2011–12 KHL season

2011–12 KHL season
League	Kontinental Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	12 September 2011 – 25 April 2012
Number of teams	23
Regular season
Continental Cup winner	Traktor Chelyabinsk
Season MVP	Alexander Radulov
Top scorer	Alexander Radulov
Playoffs
Western champions	Dynamo Moscow
Western runners-up	SKA Saint Petersburg
Eastern champions	Avangard Omsk
Eastern runners-up	Traktor Chelyabinsk
Gagarin Cup
Champions	Dynamo Moscow
Runners-up	Avangard Omsk
Gagarin Cup MVP	Alexander Eremenko Dynamo Mosocw

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 air disaster, 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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.^[4] This brought the number of teams to 24. However, following a plane crash that claimed the lives of the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl squad, 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.^[5] 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.^[3]

Notable events

Yaroslavl plane tragedy

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

All-star game

The All-star weekend took place on 20–21 January 2012 in Riga, Latvia.^[5] Team Fedorov defeated Team Ozoliņš with 15–11.

League standings

Source: KHL.ru^[8]

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
1	z – SKA Saint Petersburg	BOB	54	32	1	5	3	2	11	205	130	113
2	y – Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	TAR	54	24	0	6	5	2	17	157	132	91
3	Dynamo Moscow	BOB	54	31	1	3	3	1	15	144	116	105
4	Atlant Moscow Oblast	TAR	54	20	4	7	4	0	19	130	134	86
5	Severstal Cherepovets	TAR	54	23	0	5	4	2	20	142	133	85
6	Dinamo Minsk	TAR	54	21	0	7	3	3	20	158	148	83
7	Dinamo Riga	BOB	54	20	2	4	7	0	21	129	136	79
8	CSKA Moscow	BOB	54	19	3	0	7	0	25	119	129	70
9	Spartak Moscow	BOB	54	15	2	5	3	2	27	124	163	64
10	Lev Poprad	BOB	54	13	0	3	5	4	29	125	162	54
11	Vityaz Chekhov	TAR	54	10	1	5	1	1	36	108	193	44
	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	Withdrew due to the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster

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

Source: khl.ru^[9]

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L	GF	GA	Pts
1	c – Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHA	54	32	2	5	4	0	11	163	116	114
2	y – Avangard Omsk	CHE	54	26	0	5	4	1	18	133	115	93
3	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	KHA	54	29	1	1	1	2	20	150	137	94
4	Ak Bars Kazan	KHA	54	27	1	2	4	1	19	167	136	92
5	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	CHE	54	23	3	4	5	1	18	173	152	89
6	Barys Astana	CHE	54	25	2	1	3	1	22	160	160	85
7	Amur Khabarovsk	CHE	54	23	1	4	3	2	21	166	139	84
8	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk	KHA	54	19	1	9	3	3	19	139	134	83
9	Metallurg Novokuznetsk	CHE	54	18	2	4	9	0	21	108	130	75
10	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk	KHA	54	20	2	3	3	1	25	142	165	74
11	Sibir Novosibirsk	CHE	54	12	2	4	7	2	27	132	154	57
12	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	KHA	54	9	3	4	5	3	30	105	165	49

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

Source: khl.ru^[9]

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

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

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Alexander Radulov	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	50	25	38	63	+1	64
Tony Mårtensson	SKA Saint Petersburg	54	22	37	59	+35	10
Vadim Schipachev	Severstal Cherepovets	54	22	37	59	+16	26
Brandon Bochenski	Barys Astana	49	27	31	58	+4	26
Kevin Dallman	Barys Astana	53	18	36	54	+15	33
Jakub Petružálek	Amur Khabarovsk	54	22	29	51	+14	16
Aleksey Morozov	Ak Bars Kazan	53	21	29	50	+10	24
Sergei Shirokov	CSKA Moscow	53	18	30	48	+7	26
Vladimir Tarasenko	SKA Saint Petersburg	54	23	24	47	+18	15
Petr Vrána	Amur Khabarovsk	46	20	25	45	+18	12

Leading goaltenders

Updated as of the end of the regular season. Source: khl.ru^[11]

