2011–12 KHL season

The 2011–12 KHL season was the fourth season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The regular season began with the Opening Cup game on 7 September 2011, but because of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which occurred during the first period of the Cup game and killed all but one member of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, further play was delayed until 12 September 2011.[1] The tragedy forced Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to cancel their participation in the KHL season. The Opening Cup was renamed the Lokomotiv Cup in honor of those lost in the tragedy. The regular season ended on 26 February 2012 and the following playoffs ended on 25 April.[2]

2011–12 KHL season
LeagueKontinental Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration12 September 2011 – 25 April 2012
Number of teams23
Regular season
Continental Cup winnerRussia Traktor Chelyabinsk
Season MVPRussia Alexander Radulov
Top scorerRussia Alexander Radulov
Playoffs
Western championsRussia Dynamo Moscow
  Western runners-upRussia SKA Saint Petersburg
Eastern championsRussia Avangard Omsk
  Eastern runners-upRussia Traktor Chelyabinsk
Gagarin Cup
ChampionsRussia Dynamo Moscow
  Runners-upRussia Avangard Omsk
Finals MVPRussia Alexander Eremenko
Dynamo Mosocw

The Gagarin Cup was won by Dynamo Moscow, defeating Avangard Omsk in a seven-game final series. Dynamo Moscow is the first champion from the Western Conference of the KHL.

League changes

Team changes

Expansion to Slovakia

With the admission of Lev Poprad from Poprad, Slovakia the league expanded beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union.[3] This brought the number of teams to 24. However, following the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that claimed the lives of the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl squad (with the exceptions of forward Maxim Zyuzyakin and goaltending coach Jorma Valtonen), Lokomotiv withdrew from the season, leaving only 23 teams as in the previous season.

Regular season

The regular season was supposed to start on 7 September 2011 with the Opening Cup and end on 26 February 2012 with short breaks in November, December and February for international matches and for the all-star game.[4] However, after the Yaroslavl plane tragedy, the schedule had to be modified: the start of the season was postponed to 12 September and the number of games for each team was reduced to 54 as in the previous season, when also only 23 teams participated.[2]

Yaroslavl plane tragedy
Main articles: 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash and 2011–12 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl season

On 7 September 2011, the day of the season opening, a tragic airplane accident occurred in Yaroslavl in which the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team was killed. After the news broke in Ufa, where the Opening Cup game between Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Atlant Moscow Oblast was already underway, the match was abandoned.[1] Later, the KHL announced that the start of the season would be postponed to 12 September, and that pre-game ceremonies would be held to honour the Lokomotiv team, while arena entertainment would be cancelled.[5] On 10 September, at Lokomotiv's public memorial service team president Yuri Yakovlev announced that they would not participate in the 2011–12 KHL season.[6]

All-star game

The All-star weekend took place on 20–21 January 2012 in Riga, Latvia.[4] Team Fedorov defeated Team Ozoliņš with 15–11.

League standings

Source: KHL.ru[7]

Points are awarded as follows:

  • 3 Points for a win in regulation ("W")
  • 2 Points for a win in overtime ("OTW") or a penalty shootout ("SOW")
  • 1 Point for a loss in overtime ("OTL") or a penalty shootout ("SOL")
  • 0 Points for a loss in regulation ("L")

The conference standings determined the seedings for the play-offs. The first two places in each conference are reserved for the division winners.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference
R Div GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts
1z – SKA Saint Petersburg BOB5432153211205130113
2y – Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod TAR542406521715713291
3Dynamo Moscow BOB5431133115144116105
4Atlant Moscow Oblast TAR542047401913013486
5Severstal Cherepovets TAR542305422014213385
6Dinamo Minsk TAR5421073 32015814883
7Dinamo Riga BOB542024702112913679
8CSKA Moscow BOB541930702511912970
9Spartak Moscow BOB541525322712416364
10Lev Poprad BOB541303542912516254
11Vityaz Chekhov TAR541015113610819344
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Withdrew due to the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash

y – Won division; z – Won conference (and division);
BOB - Bobrov Division, TAR - Tarasov Division

Source: khl.ru[8]

Eastern Conference
R Div GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts
1c – Traktor Chelyabinsk KHA54322540 11163116114
2y – Avangard Omsk CHE542605411813311593
3Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHA54291 1122015013794
4Ak Bars Kazan KHA542712411916713692
5Salavat Yulaev Ufa CHE542334511817315289
6Barys Astana CHE542521312216016085
7Amur Khabarovsk CHE542314322116613984
8Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk KHA541919331913913483
9Metallurg Novokuznetsk CHE541824902110813075
10Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHA542023312514216574
11Sibir Novosibirsk CHE541224722713215457
12Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg KHA54934533010516549

y – Won division; c – Won Continental Cup (best record in KHL);
CHE - Chernyshev Division, KHA - Kharlamov Division

