GET-Ligaen

GET-ligaen (English: the GET-league) is the premier Norwegian ice hockey league, organised by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation."GET-ligaen" at Norwegian Ice Hockey Foundation - NIHF, Fourth Edition, 2000. The league was known as 1. divisjon (1st division) until 1990, when it was reorganized and named Eliteserien (The Elite League). That name was held until 2004 when cable TV company UPC Broadband became main sponsor. UPC Norway changed its name to GET in 2006 and hence the name of the league was also altered.
The league works on the premise of promotion and relegation, so the two teams who placed last must play the top two teams from First Division (the league ranked immediately below GET-ligaen) for the rights to play in next GET-ligaen season.
==Season structure==
The Eliteserien season is divided into a regular season, lasting from mid September to the first week of March, and a postseason, consisting of the Norwegian Championship playoffs, and qualification for the league in the following season. During the regular season, clubs play each other in a predefined schedule. The Norwegian Championship, which is contested in March and April, is an elimination tournament where two clubs play each other in a best-of-seven series in order to advance to the next round. The final remaining team is crowned the Norwegian champion. Teams not qualified for the playoffs must compete with the best teams from the second league level—1. divisjon—for the right to play in next season's Eliteserien.
===Regular season===
The league's regular season is organized according to a quintuple round robin format implemented ahead of the 2008–09 season. Clubs play each other five times, at least twice at home and twice away, for a total of 45 games per team. The right to play the fifth game at home is awarded on a rotational basis determined by the final standings in 2007–08. The five highest ranked clubs were awarded a third home game in 2008–09; the other five clubs would then get an extra home game in 2009–10, and from then on, every other season. However, because of the bankruptcy of Comet in October 2009 and reduction to nine teams for that season, a sixth round robin was added to the schedule so that all teams played an equal number of home and away games, amounting to 48 in total.
Points are awarded for each game, where three points are awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for win in overtime or a shootout and one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout. No points are awarded for a loss in regulation time. Teams are ranked by total points; if two or more teams have an equal number of points, they are separated using head to head records, then goal difference head to head and goals scored head to head. If two or more teams are still ranked equally, goal difference and goals scored in all 45 games are used to break the tie. At the end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points is crowned league champion.
===Playoffs===
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Championship, or playoffs, is contested by the eight best teams in the league following the conclusion of the regular season. There are three rounds, each played as a best-of-seven series; the winner advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated from the tournament. In the first round, or quarter-finals, the highest seed chooses which of the two lowest seeds to be matched against. The highest remaining seed then chooses between the two lowest remaining seeds until all teams have an opponent. In the second round, or semi-finals, the teams are re-seeded, with the highest remaining seed again being allowed to choose which of the two lowest remaining seeds to play against. The remaining teams pair off in the other semi-final, and the winner of each series advances to the finals.
In each round the higher-ranked team is said to be the team with the home ice advantage. Four of the seven games are played at this team's home venue—the first and third, and, when necessary, the fifth and seventh games—with the other games played at the lower-ranked team's home venue. In the finals, the team with the most points during the regular season is given home-ice advantage.
===Relegation===
The two lowest ranked teams after the regular season are in danger of being relegated and will have to play in a qualification tournament along with the two highest ranked teams from the 1. divisjon. Reserve teams are not eligible for participation. All four teams must agree to play in the Eliteserien (if promoted) before they are allowed to participate in qualifying. If a team is unable, for whatever reason, to make such a commitment, the position is offered to another team in the 1. divisjon. The tournament is played in March and is organized according to a double round robin format: each club plays the others twice, home and away, for a total of six games. The points system and ranking method used are the same as in the Eliteserien. At the end of the tournament, the winner and runner-up qualify for next Eliteserien season, while the other two are demoted to (or remain in) the 1. divisjon.
==Teams==
The following ten clubs will compete in the Eliteserien during the 2010–11 season.
