Czech Extraliga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tipsport Extraliga

Formerly	Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1993
No. of teams	14
Country	Czech Republic
Most recent champion(s)	HC Kometa Brno (14th title)
Most titles	HC Kometa Brno (14 titles–overall) VHK Vsetín, HC Oceláři Třinec (6 titles–ELH)
TV partner(s)	Česká televize, O2 TV, Fanseat, HockeyTV
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Czech 1.liga
International cup(s)	Champions Hockey League
Related competitions	Czech 1.liga Czech 2.liga
Official website	Tipsport Extraliga

The Czech Extraliga (also known as Extraliga ledního hokeje, or ELH) is the top professional ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was started in 1993 after Czechoslovakia split into two separate countries. The league usually plays its games from September to April each year. There are 14 teams that compete in the Extraliga.

Teams from the Extraliga also play in a big European tournament called the CHL. This tournament is organized by the IIHF. In the 2022–23 CHL season, the Czech Extraliga was ranked as the 5th best league in Europe. This allowed its top three teams to join the CHL competition.

What's in a Name? Sponsorships

The name of the Czech Extraliga often changes. This is because a main sponsor pays to have their name linked with the league.

• 1999–2000: Staropramen Extraliga
• 2001–2002: Český Telecom Extraliga
• 2003–2006: Tipsport Extraliga
• 2007–2010: O2 Extraliga
• 2010–present: Tipsport Extraliga

How the League Works

There are 14 teams in the Czech Extraliga. At the end of the regular season, the top 12 teams get to play in the playoffs. The playoffs decide which team will be the national champion.

The top 4 teams go straight to the quarterfinals. These are best-of-seven series, meaning a team needs to win four games to advance. Teams that finish from 5th to 12th place play a shorter play-in series. These are best-of-five series to decide who joins the top 4 in the quarterfinals.

The team that finishes last (14th) in the regular season has to play against the winner of the First League. This is a qualifying series, also best-of-seven. The winner gets to play in the Extraliga next season. The loser plays in the First League.

A few years ago, there was an idea to stop teams from moving between leagues. This would have meant no teams could be moved down or up from the second league. There was also talk about a maximum salary for players, like in the NHL. But after some problems and people disagreeing, these ideas were stopped. So, teams can still move between leagues.

History of the Extraliga

A Czech Extraliga game in O2 Arena.

The T. G. Masaryk Cup, awarded to the winner of the Czech Extraliga.

The new T. G. Masaryk Cup.

The Czech Extraliga started in 1993. This happened when the old Czechoslovak ice hockey league ended because Czechoslovakia split up. The first team to win the Extraliga was HC Olomouc. They beat HC Pardubice in the finals.

A team called HC Dadák Vsetín became very strong in the mid-1990s. They won the league five times in a row, from 1995 to 1999. No other team has been so dominant. In the 1995–96 season, the league grew from 12 to 14 teams. It has stayed at 14 teams ever since.

In the 1999–2000 season, HC Sparta Praha finally broke Vsetín's winning streak. They beat Vsetín in the finals. Vsetín got their revenge the next season, winning against Sparta. This was the last time Vsetín reached the finals.

Over the years, many different teams have won the championship. Teams like Sparta Prague, Slavia Prague, Hamé Zlín, and HC Moeller Pardubice all won titles in the early 2000s.

In 2006–07, Vsetín had to leave the league. This was because the club had a lot of debt. The Czech Ice Hockey Association took away their license. Because of this, no other team was moved down that season. The winner of the First League, HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi, was automatically moved up.

Since the 2006–07 season, the scoring system for games changed. A team gets 3 points for winning in regular time. They get 2 points for winning in overtime or a shootout. The team that loses in overtime or a shootout still gets 1 point.

In the 2010–11 season, a special outdoor hockey game was played in Pardubice. It was the first outdoor game since the 1960s. A huge crowd of 17,140 people watched the game. Pardubice played against HC Kometa Brno and won 4–2.

In 2013, a team called HC Mountfield České Budějovice had to sell its spot in the league. This happened because of a disagreement about beer sponsors. The league had a new beer sponsor, but the team had a deal with a different beer company. They couldn't agree, so the team sold its license to Hradec Králové, which became Mountfield HK.

For the 2019–20 season, Piráti Chomutov moved down to a lower league. Rytíři Kladno returned to the Extraliga after five years. This was largely thanks to Jaromír Jágr, a famous hockey player, who became both an owner and a player for the club.

Current Teams

Past Champions by Year

Past Champions by Club

More About Czech Hockey

• Czech 1.liga
• Czech 2.liga
• Czech Ice Hockey Association