Tarasov Division

The Kontinental Hockey League's (KHL) Tarasov Division was formed in 2008 as part of the league's inauguration. It is one of four divisions and part of the Western Conference since the second season of the KHL when the conferences were established. It is named in honor of Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Anatoli Tarasov, "the father of Russian hockey", who established the Soviet Union as "the dominant force in international competition".[1]

Tarasov Division
ConferenceWestern Conference
LeagueKontinental Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Inaugural season2008–09
Teams
No. of teams6
Championships
Most recent champion(s)CSKA Moscow (8th title)
Most titlesCSKA Moscow (8 titles)

Division lineup

The Tarasov Division currently consists of the following teams:

Lineup history
Main article: Kontinental Hockey League team changes

Initial lineup (2008)

In the first KHL season, the division alignment was determined by team strength and the Tarasov division consisted of: CSKA Moscow, HC MVD, Khimik Voskresensk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Traktor Chelyabinsk and SKA Saint Petersburg.

Re-alignment in 2009

With the geographical alignment of the divisions for the 2009–10 season, the composition of the Tarasov division was completely changed and only HC MVD remained in the division. It was joined by two other teams from the Moscow region, Atlant Moscow Oblast and Vityaz Chekhov, as well as by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Severstal Cherepovets.

Minsk replaces HC MVD (2010)

First, HC Budivelnyk from Kiev, Ukraine were admitted to the league in 2010 to replace HC MVD after their merger with Dynamo Moscow. However, the team later dropped out of the league before the start of the season and instead Dinamo Minsk joined the division from the Bobrov Division.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl suspension (2011)

Because of the September 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that killed nearly the entire roster of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the team management decided to suspend operations for the 2011–12 season, temporarily reducing the Tarasov division to five teams. Lokomotiv returned for the 2012–13 season.

2012 Expansion

With the addition of two new teams to the Bobrov Division for the 2012–13 season, some re-alignments among the Western conference divisions became necessary: Vityaz Chekhov were moved to Bobrov, while two Moscow teams, Spartak and CSKA were moved to Tarasov. This increased the Tarasov division to seven teams.

2013 Expansion and re-alignment

With the addition of two new teams to the league in the 2013–14 season, new re-alignments become necessary, therefore Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod was moved to the Kharlamov Division and CSKA Moscow and Dinamo Minsk left for the Bobrov Division. In exchange, HC Vityaz, HC Donbass and Dynamo Moscow were moved from Bobrov to Tarasov Division.

2014 changes

HC Donbass had to withdraw prior to the 2014–15 season because of the political instability in Ukraine, and Spartak Moscow had to leave for financial reasons. Meanwhile, HC Sochi joined the league as a new team and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod moved back from the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, CSKA Moscow and Atlant Moscow Oblast swapped divisions.

Division winners

Gagarin Cup winners produced

References
  1. Encyclopædia Britannica, Article "Anatoly Tarasov"
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