2010–11 KHL season

The 2010–11 KHL season was the third season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 8 September 2010 and ended on 16 April 2011.
The season started with the Opening Cup game between the last season's finalists, Ak Bars Kazan and UHC Dynamo, the new team that was created by merging last season's Western conference winner HC MVD with Dynamo Moscow.
Salavat Yulaev Ufa won the Gagarin Cup and the Russian Championship after beating Atlant Moscow Oblast 4–1 in the play-off final series.
==League changes==
===Team changes===
Folding of Lada Togliatti
Lada Togliatti dropped out of the league and joined the Russian Major League instead, after failing to meet the league's financial requirements.
Merger of HC MVD and Dynamo Moscow
On 30 April 2010, it was announced that HC MVD would merge with Dynamo Moscow to form UHC Dynamo, which for the time being will play the majority of their games at Megasport Arena in Moscow, while also attempting to play some games in Balashikha. The current plan is to have a new, large and modernized arena constructed in Balashikha by 2012.
Expansion teams
By the deadline of 1 April 2010, six new teams from four different countries applied for KHL membership for this season: HC Yugra, Krylya Sovetov Moscow and Gazovik Tyumen from Russia; HC Budivelnyk from Kiev, Ukraine; HC Lev from Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; and Vėtra Vilnius from Lithuania. Of these teams, Budivelnyk and Yugra were initially accepted into the KHL, but on 24 June 2010 Budivelnyk announced it is unable to participate in the KHL in the 2010–11 season because their stadium is not ready. On 16 July 2010, HC Lev, which in the meantime has been moved to Poprad in Slovakia, was accepted into the KHL, but after the Slovak Hockey Federation's delay to give permit to the team, the KHL excluded Lev from the 2010–11 season.
===Other changes===
Play-off format
Unlike in the previous seasons, all play-off series were played in a best-of-seven format.
Vuvuzelas ban
The KHL administration has explicitly banned the sale and use of vuvuzelas, infamous since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in ice hockey arenas.
==Regular season==
The regular season started on 8 September 2010 with the Opening Cup and ended on 20 February 2011. There were short breaks in November, December and February for international matches and for the all-star game. Each team played 54 games during the regular season.
===Notable events===
Opening Cup
The first game of the season is traditionally the "Opening Cup" and is played between the two Gagarin Cup finalists from the previous season. Because previous season's runner-up HC MVD merged with Dynamo Moscow, the Opening Cup was played between defending champion Ak Bars Kazan and the newly formed UHC Dynamo. The game took place on 8 September 2010 at the TatNeft Arena in Kazan where UHC Dynamo beat Ak Bars Kazan 3-1.
KHL versus NHL exhibition games
The Carolina Hurricanes played SKA Saint Petersburg at the Ice Palace Saint Petersburg in Saint Petersburg, Russia on October 4 (SKA won 5–3), and the Phoenix Coyotes played Dinamo Riga at Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia on October 6 (Riga lost 1–3).
Game in Switzerland
On 23 December 2010, before the Spengler Cup started, the two participants from the KHL, SKA Saint Petersburg and Spartak Moscow, played an official regular-season game in the Vaillant Arena in Davos, Switzerland. It was the first KHL game played in central Europe.
All-Star Game
The All-Star weekend took place on 5 and 6 February 2011 in Saint Petersburg.
===League standings===
Source: KHL.ru
Points were 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 determined the seedings for the play-offs. The first two places in each conference were reserved for the division winners.
