The Karjala Tournament ( fi, Karjala-turnaus), also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
event held in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand
Karjala
Karjala is a Finnish lager type beer manufactured by the Hartwall brewery. Karjala beer was manufactured by the cooperative shop Osuusliike Itä-Karjala owned Sortavalan panimo Oy brewery from 1932 until 1944. Production was resumed in 1948.
...
.
History
The tournament started in 1992 as the Sauna Cup. In 1995, the tournament was played as Christmas Cup at the same time as the
Izvestija Trophy tournament, just before the
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
holiday, causing Russia to send a reserve team to the Christmas Cup.
In 1996, the tournament was moved to early November under the sponsorship of
Karjala
Karjala is a Finnish lager type beer manufactured by the Hartwall brewery. Karjala beer was manufactured by the cooperative shop Osuusliike Itä-Karjala owned Sortavalan panimo Oy brewery from 1932 until 1944. Production was resumed in 1948.
...
under the name Karjala Tournament. It became part of the annual
Euro Hockey Tour
The Euro Hockey Tour (EHT) is an annual ice hockey tournament open to only the national men's teams of Czechia, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. Most of the teams use the competition as a preparation for the upcoming World Championships or Olym ...
(EHT), in which the national teams of
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
and
Sweden compete in a series of tournaments. The event has continued to be held every November, with the exception of 2001 when the tournament was pushed back to April 2002.
Results
Final standings in each event are determined in a
round-robin tournament. If teams are tied in points, the standing is determined by the result of the game between the tied teams.
Medal table
References
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External links
Euro Hockey Tour news at eurohockey.net
{{Euro Hockey Tour
Euro Hockey Tour
International ice hockey competitions hosted by Finland
Ice hockey tournaments in Europe
International sports competitions in Helsinki
Recurring sporting events established in 1992
1992 establishments in Finland
Autumn events in Finland
Ice hockey events