HC CSKA Sofia is a professional ice hockey team from Sofia, Bulgaria that currently plays in the Bulgarian Hockey League. They are a department of the United Sports Clubs of CSKA Sofia.
History Ice hockey develops in Bulgaria in the start of the 20th century, but the organized hockey becomes famous in the end of the 40s. In 1994 a tournament in honor of the 5th congress of "Bulgarian Communist Party" is held and a few teams participate in it. On 16 September in the same year, the "Republican section for skates and ice hockey" is created. At the start, the competitions are in the form of city championships, without age requirements. One of the first teams is CSKA's one.
During 1952 the first republican championship is held, where CSKA doesn't reach top 3. In the next competition, CSKA becomes third and wins its first medals. Then a few competitions that are played at the capital's racecourse, in which CSKA participates under the name "CDNA" and wins silver four times and bronze two times.
The golden period for CSKA is in the 60s, when CDNA unites with the hockey hegemon in those times – "Red flag" and under the name of CSKA "Red flag" four consecutive titles are won in the period 1963–67. After the second place in 1968, the golden rhythm is regained and CSKA is a champion in 1969 once again. Until 1975, five new titles are won, and the hegemony in CSKA is stopped only for one season by the team from Pernik – "Krakra".
CSKA won the title in 1983 once again and doubled it during the next season. In 1986 the "army" players win their third title for the decade, which turns out to be their last for the next 27 years.
After the changes in 1989, ice hockey degrades in Bulgaria as a whole, and CSKA suffers the most out of those changes. Separate competitions are held where only up to 3 teams participate. On a certain championship the title was to be given to one of the two teams that participated, which was very curious. However, CSKA manages to keep ice hockey alive throughout all of those years, and in the last few years a new powerful period is established when the hockey club is taken over by the coach and president Kiril Hodulov.
There is a future for ice hockey for CSKA, especially because the team is full of young players. One of them is Nikolai Bozhanov. Bozhanov has gone through all of the formations of the "army" team and is also thankful to the coach – Kiril Hodulov, who helps him. Niki is a fan of CSKA and visits the games of CSKA when he has the opportunity to, no matter what the sport is.
From 2012 CSKA not only wins three consecutive titles, but also returns with a bang on the European hockey scene. The club participates in the prestige tournament for the "Continental cup", where in two consecutive seasons the club manages to go through the first phase.
Unfortunately, in 2015 however, due to the lack of enough financial support, CSKA is forced to give up its participation in the second group stage of the "Continental cup", even though the club won in a dominant fashion in Belgrade.
Achievements Bulgarian Champion (17): 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1984, 1986, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2026 Bulgarian Runner-up (17): 1955, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2025 Bulgarian Cup (15): 1964, 1965, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1987, 2012, 2013, 2025