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 Koval	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	30	1612:04	15	9	6	47	4	.930	1.75
Alexander Eremenko	Dynamo Moscow	35	1975:20	18	9	5	63	6	.920	1.91
Karri Rämö	Avangard Omsk	45	2666:48	19	17	9	87	5	.925	1.96
Michael Garnett	Traktor Chelyabinsk	45	2674:37	29	10	6	88	3	.922	1.97
Rastislav Staňa	CSKA Moscow	46	2646:42	20	19	4	91	2	.926	2.06

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 Quarter-Finals					Conference Semi-Finals					Conference Finals					Gagarin Cup Finals
	1	Traktor	4			1	Traktor	4
	8	Yugra	1			4	Ak Bars	2
	2	Avangard	4							Eastern Conference
	7	Amur	0
											1	Traktor	1
										2	Avangard	4
	3	Metallurg Mg	4
	6	Barys	3
	4	Ak Bars	4			2	Avangard	4
	5	Salavat Yulaev	2			3	Metallurg Mg	1
																2	Avangard	3
		(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
																3	Dynamo Msk	4
	1	SKA	4			1	SKA	4
	8	CSKA	1			4	Atlant	2
	2	Torpedo	4
	7	Dinamo Rg	3
											1	SKA	0
										3	Dynamo Msk	4
	3	Dynamo Msk	4
	6	Dinamo Mn	0								Western Conference
	4	Atlant	4			2	Torpedo	2
	5	Severstal	2			3	Dynamo Msk	4

• During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

Player statistics

Playoff scoring leaders

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

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
Roman Červenka	Avangard Omsk	20	11	10	21	+6	4
Konstantin Gorovikov	Dynamo Moscow	21	6	14	20	+7	16
Mikhail Anisin	Dynamo Moscow	21	14	5	19	+7	2
Vladimir Tarasenko	SKA Saint Petersburg	15	10	6	16	+10	6
Marek Kvapil	Dynamo Moscow	21	8	4	12	+8	4
Alexander Perezhogin	Avangard Omsk	21	8	4	12	+6	8

Playoff leading goaltenders

The following players lead the league in points at the conclusion of the playoffs. Source: khl.ru^[13]

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 Koshechkin	Severstal Cherepovets	6	364:40	2	4	0	8	1	.958	1.32
Edgars Masaļskis	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk	3	88:23	0	2	0	2	0	.958	1.36
Karri Rämö	Avangard Omsk	21	1209:08	14	6	0	31	3	.940	1.54
Alexander Eremenko	Dynamo Moscow	21	1304:23	16	5	0	34	3	.943	1.56
Michael Garnett	Traktor Chelyabinsk	16	988:48	8	7	0	29	1	.935	1.76
Jakub Štěpánek	SKA Saint Petersburg	13	750:33	7	6	0	22	3	.924	1.76

Final standings

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

Awards

Players of the Month

Best KHL players of each month.

Month	Goaltender	Defense	Forward	Rookie
September[14]	Jakub Štěpánek (SKA)	Aleksandr Osipov (Amur)	Vadim Schipachev (Severstal)	Andrei Sergeev (CSKA)
October[15]	Michael Garnett (Traktor)	Vitaly Shulakov (Amur)	Vladimir Tarasenko (Sibir)	Nikita Tochitsky (Vityaz)
November[16]	Michael Garnett (Traktor)	Alex Riazantsev (Traktor)	Vadim Schipachev (Severstal)	Sergei Barbashev (CSKA)
December[17]	Ari Ahonen (Metallurg Mg)	Yevgeny Medvedev (Ak Bars)	Alexander Radulov (Salavat Yulaev)	Dmitry Lugin (Amur)
January[18]	Teemu Lassila (Metallurg Nk)	Kevin Dallman (Barys)	Evgeny Kuznetsov (Traktor)	Stanislav Bocharov (Yugra)
February[19]	Alexander Eremenko (Dynamo Msc)	Guntis Galviņš (Riga)	Robert Nilsson (Torpedo)	Roman Tatalin (Vityaz)
March[20]	Michael Garnett (Traktor)	Ilya Gorokhov (Dyn. Moscow)	Vladimir Tarasenko (SKA)	not awarded
April[21]	Alexander Eremenko (Dynamo Msc)	Martin Škoula (Omsk)	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.^[22]

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

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

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

References

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

External links

• Official Website