Team 	City/Area 	Arena 	Capacity 	Coach
Current Teams 	Current Teams	Current Teams 	Current Teams	Current Teams
Frisk Tigers 	Asker 	Askerhallen 	2,400 	
Lillehammer 	Lillehammer 	Kristins Hall 	3,194 	
Lørenskog 	Lørenskog 	Lørenskog Ishall	1,350 	
Manglerud Star 	Oslo 	Manglerudhallen 	2,000 	
Rosenborg 	Trondheim 	Leangen Ishall 	3,000 	
Sparta Warriors 	Sarpsborg 	Sparta Amfi 	3,450 	
Stavanger Oilers 	Stavanger 	Siddishallen 	2,664 	
Stjernen 	Fredrikstad 	Stjernehallen 	2,473 	
Storhamar Dragons 	Hamar 	Hamar OL-Amfi 	6,091 	
Vålerenga 	Oslo 	Jordal Amfi 	4,450 	
Former Teams 	Former Teams 	Former Teams 	Former Teams 	Former Teams
Comet 	Halden 	Halden Ishall 	2,200 	defunct
Furuset 	Oslo 	Furuset Forum 	1,498 	
Trondheim Black Panthers	Trondheim 	Leangen Ishall 	3,500 	defunct
Bergen Flyers 	Bergen 	Bergenshallen 	3,000 	defunct
Hasle-Løren 	Oslo 	Lørenhallen 	1,500 	
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Rosenborg
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Oilers
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Lillehammer
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Dragons
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Tigers
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Vålerenga
Manglerud Star
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Lørenskog
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Stjernen
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Warriors
==Seasons==
See List of GET-Ligaen seasons
== GET-ligaen awards and statistics ==
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation and the teams' organisation (Elite Hockey AS) announce a number of awards, among others:
* Gullpucken - Player of the year
* Playoff MVP
Since 1993, the league is averaging 1,400 spectators visiting the games, ranging from a low of 820 in 1996/7 to 1600 in 1994/5. With the increase in the number of games played, the total attendance is approaching 400,000 in the last few years. See GET-ligaen seasons attendance for more details.
==Norwegian Champions==
*1935 : Trygg
*1936 : Grane
*1937 : Grane
*1938 : Trygg
*1939 : Grane
*1940 : Grane
*1941-1945 : Not played
*1946 : Forward
*1947 : Stabæk
*1948 : Strong
*1949 : Furuset
*1950 : Gamlebyen
*1951 : Furuset
*1952 : Furuset
*1953 : Gamlebyen
*1954 : Furuset
*1955 : Gamlebyen
*1956 : Gamlebyen
*1957 : Tigrene
*1958 : Gamlebyen
*1959 : Gamlebyen
*1960 : Vålerengen
*1961 : Tigrene
*1962 : Vålerengen
*1963 : Vålerengen
*1964 : Gamlebyen
*1965 : Vålerengen
*1966 : Vålerengen
*1967 : Vålerengen
*1968 : Vålerengen
*1969 : Vålerengen
*1970 : Vålerengen
*1971 : Vålerengen
*1972 : Hasle/Løren
*1973 : Vålerengen
*1974 : Hasle/Løren
*1975 : Frisk
*1976 : Hasle/Løren
*1977 : Manglerud/Star
*1978 : Manglerud/Star
*1979 : Frisk
*1980 : Furuset
*1981 : Stjernen
*1982 : Vålerengen
*1983 : Furuset
*1984 : Sparta
*1985 : Vålerengen
*1986 : Stjernen
*1987 : Vålerengen
*1988 : Vålerengen
*1989 : Sparta
*1990 : Furuset
*1991 : Vålerenga
*1992 : Vålerenga
*1993 : Vålerenga
*1994 : Lillehammer
*1995 : Storhamar
*1996 : Storhamar
*1997 : Storhamar
*1998 : Vålerenga
*1999 : Vålerenga
*2000 : Storhamar Dragons
*2001 : Vålerenga
*2002 : Frisk Tigers
*2003 : Vålerenga
*2004 : Storhamar Dragons
*2005 : Vålerenga
*2006 : Vålerenga
*2007 : Vålerenga
*2008 : Storhamar Dragons
*2009 : Vålerenga
*2010 : Stavanger Oilers
*2011 : Sparta Warriors
==Titles by team==
Titles	Team 	Year
26 	Vålerenga Ishockey 	1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
8 	Gamlebyen 	1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964
7 	Furuset IF 	1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1980, 1983, 1990
6 	Storhamar Dragons 	1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008
4 	Grane 	1936, 1937, 1939, 1940
3 	Frisk Tigers 	1975, 1979, 2002
3 	Hasle-Loren Oslo 	1972, 1974, 1976
3 	Sparta Warriors 	1984, 1989, 2011
2 	Manglerud Star Ishockey	1977, 1978
2 	Stjernen 	1981, 1986
2 	Trygg 	1935, 1938
1 	Forward Oslo 	1946
1 	Lillehammer IK 	1994
1 	Stabæk IF 	1947
1 	Strong 	1948
1 	Tigrene 	1961
1 	Stavanger Oilers 	2010
==References==
==External links==
* GET-ligaen at NIHF (in Norwegian)
* GET-ligaen at GetLive.no (in Norwegian)
 
Category:Ice hockey leagues
Category:GET-Ligaen
Category:Ice hockey in Norway
Category:Established in 1935