Slovak Extraliga

The Tipos Extraliga (Slovak Extraliga) is the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. From the 2018–19 season to the 2020–21 season, the league included one or two teams from Hungary. In 2009, it was ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe and in 2012, it was ranked by ''The Hockey News'' as the sixth-strongest league in the world behind the NHL, KHL, Swedish Hockey League, SM-liiga and Czech Extraliga. However, it has dropped significantly since then, with the American Hockey League, Swiss National League and German DEL, among others, all now ranked higher.

The name of the league is leased to sponsors and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98, it was called ''Extraliga'', then the name changed to ''West Extraliga'' until the end of the 2000/01 season. In 2001/02, its name was ''Boss Extraliga''. From the 2002/03 season to 2004/05, the name was ''ST Extraliga'' and in 2005/06 to ''T-Com Extraliga''. On 16 January 2007, the name changed to ''Slovnaft Extraliga'' when a general sponsorship agreement with Slovnaft was signed, in 2011/12 it became the Tipsport Extraliga and Slovnaft Play-off, and since the 2015/16 season until the 2019/2020 season it was called the Tipsport liga and Slovnaft Play-off. The current name is Tipos Extraliga.

The Slovak Extraliga is rooted in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. The 1993/94 season was the first for the Slovak Extraliga after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.

Game

Every regular season game is composed of three 20-minute periods, with an intermission of a maximum of 18 minutes between periods. If the game is tied following the 60-minute regulation time, a five-minute three-on-three sudden death overtime period is played. If a game is still tied after the overtime, a shootout decides the winner of the game. In a shootout, the team that scores the most penalty shots out of five attempts wins the game. If a game is still tied after five penalty-shot rounds, the shootout continues round by round, until one team scores while the other team fails to score.

Teams

2021–22 season

Season structure

The Tipos Extraliga season is divided into a regular season from late September through the beginning of March, when teams play against each other in a pre-defined schedule, and playoffs from March to April, which is an elimination tournament at which two teams play against each other to win the best-of-seven series in order to advance to the next round. The winner of playoffs is crowned the Slovak champion, (''Slovenský majster'' in Slovak) and receives the Vladimir Dzurilla Trophy.

Regular season

The regular season is a round-robin, where each team plays 50 games. Three points are awarded for winning in regulation time, two points for winning in overtime or a shootout, one point for losing in overtime or a shootout, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finishes with the most points is crowned the league champion. The six highest-ranked teams by points qualify directly for the playoffs. The four teams ranked 7–10 play a best-of-five series and battle for the two remaining playoffs spots. The lowest ranked team after the regular season plays in a relegation series called Play-Out against the best team from the second-tier league Slovak 1. Liga. The two teams battle to win a best-of-seven series of Play-Out to qualify for the next Tipos Extraliga season. Before the 2018–19 season, the eight highest-ranked teams qualified for the playoffs.

If two or more teams end up tied in points, the seeds are determined by the following tiebreaker format:
#Head-to-head points

Play-In

Starting in the 2018–19 season, the four teams ranked 7–10 in the regular season play a best-of-five series, known as Play-In, and battle for the two remaining playoff spots. The seventh-ranked team faces the tenth-ranked team, and the eighth-ranked team faces the ninth-ranked team. The seventh-ranked team and the eighth-ranked team receive home-ice advantage and play three of the five games at their home venue if it is necessary to determine a winner of the series. The winners of the two best-of-five series take the two remaining playoffs spots.

Playoffs

The Tipos Extraliga playoffs is an elimination tournament, at which two teams battle to win a best-of-seven series in order to advance to the next round. In the first round of the playoffs (quarterfinals), the top seed faces the lowest-ranked winner of the two best-of-three series (eighth seed, ninth seed or tenth seed); the second-ranked seed faces the other winner of the two best-of-five series; the third-ranked seed faces the sixth-ranked seed; and the fourth-ranked seed faces the fifth-ranked team. In the second round (semifinals), the teams are re-seeded, with the top remaining seed playing against the lowest remaining seed, and the other two remaining teams pairing up. In the third round (finals), the two remaining teams face each other.

In each series, the higher-ranked team of the two has home-ice advantage. Four of the seven games are played at this team's home venue – the first and second, and, when necessary, the fifth and seventh games and all the other games are played at the lower-ranked team's home venue.

Play-Out (Relegation)

The lowest ranked team after the regular season plays in a relegation series called Play-Out against the winner of the second-tier league Slovak 1. Liga. The two teams battle to win a best-of-seven series of Play-Out to qualify for the next Tipos Extraliga season.

Names and sponsorship

Previous winners

Previous Slovak Extraliga regular season winners

*1994 – Dukla Trenčín
*1995 – Dukla Trenčín
*1996 – HC Košice
*1997 – Dukla Trenčín
*1998 – Slovan Bratislava
*1999 – Slovan Bratislava
*2000 – Slovan Bratislava
*2001 – HKm Zvolen
*2002 – HKm Zvolen
*2003 – Slovan Bratislava
*2004 – Dukla Trenčín
*2005 – HKm Zvolen
*2006 – HK Nitra
*2007 – HC Košice
*2008 – Slovan Bratislava
*2009 – HC Košice
*2010 – Slovan Bratislava
*2011 – HC Košice
*2012 – HC Košice
*2013 – HKM Zvolen
*2014 – HC Košice
*2015 – HC Košice
*2016 – HC Košice
*2017 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2018 – HK Nitra
*2019 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2020 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2021 – HKM Zvolen
*2022 – Slovan Bratislava

Previous Slovak Extraliga playoffs winners (Slovak Champions)

*1994 – Dukla Trenčín
*1995 – HC Košice
*1996 – HC Košice
*1997 – Dukla Trenčín
*1998 – Slovan Bratislava
*1999 – HC Košice
*2000 – Slovan Bratislava
*2001 – HKm Zvolen
*2002 – Slovan Bratislava
*2003 – Slovan Bratislava
*2004 – Dukla Trenčín
*2005 – Slovan Bratislava
*2006 – MsHK Žilina
*2007 – Slovan Bratislava
*2008 – Slovan Bratislava
*2009 – HC Košice
*2010 – HC Košice
*2011 – HC Košice
*2012 – Slovan Bratislava
*2013 – HKM Zvolen
*2014 – HC Košice
*2015 – HC Košice
*2016 – HK Nitra
*2017 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2018 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2019 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
*2020 – ''Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia''
*2021 – HKM Zvolen
*2022 – Slovan Bratislava

Video games

Teams from the league are playable in the video games EA Sports' NHL series only in NHL 2009.

See also

* Czech Extraliga
* Czechoslovak Extraliga
* List of Slovak ice hockey champions

References

External links

Official website
– Tipsport liga
SZĽH
– Slovak Ice-Hockey Federation

{{Ice hockey in Slovakia

Sports leagues established in 1993
1993 establishments in Slovakia
Professional ice hockey leagues in Slovakia
Professional ice hockey leagues in Hungary
Multi-national ice hockey leagues in Europe
Multi-national professional sports leagues
Top tier ice hockey leagues in Europe