About what is the playoffs in hockey

The rules of hockey competitions have some features that have formed in the homeland of the popular game. What is the playoffs in hockey, do not explain to the people of Canada and the United States, there it is known to everyone. And when the Continental Hockey League was established by this sports organization, the main organizational principles of the NHL were adopted - as the experience of holding large tournament competitions, which has been proven over many years of practice.

How the hockey tournament is organized in the KHL

In order to answer the question "What is the playoffs in hockey?", It is necessary to understand the system according to which the competitions for the champion title of the KHL are held every year. The annual drawing of the championship of the Continental Hockey League consists of two parts. The calendar of games is made in such a way that all teams entering the league have the opportunity to meet with each other in their field and on the opponent's field. This is the first part of the championship - the regular championship of the hockey league. In the first years after the creation of the hockey organization, all teams had the opportunity to clarify the relationship between themselves. Then the number of them increased, and the Continental Hockey League had to be divided into two conferences - Western and Eastern. According to the results of the regular season, a standings table is drawn up. And then the answer to the question about what a play-off in hockey is becoming urgent. In short, this is the second and final part of the KHL championship.

From the rules of the game of hockey - playoff games

Let's take a closer look at the rules of the second part of the hockey championship. In the playoffs go only those teams that took the first sixteen places in the standings, eight in each of the two conferences. These teams are divided into pairs and continue to clarify the relationship between themselves. Games are held separately in Western and Eastern conferences. The team that took the first place, meets with the eighth in the table, the second - with the seventh, the third - with the sixth, the fourth - with the fifth. This is the first stage - the quarter finals.

Teams meet each other until the achievement of four victories of one of them. In the next stage, the semi-finals, only winners come out. There are only four of them. This principle is the answer to the question "What is the playoffs in hockey?". Then follow the finals of the conferences and the super-final, a series of games between the strongest teams of the West and the East. The winner will be only one.

Features of games in the playoffs

To achieve clean results in the playoff games, an element of hockey such as bullets is excluded. In the regular part of the championship they are thrown at the opponent's goal to overcome a draw result, when it is not possible to find out the relationship to the main and extra time of the match. And in the playoffs the game continues to the winning goal of one of the teams, no matter how many additional periods, the so-called "overtime", it was not required for this. Often the game takes a protracted character and lasts a very long time. This is due to the fact that everyone is afraid to make a mistake and give the enemy a chance.

Is this principle justified?

During the playoff matches, attention to hockey sharply increases. The result starts to interest everyone, even people who are indifferent to big sport. Both news releases and pages of newspapers start to be full of headlines: "Great hockey, KHL, playoffs ...". But in hockey in Soviet times, played for dozens of years, and somehow managed to do without the American word "playoffs." Some even now doubt the account of whether it was necessary to adopt this principle of the game from the NHL. But the games for relegation, or playoffs, give hockey a special dynamism, sharpness and entertainment. And only therefore the answer to the question of the appropriateness of such competitions can be given unequivocally positive.