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 Kyiv, 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 Yaroslavl54 33 1 1 4 1 14 203 143 108 UHC Dynamo54 28 1 1 4 4 16 149 131 96 SKA Saint Petersburg54 23 3 6 5 4 13 171 144 96 Atlant Moscow Oblast54 21 4 7 4 2 16 138 115 91 Severstal Cherepovets54 25 2 3 0 4 20 145 142 89 Spartak Moscow54 24 1 1 3 3 22 129 142 82 Dinamo Riga54 20 2 5 5 2 20 160 149 81 Dinamo Minsk54 17 3 5 5 2 22 150 155 74 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod54 18 5 3 1 2 25 144 151 73 CSKA Moscow54 13 0 7 4 2 28 136 169 59 Vityaz Chekhov54 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 Omsk54 31 9 2 2 1 9 176 120 118 Ak Bars Kazan54 29 2 3 5 3 12 181 133 105 Salavat Yulaev Ufa54 29 5 4 4 0 12 210 144 109 Metallurg Magnitogorsk54 27 1 5 3 4 14 167 141 100 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk54 22 0 6 6 3 17 145 151 87 HC Sibir Novosibirsk54 22 2 4 1 4 21 133 131 83 Barys Astana54 20 2 2 6 3 21 155 152 77 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk54 22 1 2 1 2 26 159 162 75 Traktor Chelyabinsk54 14 6 2 5 1 26 142 166 64 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg54 10 6 4 2 1 31 134 184 53 Amur Khabarovsk54 13 1 1 3 4 32 112 173 50 Metallurg Novokuznetsk54 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 Dynamo54 28 1 1 4 4 16 149 131 96 SKA Saint Petersburg54 23 3 6 5 4 13 171 144 96 Spartak Moscow54 24 1 1 3 3 22 129 142 82 Dinamo Riga54 20 2 5 5 2 20 160 149 81 CSKA Moscow54 13 0 7 4 2 28 136 169 59
Tarasov Division GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl54 33 1 1 4 1 14 203 143 108 Atlant Moscow Oblast54 21 4 7 4 2 16 138 115 91 Severstal Cherepovets54 25 2 3 0 4 20 145 142 89 Dinamo Minsk54 17 3 5 5 2 22 150 155 74 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod54 18 5 3 1 2 25 144 151 73 Vityaz Chekhov54 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 Kazan54 29 2 3 5 3 12 181 133 105 Metallurg Magnitogorsk54 27 1 5 3 4 14 167 141 100 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk54 22 0 6 6 3 17 145 151 87 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk54 22 1 2 1 2 26 159 162 75 Traktor Chelyabinsk54 14 6 2 5 1 26 142 166 64 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg54 10 6 4 2 1 31 134 184 53
Chernyshev Division GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts Avangard Omsk54 31 9 2 2 1 9 176 120 118 Salavat Yulaev Ufa54 29 5 4 4 0 12 210 144 109 Sibir Novosibirsk54 22 2 4 1 4 21 133 131 83 Barys Astana54 20 2 2 6 3 21 155 152 77 Amur Khabarovsk54 13 1 1 3 4 32 112 173 50 Metallurg Novokuznetsk54 8 1 3 4 5 33 105 186 41
League leaders Source: khl.ru
Goals Roman Červenka (Omsk) 31 Assists Alexander Radulov (Ufa) 60 Points Alexander Radulov (Ufa) 80 Shots Kevin Dallman (Astana) 225 Plus–minus Alexei Morozov (Kazan) +27 Penalty minutes Darcy Verot (Chekhov) 182 Wins (Goaltenders) Karri Rämö (Omsk) 33 Goals against average Konstantin Barulin (Mytischi) 1.91 Save percentage Vitali Yeremeyev (Astana) 92.7 Shutouts Dominik Hašek (Moscow) 7 Goaltenders: minimum 15 games played
Scoring leaders Source: khl.ru
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM Alexander Radulov Salavat Yulaev Ufa 54 20 60 80 +27 83 Patrick Thoresen Salavat Yulaev Ufa 54 29 36 65 +21 30 Roman Červenka Avangard Omsk 51 31 30 61 +15 56 Sergei Mozyakin Atlant Moscow Oblast 54 27 34 61 +10 12 Pavol Demitra Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 54 18 43 61 +12 29 Aleksey Morozov Ak Bars Kazan 53 21 35 56 +27 24 Josef Vašíček Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 54 24 31 55 +16 34 Jaromír Jágr Avangard Omsk 49 19 32 51 +6 48 Matt Ellison Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 53 21 29 50 –6 28 Mattias Weinhandl SKA Saint Petersburg 54 21 28 49 +14 42
Leading goaltenders Source: khl.ru
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 SOL GA SO SV% GAA Konstantin Barulin Atlant Moscow Oblast 28 1504:47 13 9 4 48 6 .925 1.91 Karri Rämö Avangard Omsk 44 2592:49 33 6 4 85 5 .925 1.97 Jakub Štěpánek SKA Saint Petersburg 32 1844:06 16 8 5 63 3 .923 2.05 Vitali Koval Atlant Moscow Oblast 34 1766:55 12 10 9 61 2 .921 2.07 Petri Vehanen Ak Bars Kazan 43 2538:01 25 12 6 89 2 .926 2.10
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.
