The DEL Finals, held in late April or early May, is a best-of-seven games format, similarly to the NHL where the top seed remaining holds home-field advantage in a Game 7 scenario.įor the 2021–22 season and 2020–21 season, a shortened version of the DEL playoffs was used in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The seedings are re-calculated after each round in a straight knockout system. The top 6 teams receive a bye to the quarter-finals while the teams ranked 7–10 compete in the pre-playoff (wildcard) round.

Each team plays 52 regular-season games to determine the regular-season champions before the top 10 teams are seeded and qualify for the playoffs. The DEL Playoffs determine the season champions in a similar format to the NHL. Löwen Frankfurt (Frankfurt Lions) will be promoted as DEL2 champions for the 2022–23 season. Following the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, Bietigheim retained their place in the top flight while Krefeld Pinguine were relegated after finishing bottom of the table. SC Bietigheim Steelers joined the DEL for the 2021-22 DEL season as DEL2 champions ahead of the first promotion/relegation to DEL2. Ice hockey is growing as a sport in Germany and is seen as a popular alternative to football or handball, building upon the Olympic success in 2018.Ī new system of promotion and relegation with the DEL2 began with the 2021–22 season, in which the last-placed DEL club will be replaced by the DEL2 champions. EHC Red Bull München followed this up by reaching the semi-finals in the 2021-22 Champions Hockey League. Many of the German national team that took silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang played in the DEL, while EHC Red Bull München became the first German team to reach the Champions Hockey League final in 2019, losing to the Swedish team Frölunda HC. The DEL is known for its game-day atmosphere, as well as producing NHL talents including Dominik Kahun, Tim Stutzle and Lukas Reichel. Following a 2021 postponement due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the DEL Winter Game is set to return in December 2022 with Cologne hosting Mannheim in the RheinEnergieStadion. The DEL Winter Game traditionally takes place every two years four editions have been played since 2013, including games in Cologne and at the home of TSG Hoffenheim, with each attracting over 30,000 spectators. In the DEL Winter Game, similar to the NHL Winter Classic where matches are played in larger outdoor venues, Cologne and Düsseldorf have played in front of crowds in excess of 40,000, notably in 2019 as Düsseldorf won in overtime in rival Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion. Despite attracting some of the biggest crowds in the DEL, and hosting NHL teams in preseason games, Kölner Haie have not won a championship since 2002. Adler Mannheim (Mannheim Eagles) also regularly attract over 12,000 fans per home game with each of their home games in the 2019 DEL Playoffs, including all three games in the final series against EHC Red Bull München, selling out. Kölner Haie (English: Cologne Sharks), Düsseldorfer EG, and Eisbären Berlin (Berlin Polar Bears) all regularly attract over 15,000 fans for home games. in Bietigheim, Schwenningen, and Straubing). in Berlin, Mannheim, Cologne, and Düsseldorf) and older, smaller venues (e.g. Fifteen different teams comprise the league, playing their home games in a diverse mix of venues, including a few large, modern arenas (e.g. In the 2016–17 season, the league was the second-best supported ice hockey league in Europe, behind the Swiss National League A, with an average attendance of 6,198 spectators per game. 3 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top four teams to compete in the CHL. Going into the 2022–23 CHL season, the DEL was ranked the No.

Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League). Teams from the DEL participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy.

Unlike the old Bundesliga, the DEL is not under the administration of the German Ice Hockey Federation. Founded in 1994, it was formed as a replacement for the Eishockey-Bundesliga and became the new top-tier league in Germany as a result. The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga) ( German pronunciation: English: German Ice Hockey League) or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey.

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