Австралия мұзды хоккей лигасы

Australia's top level ice hockey league

The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top level men's ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The AIHL is a semi professional league that is contested by ten franchised teams in two conferences spanning six Australian states and territories. AIHL premiers are awarded the H Newman Reid Trophy and AIHL champions are awarded the Goodall Cup, the world's third oldest ice hockey trophy, having been first awarded in 1909. The most successful team in AIHL history is the Newcastle Northstars, having claimed six championship titles. The current champions, from 2023, are the Melbourne Mustangs.

The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) was formed in 2000 following the collapse of the former national league. In its first season, the AIHL comprised three teams – the Adelaide Avalanche, Canberra Knights, and the Sydney Bears. During the first two seasons the teams competed in round robin weekends over the length of the season, with the two top teams playing a single final. Adelaide Avalanche finished first in both years after the regular season, with the Sydney Bears winning the Goodall Cup in the 2001 playoffs.

In 2002 the AIHL expanded to six teams with the inclusion of the Melbourne Ice, Newcastle North Stars and the West Sydney Ice Dogs. The Sydney Bears finished first in the regular season standings and won the Goodall Cup playoffs. In 2006 the Brisbane Blue Tongues signed Canadian Rob Zamuner who had played nearly 800 games in the NHL. The North Stars went on to win their second consecutive Goodall Cup title, defeating Adelaide for the second year in a row. The Bears won the 2007 Goodall Cup, their first since 2002, after defeating the North Stars in the final. During the season the Adelaide Avalanche folded due to financial problems. Following the withdrawal of the Avalanche a new team was formed, the Adelaide Adrenaline. Newcastle North Stars went on to win the 2008 Goodall Cup, defeating West Sydney Ice Dogs in the final. 2009 also saw the Goodall Cup withdrawn from the AIHL by Ice Hockey Australia so it could return to being a state contested tournament. It was replaced by the H. Newman Reid Trophy which was won by the Adrenaline. The following season, 2010, Ice Hockey Australia returned the Goodall Cup to the AIHL with the H. Newman Reid Trophy being consigned to be the prize for the winner of the regular season. Melbourne Ice won their first Goodall Cup, defeating the Adrenaline in the final 6–4.

In 2011, the league returned to an eight team competition with the inclusion of the Melbourne based Mustangs IHC. The AIHL also granted a ninth team, the Perth Thunder, a provisional licence to play exhibition games during the 2011 season, to seek a vote to join the league on a full licence in 2012. In August 2011, the AIHL and the New Zealand Ice Hockey League (NZIHL) jointly announced the formation of the Trans Tasman Champions League. The Champions League would feature two teams from both leagues in a round robin format. The tournament would commence in Australia in 2012 and hosting rights would alternate between Australia and New Zealand from that point forward.

For season 2012, with the addition of a ninth team, the AIHL implemented a conference system for the first time in the league’s history. The decision was made to manage team costs and the season schedule length. The conference restructure flowed into Finals format changes. The conference winners would draw the opposing conference’s second place finisher in the semi finals, rather than the traditional 1v4 and 2v3. Winners of the semi’s would advance to the Goodall Cup Final as normal. The NSW and ACT based teams were grouped together in the Bauer Conference and the VIC, SA, WA and QLD teams were grouped together in the Easton Conference during the 2012 regular season. Sydney Ice Dogs and Adelaide were runner’s up, all qualifying for Finals. The two top teams won their semi finals to advance to the grand final decider. Melbourne ice won the grand final 4–3, thanks to Lliam Webster who scored the winning goal, over the Northstars to claim the Goodall Cup for a third straight time, completing the first three peat in AIHL history. In July 2012, the inaugural Trans Tasman Champions League took place at the Icehouse in Melbourne. AIHL teams, Melbourne Ice and Newcastle North Stars, were joined by NZIHL teams, Botany Swarm and Southern Stampede for the round robin tournament. The Melbourne Ice finished first in the standings and claimed the maiden Champions League title and trophy, beating Newcastle to the title on goal difference.