Source: khl.ru[8]

Scoring leaders

Updated as of the end of the regular season. Source: khl.ru[9]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Alexander RadulovSalavat Yulaev Ufa 50253863+164
Tony MårtenssonSKA Saint Petersburg 54223759+3510
Vadim SchipachevSeverstal Cherepovets 54223759+1626
Brandon BochenskiBarys Astana 49273158+426
Kevin DallmanBarys Astana 53183654+1533
Jakub PetružálekAmur Khabarovsk 54222951+1416
Aleksey MorozovAk Bars Kazan 53212950+1024
Sergei ShirokovCSKA Moscow 53183048+726
Vladimir TarasenkoSKA Saint Petersburg 54232447+1815
Petr VránaAmur Khabarovsk 46202545+1812

Leading goaltenders

Updated as of the end of the regular season. Source: khl.ru[10]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Player Team GP Min W L SOP GA SO SV% GAA
Vitali KovalTorpedo Nizhny Novgorod301612:041596474.9301.75
Alexander EremenkoDynamo Moscow351975:201895636.9201.91
Karri RämöAvangard Omsk452666:4819179875.9251.96
Michael GarnettTraktor Chelyabinsk452674:3729106883.9221.97
Rastislav StaňaCSKA Moscow462646:4220194912.9262.06

Playoffs


The playoffs started on 29 February 2012 with the top eight teams from both conferences and ended on 25 April with the seventh game of the Gagarin Cup final.

Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Gagarin Cup Finals
            
1 Russia Traktor 4
8 Russia Yugra 1
1 Russia Traktor 4
4 Russia Ak Bars 2
2 Russia Avangard 4
7 Russia Amur 0
1 Russia Traktor 1
Eastern Conference
2 Russia Avangard 4
3 Russia Metallurg Mg 4
6 Kazakhstan Barys 3
2 Russia Avangard 4
3 Russia Metallurg Mg 1
4 Russia Ak Bars 4
5 Russia Salavat Yulaev 2
2 Russia Avangard 3
3 Russia Dynamo Msk 4
1 Russia SKA 4
8 Russia CSKA 1
1 Russia SKA 4
4 Russia Atlant 2
2 Russia Torpedo 4
7 Latvia Dinamo Rg 3
1 Russia SKA 0
Western Conference
3 Russia Dynamo Msk 4
3 Russia Dynamo Msk 4
6 Belarus Dinamo Mn 0
2 Russia Torpedo 2
3 Russia Dynamo Msk 4
4 Russia Atlant 4
5 Russia Severstal 2

Playoff scoring leaders

The following players lead the league in points at the conclusion of the playoffs. Source: khl.ru[11]

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Roman ČervenkaAvangard Omsk 20111021+64
Konstantin GorovikovDynamo Moscow 2161420+716
Mikhail AnisinDynamo Moscow 2114519+72
Vladimir TarasenkoSKA Saint Petersburg 1510616+106
Marek KvapilDynamo Moscow 218412+84
Alexander PerezhoginAvangard Omsk 218412+68

Playoff leading goaltenders

The following players lead the league in points at the conclusion of the playoffs. Source: khl.ru[12]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SOL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Player Team GP Min W L SOP GA SO SV% GAA
Vasiliy KoshechkinSeverstal Cherepovets6364:4024081.9581.32
Edgars MasaļskisYugra Khanty-Mansiysk388:2302020.9581.36
Karri RämöAvangard Omsk211209:081460313.9401.54
Alexander EremenkoDynamo Moscow211304:231650343.9431.56
Michael GarnettTraktor Chelyabinsk16988:48870291.9351.76
Jakub ŠtěpánekSKA Saint Petersburg13750:33760223.9241.76

Final standings
RankTeam
1Russia Dynamo Moscow
2Russia Avangard Omsk
3Russia Traktor Chelyabinsk
4Russia SKA Saint Petersburg
5Russia Metallurg Magnitogorsk
6Russia Ak Bars Kazan
7Russia Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
8Russia Atlant Moscow Oblast
9Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa
10Kazakhstan Barys Astana
11Russia Severstal Cherepovets
12Russia Amur Khabarovsk
13Belarus Dinamo Minsk
14Russia Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
15Latvia Dinamo Riga
16Russia CSKA Moscow
17Russia Metallurg Novokuznetsk
18Russia Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
19Russia Spartak Moscow
20Russia Sibir Novosibirsk
21Slovakia Lev Poprad
22Russia Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
23Russia Vityaz Chekhov

Awards

Players of the Month

Best KHL players of each month.