Season by season +SeasonDivisionPosCupEuropean competitions1951-52Bulgarian League4th - -1952-53Bulgarian League3rd - -1953-54Bulgarian League3rd - -1954-55Bulgarian League2nd - -1955-56Bulgarian League5th - -1956-57 -4th -1957-58Bulgarian League3rd - -1958-59Bulgarian League3rd - -1959-60Bulgarian League2nd - -1960-61Bulgarian League2nd - -1961-62Bulgarian League2nd - -1962-63Bulgarian League2nd - -1963-64Bulgarian League1stW -1964-65Bulgarian League1stW -1965-66Bulgarian League1st -European Cup - First round1966-67Bulgarian League1stWEuropean Cup - Second round1967-68Bulgarian League2nd -European Cup - First round1968-69Bulgarian League1st - -1969-70Bulgarian League2nd -European Cup - First round1970-71Bulgarian League1st - -1971-72Bulgarian League1stWEuropean Cup - First round1972-73Bulgarian League1stWEuropean Cup - First round1973-74Bulgarian League1st2ndEuropean Cup - First round1974-75Bulgarian League1stWEuropean Cup - First round1975-76Bulgarian League3rdWEuropean Cup - First round1976-77Bulgarian League3rd3rd -1977-78Bulgarian League2ndW -1978-79Bulgarian League4th - -1979-80Bulgarian League5th4th -1980-81Bulgarian League3rdW -1981-82Bulgarian League3rdRU -1982-83Bulgarian League1stW -1983-84Bulgarian League1st - -1984-85Bulgarian League3rd -European Cup - First round1985-86Bulgarian League1stW -1986-87Bulgarian League2ndWEuropean Cup - Preliminary round1987-88Bulgarian League2nd2nd -1988-89Bulgarian League2nd - -1989-90Bulgarian League3rd - -1990-91Bulgarian League3rd - -1991-92Bulgarian League4th4th -1992-93Bulgarian League4th5th -1993-94Bulgarian League4th - -1994-95Bulgarian League4th4th -1995-96Bulgarian League5th - -1996-97Bulgarian League5th - -1999-00Bulgarian League5th - -2000-01Bulgarian League6th - -2001-02Bulgarian League3rd - -2002-03Bulgarian League4th3rd -2003-04Bulgarian LeagueDisqualified3rd -2004-05Bulgarian League3rd - -2007-08Bulgarian League2nd2nd -2008-09Bulgarian League2nd3rd -2009-10Bulgarian League2nd2nd -2010-11Bulgarian League2nd2nd -2011-12Bulgarian League2nd - -2012-13Bulgarian League1stW -2013-14Bulgarian League1stWContinental Cup - First Stage2014-15Bulgarian League1st -Continental Cup - Second Stage2015-16Bulgarian League3rd -Continental Cup - First round(*W)2016-17Bulgarian League4th3rd -2017-18Bulgarian League4th4th -2018-19Bulgarian League4th4th -2019-20Bulgarian League4th3rd -2020-21Bulgarian League3rd3rd -2021-22Bulgarian League3rd3rd -2022-23Bulgarian League3rd3rd -2023-24Bulgarian League3rd2nd -2024-25Bulgarian League2nd3rd -2025-26Bulgarian League1stW -
HC CSKA Sofia in European Hockey +IIHF European CupSeasonRoundClubScore1965–66First roundÚjpesti Dózsa3-8, 0-8, 4-6, 4-81966–67Second roundPodhale Nowy Targ5-11, 5-8, 1-6, 3-81967–68First roundHK Jesenice3-5, 3-81969–70First roundÚjpesti Dózsa5-4, 3-51971–72First roundSG Dynamo Weißwasser0-9, 3-61972–73First roundHK Olimpija Ljubljana2–2, 5–5 (1–3 PS)1973–74First roundEC KAC1-12, 4-41974–75First roundHK Olimpija Ljubljana2-6, 1-41975–76First roundSG Dynamo Weißwasser0-8, 1-111984–85First roundHK Olimpija Ljubljana5–6, 5–4 (2–3 PS)1986–87Preliminary roundHC Steaua București0-14, 2-6 +IIHF Continental CupSeasonRoundClubScoreAggregate2013–14First Group Stage (Belgrade, Serbia)CD Hielo Bipolo4-13rd placeHK Partizan3-5Tallinn Viiking-Sport3-52014–15First Group Stage (Sofia, Bulgaria)Puigcerdà3-21st placeIzmir BB GSK19-3Beostar10-2Second Group Stage (Bremerhaven, Germany)Fischtown Pinguins2-64th placeBelfast Giants2-6Tilburg Trappers4-52015-16*First round (Belgrade, Serbia) Partizan Belgrade12-41st place Rishon Devils7-1 Zeytinburnu Belediyespor9-5
(*)CSKA Sofia, the winners of First round renounced its participation due to financial problems and were replaced by First round third-placed team Partizan Belgrade after First round runners-up Zeytinburnu Belediyespor declined the invitation.
Notable players Konstantin Mihailov
References
External links HC CSKA Sofia website Club profile on hockeyarenas.net