Ahead of the 2013 season, In February 2013, the league appointed Robert Bannerman has the new AIHL Commissioner. Bannerman was charged with improving the AIHL's revenue growth, fan development and attendance. The AIHL signed its first broadcast deal with Australian based pay television service Fox Sports. The deal would see one game a week broadcast during the regular season on Foxtel's Fox Sports channels. The League also shrunk back to eight teams with the suspension announcement of Gold Coast Blue Tongues' AIHL licence to due the team's inability to secure a home venue agreement with a suitable rink. During the 2013 AIHL season, the Sydney Ice Dogs secured the Premiership Championship double by finishing top of the regular season standings and winning the grand final. It was the first time the Ice Dogs had won either the H Newman Reid Trophy or Goodall Cup since 2004. 2014 saw the league experience further change. In February 2014, AIHL founding team, Canberra Knights, folded operations after 33 years with owner, John Raut, citing financial costs, lack of local player talent and sustained poor performances as the reasons for the decision. A Canberra player and community led consortium was established to keep an AIHL licence in Canberra following the Knight's collaps. After meeting AIHL licence demands in April, the consortium was successful in obtaining the Canberra licence and a new team was formed, named CBR Brave. Season 2014 produced a new Goodall Cup and Premiership winner, with the Melbourne Mustangs claiming their first league and Finals titles, defeating the Melbourne Ice in the grand final. After the 2014 season, the AIHL made important decisions at their AGM in December 2014 to reject, for undisclosed reasons, the Central Coast Rhinos application to re join the league and allow the Gold Coast Blue Tongues' licence to expire, after two years of suspension with the team unable to secure financing to build a proposed new rink or relocate to an appropriate alternative facility. Thus confirming the AIHL would kick off 2015 with the same eight teams from 2014. Between 2015 and 2018, the league experienced game rule changes, exhibition matches in Queensland, the loss of the premier Sydney ice rink and team relocations. In 2015, the Sydney Ice Arena was approved for redevelopment into apartments by the owner, forcing the Sydney Bears to relocate to Penrith. The League adopted the international recognised hybrid icing rule to assist AIHL players in preparation for IIHF competition while continuing to protect players from the risks of potentially damaging collisions. In 2016, the Bears took two regular season games to Brisbane to showcase the league in Queensland for the first time since 2012. Games were held at both Iceworld Boondall and Iceworld Acacia Ridge against the Melbourne Ice. In 2017, following the completion of renovations, the Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs relocated from Penrith and Liverpool to Macquarie Ice Rink. In 2018, AIHL Commissioner, Rob Bannerman, stepped down after six years in the role. Bannerman would be relocating to the United States to pursue a career change.

In 2019, AIHL head of finance, Heidi Wilson, resigned from her role in the league commission. Dawn Watt was elected Deputy Commissioner and the AIHL canvased for new members. David Turik was subsequently appointed the new AIHL Commissioner.

During 2020 and 2021, the league suspended operations due to the outbreak of COVID 19. Different health measures and border restrictions domestically and internationally made it unviable to run seasons in 2020 and 2021. Originally in 2020 the league was suspended but it was later cancelled. In 2021, exhibition series were run instead of the league, but they were interrupted due to the ongoing outbreak. In 2021, AIHL Commissioner, David Turik, resigned from the role by “mutual agreement”, no reasons for his departure were disclosed.

In 2022, the AIHL announced it would be returning to a regular season for the first time since 2019. The league released information of a new board of directors and executive team as well as the adoption of a new finals format and increase to game lengths. The AIHL would implement the international standard 60 minute games (up from 50 minutes) and expanded the finals weekend to include a preliminary final and an additional day in the schedule. The League also announced a new license holder for the Adelaide Adrenaline franchise, headed by Benny Gebert and Glen Foll. Preparations for the 2022 season were disrupted by the withdrawals of the Perth Thunder and Adelaide Adrenaline due to continued state border restrictions and disagreements with rink management respectively. However, in February 2022, the AIHL announced the expansion of the league would take place in 2023 and followed this up with the granting of licenses to the Brisbane Lightning, headed by Ice Hockey Queensland (IHQ), and the Central Coast Rhinos, who will be returning to the league for the first time in fourteen years after originally leaving at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

The points system and overtime formats used by the AIHL has developed and changed over the history of the league. The current points system, first introduced in 2006, follows similar systems widely used in Europe. 3 points is awarded for a win, and 0 points for a loss. If a match is tied at the end of regulation time, overtime (OT) is used to guarantee a match winner. An overtime win is worth 2 points and an overtime loss is worth 1 point. The current overtime rules deployed in the AIHL for regular season matches was introduced in 2019. At the end of regulation time there is a five minute three on three overtime period, with the first goal winning the game. If no one scores during this OT period the match is then sent to a shootout to decide the winner and points split. Between 2000 and 2005, the league had a then NHL style four on four five minute overtime period. If no one scored, the match was then officially recorded as a tie. In 2006 the league removed the five minute overtime period and replaced it with a shootout, meaning every match would have a winner. The shootout only system was used by the league until the end of the 2018 season. For AIHL finals (play offs), overtime periods are played to a regulation period length and incorporate the golden goal rule – in an overtime period, the game ends when one team scores a goal; the teams are at full strength (five skaters, barring penalties), there is no shootout, and each overtime period is 20 minutes with full intermissions between overtime periods.

Damien Ketlo, the 2017 save percentage leader, became a contestant on Big Brother Canada season 7 and mentioned Australian hockey in episode 22.