IIHF European Champions Cup
The IIHF European Champions Cup (ECC) was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF. The Champions Cup was first played in 2005, as a replacement for the defunct European Cup (1965–1997), and the suspended European Hockey League (1996–2000). In the 2008–09 season, the ECC was replaced by the Champions Hockey League, which was the new official European club championship event. The new tournament was cancelled after only one season . However, another tournament with the same name was introduced in 2014. Format. The competition featured the reigning club champions from the top six European hockey nations according to the IIHF World Ranking; these teams were known as the Super Six. Two groups of three played in a round-robin tournament, with the winners of each group facing off in a championship game. The two groups were named after international hockey legends Alexander Ragulin and Ivan Hlinka. Participants and results (2005–2008). 2005 results. Group A Group B Final 2006 results. Alexander Ragulin division Ivan Hlinka division Final 2007 results. Alexander Ragulin  division Ivan Hlinka division Final 2008 results. Alexander Ragulin division Ivan Hlinka division Final Predecessors. European Cup (1965–1997). The European Cup, also known as the Europa Cup, was a European ice hockey club competition for champions of national leagues which was contested between 1965 and 1997. European Hockey League (1996–2000). The European Hockey League was a European ice hockey club competition which ran between the years 1996 and 2000. IIHF Continental Cup (1997–present). The Continental Cup is an ice hockey tournament for European clubs, begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the IIHF European Cup. It was intended for  teams from countries without representatives in the European Hockey League, with participating teams chosen by the countries' respective ice hockey associations. IIHF Super Cup (1997–2000). The IIHF Super Cup was an ice hockey event played between the champions of the two main European club tournaments at the time; it began in 1997 and ended in 2000. Successors. IIHF Champions Hockey League (2008–2009). The Champions Hockey League was conducted by 14 teams of which 12 are in the group stage. It replaced the "IIHF European Champions Cup" in 2008. The league was staged for one year only. Champions Hockey League (2014 –present). On December 9, 2013, the IIHF officially announced that they had launched a new tournament with a similar name as their previous tournament, born out of the European Trophy, starting in the 2014–15 season.