The Maxa liga is the second-highest level of professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, after the
Extraliga. It began in 1993 and is run and administered by
Czech Ice Hockey Association
The Czech Ice Hockey Association (), also known by the shortened name Czech Ice Hockey (), is the Sport governing body, governing body of ice hockey and sledge hockey in Czechia. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) ...
.
Until 2015, the league was known as the 1st Czech National Hockey League. It was then known as the WSM Liga until 2018, and the Chance Liga until 2024.
Format (2023-24)
In the first phase, every team plays each other four times—twice at home and twice away—which makes for a 52-game regular season.
After the 52-game regular season, the first six teams directly qualify for the quarter-finals, while teams which placed 7 to 10 play a
round-robin to determine the final two participants in the quarter-finals.
The playoffs end with the finals, with the winning team going on to face the bottom team from the
Extraliga in a round-robin. The winner of the round-robin is promoted to Extraliga for the following season.
The last placed team at the end of the regular season is directly relegated to the
Second League for the following season. They are replaced by the winner of a 3 team
round-robin group between the winners of the East, the Central and the West divisions of the Second League.
Three points are awarded for a win in regulation time and two points for an overtime or shootout victory, while the team defeated in overtime or shootout gets one point.
The level of 1. národní hokejová liga is slightly lower than the
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...
, but there are a lot of players moving between those two leagues every season. Each team in this league is allowed to have five imports. The league has no salary cap, with an average salary of USD 2200 per month, but some of the best players reportedly sign contracts for more than USD 5000 per month, plus most of the teams cover accommodation expenses for their players during the season.
Current teams (2023-24)
Champions
*
1993–94 Vsetínská hokejová and
HC Slavia Praha
HC Slavia Praha (eng: HC Slavia Prague) is a Czech professional ice hockey team located in Prague playing in the Czech 1st National Hockey League, the second-highest league in the country. Slavia played in the Czech Extraliga from 1994 until ...
*
1994–95 HC Kometa Brno
HC Kometa Brno ("Comet" in English) is a professional ice hockey team based in Brno, Czech Republic. They play in the Czech Extraliga. Kometa is the most successful ice hockey club in the Czech Republic with 14 Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League ...
and
TZ Třinec
*
1995–96 HC Přerov
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
* ...
and
HC Opava
*
1996–97 HC Becherovka Karlovy Vary
HC Energie Karlovy Vary is a professional ice hockey team based in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. They play in the highest-level national league, the Czech Extraliga.
The club
The history of the ice hockey in Karlovy Vary dates back to the 1932, w ...
and
HC Kralupy nad Vltavou
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
* ...
*
1997–98 HC Znojemští Orli
*
1998–99 HC Znojemští Orli
*
1999–2000 HC Dukla Jihlava
HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...
*
2000–01 KLH Chomutov KLH may refer to:
*Keyhole limpet hemocyanin, a carrier protein
* Kolhapur Airport (IATA code KLH), a regional airport in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
*Korean Light Helicopter, a designation used by the Republic of Korea Army
*KLH (company), an aud ...
*
2001–02 HC Bílí Tygři Liberec
Bílí Tygři Liberec (English: ''Liberec White Tigers'') are a professional ice hockey club based in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest level of play in professional Czech ice hockey.
History
The firs ...
*
2002–03 HC Vagnerplast Kladno
*
2003–04 HC Dukla Jihlava
HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...
*
2004–05 HC České Budějovice
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
* ...
*
2005–06 HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem
HC, hc or H/C may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine
* Health Canada
* Hemicrania continua
* Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Chemistry
* Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc
...
*
2006–07 HC Slovan Ústí nad Labem
*
2007–08 BK Mladá Boleslav
BK Mladá Boleslav () is a professional ice hockey team which plays in the Czech Extraliga, the country's highest level. They were promoted into the league on 18 April 2014 after a two-year absence. They play their home games at Ško-Energo Aréna ...
*
2008–09 HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi
*
2009–10 KLH Chomutov KLH may refer to:
*Keyhole limpet hemocyanin, a carrier protein
* Kolhapur Airport (IATA code KLH), a regional airport in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
*Korean Light Helicopter, a designation used by the Republic of Korea Army
*KLH (company), an aud ...