Western Conference 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 	54	33	1 	1 	4 	1 	14	203	143	108
UHC Dynamo 	54	28	1 	1 	4 	4 	16	149	131	96
SKA Saint Petersburg 	54	23	3 	6 	5 	4 	13	171	144	96
Atlant Moscow Oblast 	54	21	4 	7 	4 	2 	16	138	115	91
Severstal Cherepovets 	54	25	2 	3 	0 	4 	20	145	142	89
Spartak Moscow 	54	24	1 	1 	3 	3 	22	129	142	82
Dinamo Riga 	54	20	2 	5 	5 	2 	20	160	149	81
Dinamo Minsk 	54	17	3 	5 	5 	2 	22	150	155	74
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	54	18	5 	3 	1 	2 	25	144	151	73
CSKA Moscow 	54	13	0 	7 	4 	2 	28	136	169	59
Vityaz Chekhov 	54	13	1 	3 	3 	2 	32	119	178	52
Source: khl.ru
Eastern Conference 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Avangard Omsk 	54	31	9 	2 	2 	1 	9 	176	120	118
Ak Bars Kazan 	54	29	2 	3 	5 	3 	12	181	133	105
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 	54	29	5 	4 	4 	0 	12	210	144	109
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 	54	27	1 	5 	3 	4 	14	167	141	100
Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk 	54	22	0 	6 	6 	3 	17	145	151	87
HC Sibir Novosibirsk 	54	22	2 	4 	1 	4 	21	133	131	83
Barys Astana 	54	20	2 	2 	6 	3 	21	155	152	77
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 	54	22	1 	2 	1 	2 	26	159	162	75
Traktor Chelyabinsk 	54	14	6 	2 	5 	1 	26	142	166	64
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	54	10	6 	4 	2 	1 	31	134	184	53
Amur Khabarovsk 	54	13	1 	1 	3 	4 	32	112	173	50
Metallurg Novokuznetsk 	54	8 	1 	3 	4 	5 	33	105	186	41
Source: khl.ru
===Divisional standings===
Western Conference
Bobrov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
UHC Dynamo 	54	28	1 	1 	4 	4 	16	149	131	96
SKA Saint Petersburg	54	23	3 	6 	5 	4 	13	171	144	96
Spartak Moscow 	54	24	1 	1 	3 	3 	22	129	142	82
Dinamo Riga 	54	20	2 	5 	5 	2 	20	160	149	81
CSKA Moscow 	54	13	0 	7 	4 	2 	28	136	169	59
 
Tarasov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 	54	33	1 	1 	4 	1 	14	203	143	108
Atlant Moscow Oblast 	54	21	4 	7 	4 	2 	16	138	115	91
Severstal Cherepovets 	54	25	2 	3 	0 	4 	20	145	142	89
Dinamo Minsk 	54	17	3 	5 	5 	2 	22	150	155	74
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	54	18	5 	3 	1 	2 	25	144	151	73
Vityaz Chekhov 	54	13	1 	3 	3 	2 	32	119	178	52
Eastern Conference
Kharlamov Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Ak Bars Kazan 	54	29	2 	3 	5 	3 	12	181	133	105
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 	54	27	1 	5 	3 	4 	14	167	141	100
Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk 	54	22	0 	6 	6 	3 	17	145	151	87
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 	54	22	1 	2 	1 	2 	26	159	162	75
Traktor Chelyabinsk 	54	14	6 	2 	5 	1 	26	142	166	64
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	54	10	6 	4 	2 	1 	31	134	184	53
Chernyshev Division 	GP	W 	OTW	SOW	SOL	OTL	L 	GF 	GA 	Pts
Avangard Omsk 	54	31	9 	2 	2 	1 	9 	176	120	118
Salavat Yulaev Ufa 	54	29	5 	4 	4 	0 	12	210	144	109
Sibir Novosibirsk 	54	22	2 	4 	1 	4 	21	133	131	83
Barys Astana 	54	20	2 	2 	6 	3 	21	155	152	77
Amur Khabarovsk 	54	13	1 	1 	3 	4 	32	112	173	50
Metallurg Novokuznetsk	54	8 	1 	3 	4 	5 	33	105	186	41
==Playoffs==
The playoffs started on 23 February 2011. The fifth and final game of the final series for the Gagarin Cup was played on 16 April 2011.
== Final standings ==
Bold indicates playoff team.
Rank	Team
1 	Salavat Yulaev Ufa
2 	Atlant Moscow Oblast
3 	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
4 	Metallurg Magnitogorsk
5 	Avangard Omsk
6 	Ak Bars Kazan
7 	SKA Saint Petersburg
8 	Dinamo Riga
9 	Dynamo Moscow
10 	Severstal Cherepovets
11 	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
12 	Sibir Novosibirsk
13 	Spartak Moscow
14 	Barys Astana
15 	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
16 	Dinamo Minsk
17 	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
18 	Traktor Chelyabinsk
19 	HC CSKA Moscow
20 	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
21 	Vityaz Chekhov
22 	Amur Khabarovsk
23 	Metallurg Novokuznetsk
==References==
Category:2010 in ice hockey
Category:2011 in ice hockey