Playoff leaders Source: khl.ru
Goals Gleb Klimenko (Magnitogorsk) 10 Assists Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) Pavol Demitra (Yaroslavl) Patrick Thoresen (Ufa) Alexander Radulov (Ufa) 15 Points Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) 22 Shots Sergey Mozyakin (Mytishchi) 77 Plus–minus Patrick Thoresen (Ufa) Ilya Gorokhov (Mytishchi) +11 Penalty minutes Fedor Fedorov (Mytishchi) 65 Wins (Goaltenders) Erik Ersberg (Ufa) 15 Goals against average Petri Vehanen (Kazan) 1.32 Save percentage Petri Vehanen (Kazan) 95.7 Shutouts Petri Vehanen (Kazan) Erik Ersberg (Ufa) 3 Goaltenders: minimum 5 games played
Scoring leaders Source: khl.ru
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM Josef Vašíček Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 18 7 15 22 +6 16 Sergei Mozyakin Atlant Moscow Oblast 23 8 13 21 –2 2 Pavol Demitra Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 18 6 15 21 +10 4 Patrick Thoresen Salavat Yulaev Ufa 21 3 15 18 +11 16 Alexander Radulov Salavat Yulaev Ufa 21 3 15 18 +10 42
Leading goaltenders Source: khl.ru
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 GA SO SV% GAA Petri Vehanen Ak Bars Kazan 9 543:49 5 4 12 3 .957 1.32 Erik Ersberg Salavat Yulaev Ufa 20 1118:23 15 3 36 3 .933 1.93 Robert Esche Dinamo Minsk 4 215:38 2 2 7 0 .942 1.95 Konstantin Barulin Atlant Moscow Oblast 22 1286:09 11 10 44 2 .928 2.05 Jakub Štěpánek SKA Saint Petersburg 11 698:22 7 4 25 1 .920 2.15
Final standings
RankTeam 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
Awards
Players of the Month
Best KHL players of each month.
MonthGoaltenderDefenseForwardRookieSeptember Bernd Brückler (Torpedo) Sandis Ozoliņš (Riga) Denis Platonov (Magnitogorsk) Yaroslav Khabarov (Magnitogorsk)October Mikhail Biryukov (Khanty-Mansiysk) Maxim Soloviev (Dynamo M) Roman Červenka (Omsk) Aleksandr Osipov (Khabarovsk)November Karri Rämö (Omsk) Johan Fransson (St. Petersburg) Sergei Mozyakin (Atlant) Dinar Khafizullin (Chekhov)December Petri Vehanen (Kazan) Alexander Guskov (Yaroslavl) Sergei Mozyakin (Atlant) Alexander Pankov (Ufa)January Dominik Hašek (Spartak) Kevin Dallman (Astana) Pavol Demitra (Yaroslavl) Grigory Zheldakov (Spartak)February Petri Vehanen (Kazan) Karel Rachůnek (Yaroslavl) Alexander Radulov (Ufa) Mikhail Stefanovich (Minsk)March Erik Ersberg (Ufa) Marat Kalimulin (Yaroslavl) Gleb Klimenko (Magnitogorsk) Pavel Zdunov (Magnitogorsk)
KHL Awards On 20 May 2011, 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.
Golden Stick Award (regular season MVP) Alexander Radulov (Ufa) Best coach Miloš Říha (Atlant) Alexei Cherepanov Award (best rookie) Pavel Zdunov (Magnitogorsk)
The league also awarded six "Golden Helmets" for the members of the all-star team: