2009–10 KHL season

The 2009–10 KHL season was the second season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 10 September 2009 to 27 April 2010, with a break for the Olympic winter games from 8 February to 3 March. Ak Bars Kazan defended their title by defeating Western conference winners HC MVD in a seven-game play-off final.
== League changes ==
On 16 June 2009, the KHL Board of Directors approved several changes to the league for the 2009–10 season.
; Team changes
The league admitted a new team, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Khimik Voskresensk did not play in the 2009–10 season due to financial problems, but they retained KHL membership and may return at a later date, meanwhile playing in the Russian Major League. Overall, the number of teams playing in 2009–10 remained at 24.
; Division realignment
Teams were geographically aligned to aid travel conditions. The league were divided into a Western and an Eastern conference, each containing two divisions of six teams. Each team played the other teams in the same division 4 times (for a total of 20 games) and each team in the other divisions 2 times (for a total of 36 games). The regular season thus consisted of 56 games for every team.
; Play-off structure
The top eight teams from each conference qualified for the play-offs. Division winners were awarded the top two seeds.
In each conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played and the conference winners play for the Gagarin Cup. Conference quarterfinals were best-of-five series, the remaining rounds best-of-seven series. Overtime periods last 20 minutes or until the sudden death goal.
; Salary cap
The aggregate income of all players of a team was limited to 620 million rubles (~$20 million USD). Minimum aggregate salary for the players was 200 million rubles (~$6.5 million USD). Each teams was allowed one "franchise player" exception, who did not count towards the cap.
; Rosters
25 players are allowed to be in the major team roster and 25 in the junior team roster of every club. The number of foreign players is restricted to 5, at most one of them as goaltender.
; Junior league
The league implemented a more advanced and organized junior hockey sub-league to focus on development. It features players from 17 to 21 years of age.
; Entry draft
On 1 June 2009, the inaugural entry draft for the KHL was held. Each team's hockey school was able to protect 25 players from the 17-21 agegroup prior to the draft.
;Goal crease
Goal crease was shrunk to the NHL dimensions.Goal crease diagram
==Regular season==
The regular season started on 10 September 2009 with the "Opening Cup" and ended on 7 March 2010. A few small breaks for the national team and the All-Star game as well as a large break for the Olympic winter games from 8 February to 3 March were scheduled. Each team played a total of 56 games (4 times against the division opponents and 2 times against all other teams). The winner of the regular season was awarded the Continental Cup.
===Notable events===
Opening Cup
The first game of each KHL season is the "Opening Cup" played between the two finalists of the last season. In 2009, the game was played at the TatNeft Arena in Kazan and won by last year's champion Ak Bars Kazan, beating runner-up Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3–2 in overtime. The two teams were wearing special uniforms with an Opening Cup logo.
Fetisov comeback
On 11 December 2009, Russian hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov gave a one-game comeback in professional hockey at the age of 51. In this game for CSKA Moscow he played for 8 minutes without a shot on the goal, but it created a very large media interest, not only for himself but also for CSKA Moscow and the KHL.
Mass brawl in Chekhov
On 9 January 2010, in the game between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk, a bench-clearing brawl broke out in the 4th minute of the first period, and a bench- and penalty-box clearing brawl broke out 39 seconds later, forcing the officials to abandon the game, since only four players were left to play. 33 players and both team's coaches were ejected, and a world record total of 707 penalty minutes were incurred. The KHL imposed fines totaling 5.7 million rubles ($191,000), suspended seven players, and counted the game as a 5–0 defeat for both teams, with no points being awarded.
All-Star Game
The 2nd KHL All-star game was played on 30 January 2010 in the new Minsk-Arena in Minsk, Belarus. As in the previous year, Team Jágr won against Team Yashin, this time with a score of 11–8.
Continental Cup
The first Continental Cup in the KHL history was won by Salavat Yulaev Ufa on 5 March 2010, after the club became unreachable by other clubs in the KHL standings one game before the end of the regular season, and extended their remarkable regular season winning streak to three.
===League standings===
Source: khl.ru
Points are awarded as follows:
*3 Points for a win in regulation ("W")
*2 Points for a win in overtime ("OTW") or penalty shootout ("SOW")
*1 Point for a loss in a penalty shootout ("SOL") or overtime ("OTL")
*0 Points for a loss in regulation ("L")
    	Division winner
    	Qualified for playoffs
===Conference standings===
The conference standings will determine the seedings for the play-offs. The first two places in each conference are reserved for the division leaders.
Western Conference 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
SKA Saint Petersburg 	56	36	1 	3 	3 	3 	10 	192 	118 	122
HC MVD 	56	30	1 	0 	6 	4 	15 	160 	135 	102
Dynamo Moscow 	56	28	2 	3 	4 	3 	16 	166 	151 	101
Atlant Moscow Oblast 	56	24	4 	9 	1 	2 	16 	173 	137 	101
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 	56	26	3 	2 	4 	4 	17 	163 	132 	96
Spartak Moscow 	56	24	4 	4 	4 	0 	20 	178 	168 	92
CSKA Moscow 	56	22	3 	5 	4 	1 	21 	148 	135 	87
Dinamo Riga 	56	23	1 	3 	4 	3 	22 	174 	175 	84
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	56	22	1 	1 	1 	4 	27 	154 	163 	75
Severstal Cherepovets 	56	16	2 	7 	6 	2 	23 	151 	162 	74
Dinamo Minsk 	56	17	1 	5 	2 	0 	31 	139 	164 	65
Vityaz Chekhov 	56	13	3 	2 	2 	3 	331	1421	2161	541
Eastern Conference 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 	56	37	4 	3 	3 	1 	8 	215 	116 	129
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 	56	34	2 	4 	1 	0 	15 	167 	111 	115
Ak Bars Kazan 	56	25	4 	4 	3 	2 	18 	159 	128 	96
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 	56	27	3 	1 	4 	0 	21 	176 	166 	93
Avangard Omsk 	56	24	2 	2 	6 	4 	181	1521	1281	901
Barys Astana 	56	20	5 	1 	6 	1 	23 	169 	173 	79
Traktor Chelyabinsk 	56	18	0 	3 	2 	2 	31 	137 	192 	64
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	56	14	2 	6 	2 	4 	28 	127 	159 	64
Sibir Novosibirsk 	56	15	2 	5 	3 	1 	30 	147 	190 	63
Amur Khabarovsk 	56	12	3 	6 	4 	2 	29 	129 	187 	60
Lada Togliatti 	56	14	0 	2 	6 	3 	31 	115 	173 	55
Metallurg Novokuznetsk 	56	13	1 	2 	2 	5 	33 	105 	159 	52
1 The KHL decided that as a result of the game between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk on 9 January 2010 being abandoned due to a mass brawl which left neither team having the required number of players to continue, the game would count as a 5-0 defeat for both teams with no points being awarded.
===Divisional standings===
Western Conference
Bobrov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
SKA Saint Petersburg	56	36	1 	3 	3 	3 	10	192	118	122
Dynamo Moscow 	56	28	2 	3 	4 	3 	16	166	151	101
HC Spartak Moscow 	56	24	4 	4 	4 	0 	20	178	168	92
CSKA Moscow 	56	22	3 	5 	4 	1 	21	148	135	87
Dinamo Riga 	56	23	1 	3 	4 	3 	22	174	175	84
Dinamo Minsk 	56	17	1 	5 	2 	0 	31	139	164	65
 
Tarasov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
HC MVD 	56	30	1 	0 	6 	4 	15	160	135	102
Atlant Moscow Oblast 	56	24	4 	9 	1 	2 	16	173	137	101
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 	56	26	3 	2 	4 	4 	17	163	132	96
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	56	22	1 	1 	1 	4 	27	154	163	75
Severstal Cherepovets 	56	16	2 	7 	6 	2 	23	151	162	74
Vityaz Chekhov 	56	13	3 	2 	2 	3 	33	142	216	54
Eastern Conference
Kharlamov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 	56	34	2 	4 	1 	0 	15	167	111	115
Ak Bars Kazan 	56	25	4 	4 	3 	2 	18	159	128	96
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 	56	27	3 	1 	4 	0 	21	176	166	93
Traktor Chelyabinsk 	56	18	0 	3 	2 	2 	31	137	192	64
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	56	14	2 	6 	2 	4 	28	127	159	64
Lada Togliatti 	56	14	0 	2 	6 	3 	31	115	173	55
Chernyshev Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 	56	37	4 	3 	3 	1 	8 	215	116	129
Avangard Omsk 	56	24	2 	2 	6 	4 	18	152	128	90
Barys Astana 	56	20	5 	1 	6 	1 	23	169	173	79
Sibir Novosibirsk 	56	15	2 	5 	3 	1 	30	147	190	63
Amur Khabarovsk 	56	12	3 	6 	4 	2 	29	129	187	60
Metallurg Novokuznetsk	56	13	1 	2 	2 	5 	33	105	159	52
==Playoffs==
The eight best teams of each conference qualified for the playoffs. The first three rounds are played within the conferences, then the two winners will play in the Gagarin Cup final. The playoffs started on 10 March 2010 and ended on 27 April with the seventh game of the Gagarin Cup final. Remarkably, each of all the fifteen play-off series was won by the team which won the first game in the series.
== Final standings ==
Bold indicates playoff teams.
Rank	Team
1 	Ak Bars Kazan
2 	HC MVD
3 	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
4 	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
5 	Metallurg Magnitogorsk
6 	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
7 	Spartak Moscow
8 	Dinamo Riga
9 	SKA Saint Petersburg
10 	Dynamo Moscow
11 	Atlant Mytishchi
12 	Avangard Omsk
13 	CSKA Moscow
14 	Barys Astana
15 	Traktor Chelyabinsk
16 	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
17 	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
18 	Severstal Cherepovets
19 	Dinamo Minsk
20 	Sibir Novosibirsk
21 	Amur Khabarovsk
22 	Lada Togliatti
23 	Vityaz Chekhov
24 	Metallurg Novokuznetsk
== References ==
Category:2009 in ice hockey
Category:2010 in ice hockey