*
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi
*
2011–12 Piráti Chomutov
Piráti Chomutov is a Czech ice hockey team from Chomutov, Czech Republic. Established as ČSK Chomutov in 1945, the team has played in Chomutov through numerous team name changes and elevations/relegations in the Czechoslovak and Czech hockey l ...
*
2012–13 BK Mladá Boleslav
BK Mladá Boleslav () is a professional ice hockey team which plays in the Czech Extraliga, the country's highest level. They were promoted into the league on 18 April 2014 after a two-year absence. They play their home games at Ško-Energo Aréna ...
and
HC Olomouc
HC Olomouc is a professional ice hockey team in the Czech Extraliga, from the city of Olomouc. They won the Extraliga championship in the 1993/1994 season. In 1997, the club sold the Extraliga license to HC Karlovy Vary, and was thus relegated ...
*
2013–14 BK Mladá Boleslav and HC Olomouc
*
2014–15 Piráti Chomutov
Piráti Chomutov is a Czech ice hockey team from Chomutov, Czech Republic. Established as ČSK Chomutov in 1945, the team has played in Chomutov through numerous team name changes and elevations/relegations in the Czechoslovak and Czech hockey l ...
and
Motor České Budějovice
Hockey Club Banes Motor České Budějovice is a professional men's ice hockey club based in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
History
Bandy era in České Budějovice
The long history started in 1911, when group of young gymnasium students ...
*
2015–16 HC Dukla Jihlava
HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...
and
HC Slavia Praha
HC Slavia Praha (eng: HC Slavia Prague) is a Czech professional ice hockey team located in Prague playing in the Czech 1st National Hockey League, the second-highest league in the country. Slavia played in the Czech Extraliga from 1994 until ...
*
2016–17 Motor České Budějovice
Hockey Club Banes Motor České Budějovice is a professional men's ice hockey club based in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
History
Bandy era in České Budějovice
The long history started in 1911, when group of young gymnasium students ...
and
HC Dukla Jihlava
HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...
*
2017–18 Energie Karlovy Vary and
Rytíři Kladno
Rytíři Kladno (') is a Czech Republic, Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga. The team president and owner is Jaromír Jágr, a former National Hockey League, NHL pla ...
*
2018–19 Motor České Budějovice
Hockey Club Banes Motor České Budějovice is a professional men's ice hockey club based in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
History
Bandy era in České Budějovice
The long history started in 1911, when group of young gymnasium students ...
and
Rytíři Kladno
Rytíři Kladno (') is a Czech Republic, Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga. The team president and owner is Jaromír Jágr, a former National Hockey League, NHL pla ...
*
2019–20 Motor České Budějovice
Hockey Club Banes Motor České Budějovice is a professional men's ice hockey club based in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
History
Bandy era in České Budějovice
The long history started in 1911, when group of young gymnasium students ...
*
2020–21 Rytíři Kladno
Rytíři Kladno (') is a Czech Republic, Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga. The team president and owner is Jaromír Jágr, a former National Hockey League, NHL pla ...
*
2021–22 HC Dukla Jihlava
HC Dukla Jihlava, founded in 1956, is an ice hockey team in the Czech Republic. It won the Czechoslovak Extraliga title 12 times: six consecutive championships beginning in 1967, then in 1974, four consecutive championships beginning in 1982, an ...
*
2022–23 PSG Berani Zlín
RI Okna Berani Zlín is an ice hockey team in the Chance Liga. Their home arena is Trinity Bank Arena Luďka Čajky in Zlín (The biggest city in the Zlín Region). They won the Extraliga in 2004 and 2014.
*
2023–24 VHK Vsetín
Valašský hokejový klub Vsetín, also known as Hockey Club Vsetín, is a professional ice hockey team in the Czech 1. liga (second-level league). The team is the most successful team in Czech Republic ice hockey history, winning five straight ...
References
External links
Hokej.czHokej iDNES.cz
{{DEFAULTSORT:1. narodni hokejova liga
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
Professional ice hockey leagues in the Czech Republic
1993 establishments in the Czech Republic
Sports leagues established in 1993