About what is the playoffs in hockey

The regulation of hockey competitions has someFeatures that were 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 a proven experience of holding large tournament competitions for many years.

How the hockey tournament is organized in the KHL

In order to answer the question "What isplay-offs in hockey? ", it is necessary to understand the system by which the competitions for the KHL championship are held each year.The annual drawing of the Continental Hockey League championship consists of two parts: The game calendar is drawn up so that all teams entering the league have the opportunity meet each other in the 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. 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 championship, a standings table is compiled and then the answer to the question about what a play-off in hockey is becoming urgent.If it's very short, then this is the second, the final part of the championship KHL.

From the rules of the game in hockey - playoff games

Let's take a closer look at the specifics of the regulationsthe 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 they reachfour victories of one of them. In the next stage, the semi-finals, only the winners come out. There are only four of them. This principle is the answer to the question "What is the playoffs in hockey?". Next are 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 gamesthe playoffs exclude such an element of hockey, as bullets. As a regular part of the championship of throwing the ball to overcome the opponent a draw, when you do not manage to find out the relationship in the primary and secondary of the match. And in a playoff game continues until the winning goal of the teams, no matter how many extra periods of so-called "overtime", for it neither needed. 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 tohockey 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: "Big Hockey, KHL, playoffs ...". But in hockey in Soviet times, played for decades, and somehow managed to do without the American word "playoffs." Some even now doubt on 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 expediency of such competitions can be given unequivocally positive.