Month Goaltender Defense Forward Rookie
September[13] Czech Republic Jakub Štěpánek (SKA) Russia Aleksandr Osipov (Amur) Russia Vadim Schipachev (Severstal) Russia Andrei Sergeev (CSKA)
October[14] Canada Michael Garnett (Traktor) Russia Vitaly Shulakov (Amur) Russia Vladimir Tarasenko (Sibir) Russia Nikita Tochitsky (Vityaz)
November[15] Canada Michael Garnett (Traktor) Russia Alex Riazantsev (Traktor) Russia Vadim Schipachev (Severstal) Russia Sergei Barbashev (CSKA)
December[16] Finland Ari Ahonen (Metallurg Mg) Russia Yevgeny Medvedev (Ak Bars) Russia Alexander Radulov (Salavat Yulaev) Russia Dmitry Lugin (Amur)
January[17] Finland Teemu Lassila (Metallurg Nk) Canada Kevin Dallman (Barys) Russia Evgeny Kuznetsov (Traktor) Russia Stanislav Bocharov (Yugra)
February[18] Russia Alexander Eremenko (Dynamo Msc) Latvia Guntis Galviņš (Riga) Sweden Robert Nilsson (Torpedo) Russia Roman Tatalin (Vityaz)
March[19] Canada Michael Garnett (Traktor) Russia Ilya Gorokhov (Dyn. Moscow) Russia Vladimir Tarasenko (SKA) not awarded
April[20] Russia Alexander Eremenko (Dynamo Msc) Czech Republic Martin Škoula (Omsk) Russia Mikhail Anisin (Dynamo Msc) not awarded

KHL Awards

On 23 May 2012, the KHL held their annual award ceremony. A total of 20 different awards were handed out to teams, players, officials and media. The most important trophies are listed in the table below.[21]

Golden Stick Award (regular season MVP) Russia Alexander Radulov (Ufa)
Best coach Latvia Oļegs Znaroks (Dynamo Msc)
Alexei Cherepanov Award (best rookie) Russia Dmitry Lugin (Khabarovsk)

The league also awarded six "Golden Helmets" for the members of the all-star team:

Forwards Russia Alexander Radulov
Salavat Yulaev Ufa		 Czech Republic Roman Červenka
Avangard Omsk		 Russia Mikhail Anisin
Dynamo Moscow
Defense Russia Dmitri Kalinin
SKA Saint Petersburg		 Canada Kevin Dallman
Barys Astana
Goalie Russia Alexander Eremenko
Dynamo Moscow

References
  1. "Yaroslavl plane tragedy". khl.ru. 2011-09-07. Archived from the original on 2011-09-23. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  2. "Kontinental Hockey League Championship – Russian Ice Hockey Championship Season 2011/2012 Calendar" (PDF). khl.ru. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  3. "Back to 24". khl.ru. 2011-05-09.
  4. "Going West". Kontinental Hockey League. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  5. "KHL delays games, but season will go on for Lokomotiv | Posted Sports | National Post". Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  6. Lysenkov, Pavel. "@plysenkov". sports writer and NHL editor for Sovietsky Sport. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  7. "KHL Regular season standings". KHL.ru. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29.
  8. "2011-12 KHL Standings". KHL.ru. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29.
  9. "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Regular season: All Skaters – Total Points". Kontinental Hockey League.
  10. "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Regular season: Goalie – Goals Against Average". Kontinental Hockey League.
  11. "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Playoffs: All Skaters – Total Points". Kontinental Hockey League.
  12. "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Playoffs: Goalie – Goals Against Average". Kontinental Hockey League.
  13. "September's finest". KHL.ru. 2011-10-04. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  14. "October's finest". KHL.ru. 2011-11-04. Archived from the original on 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  15. "November's finest". KHL.ru. 2011-12-02.
  16. "December's finest". KHL.ru. 2012-01-05.
  17. "January's finest". KHL.ru. 2012-02-02.
  18. "February's finest". KHL.ru. 2012-03-03.
  19. "March's finest". KHL.ru. 2012-04-05. Archived from the original on 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2012-04-05.
  20. "Aprils's finest". KHL.ru. 2012-04-28.
  21. "The League's Finest". KHL.ru. 2012-05-23.
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