, in a Polish hockey club, was forced to sign a declaration condemning Russia’s policy. Therefore, getting into the European team for our compatriots is an almost impossible task.

Moreover, in Finland they often speak negatively about Russia and try to break any ties with our country. Suomi also plans to steer in the new league, so he can ban clubs from signing Russian players. Thus, they plan to turn Russia into a hockey pariah, depriving it of the opportunity to be represented in the strongest league in Europe.

Will Hiltunen succeed?

Even his compatriots do not believe in Hiltunen’s idea. Honorary President of the Finnish Hockey Federation Kalervo Kummola reminded his compatriot that such talk about a new league that should compete with the NHL has been going on for a long time. However, the matter does not go beyond reasoning and it is unlikely that anything will change, because from an economic point of view it is impossible to do so. And Hiltunen himself did not offer any working scheme, but limited himself to only loud words.

— Economic conditions? There must be a broadcaster that didn’t put all their money into football. The amount required is between 500 million and one billion euros. Is it a big amount? Yes, but it’s not impossible. Competition in the television business has become fierce, and hockey is great because it can play games every night. And these 500 million is the minimum. I talked a lot with the Germans about this, and they reacted quite sullenly, because they are afraid that their championship will fall apart, Kummola said.

Therefore, Hiltunen’s statement will soon be forgotten. And the only league that, in theory, can prevent the expansion of the NHL into Europe is the KHL. And it is unlikely that anything will change in the coming years.