Metal Ligaen

The Superisligaen, known as the Metal Ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level ice hockey league in Denmark. The league consists of 9 professional teams.

Metal Ligaen
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2023–24 Metal Ligaen season
SportIce hockey
Founded1954 (1954)
No. of teams9
CountryDenmark
Most recent
champion(s)		Aalborg Pirates (3)
Most titlesHerning (16)
TV partner(s)TV2 Sport
Related
competitions		Danish Division 1
Danish Cup
Official websitemetalligaen.dk

Teams from the Superisligaen can participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League). Going into the 2022–23 CHL season, the Superisligaen was ranked the No. 13 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top team to compete in the CHL.

History

The Danish Ice hockey league has become a springboard for foreign players and a place to start their European careers, before traveling to other bigger leagues such as the Swedish Hockey League or DEL. The teams rely mostly on foreign talent, but there are still a lot of skilled professional Danish players. Mostly the older Danish players are full-time professional. Most younger players are semi-professional because of the tight economy in Danish hockey, and most of the money is spent on more talented foreign players.

In the past, the league has consisted of as many as 10 teams. Despite the introduction of a salary cap as well as a limit to the number of import players allowed, several teams have struggled financially in recent years. As a result, the Herlev Hornets and the Rungsted Cobras have withdrawn from the league, reducing the number of active teams from 10 to 8. Teams from the second-tier league were offered the empty spots, but no team were able to accept the offer, citing financial issues as their main concern.

On 9 January 2015 TV2 Sport debuted as a new sports channel on Danish TV. Same day, HockeyNight also aired for the first time, with a match between Odense Bulldogs and Rungsted. Since 2015 TV2 Sport has been the place to watch icehockey and other sports.

On 18 June 2016, it was made clear that the foreign player limit of 8 was against EU law and was therefore removed. The 2016–17 season was the first time, since 2009, that a Danish ice hockey team could have an unlimited number of foreign players.[1] The salary cap was created in order to regulate the league, and was 6 million DKK for the 2016–17 season .[2]

On June 3, 2017, Metal Ligaen was expanded once again, to an historic number of 11 teams. Hvidovre Fighters, who had previously left the league in 2013 because of bankruptcy, got their submitted papers approved, making them the 11th team of the 2017/18 season.[3]

League format

The league consists of 9 teams. The latest expansion was in 2014, when Gentofte Stars joined the league after being relegated in 1999. The league format has changed many times. The current structure was implemented in the 2011–12 season. Often it is changed depending on how many teams are represented in the league. There has never been more than 10 teams in the Danish ice hockey league, making it a fairly small league compared to other leagues in Europe.

The Danish hockey league is structured so that the teams meet 5 times, making the seasons after 2014 45 games long. The season typically starts in September and ends in February. The top 8 teams of the regular season make the playoffs. First place gets to pick who they want to play in the quarterfinals. second place picks next and so on. The Metal Ligaen playoffs consists of 3 rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals. The winner will raise The Prince Henrik's Cup.

As of the 2017/18 Metal Ligaen expansion, the Metal Ligaen regular season was extended from 45 games to a historic 50 games. The playoff format was also changed, where previously the top 8 teams made the playoffs. Now the top 6 teams advanced directly to the Quarterfinals and teams ranking from 7 to 10 play for the last two wildcard spots.[4]

Metal Cup

The Metal Cup is a tournament held every year. It consists of 12 teams, where all Metal Ligaen teams are represented. Two teams from the 1.division are also represented. The top 4 teams the year before will go straight to the quarterfinals. The 8 other teams will by draw be divided into 4 groups each one of them with a letter from A to D. 4 teams will advance on from first round to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals the last seasons champs will play the winner of group A, second-place winner of group B and so on. Games in the quarterfinals and semifinals consists of two games. The winner of the tournament will receive the Metal Cup.

In 2017, the Metal Cup format was changed. Because of Hvidovre Fighters joining the league, the format would now only consist of teams from the Metal Ligaen and, instead of a playout format, the top 4 teams after 20 regular season games would be invited to a final four tournament.

Names and sponsorship

The Danish Ice Hockey Union officially recognizes the league as the Superisligaen.[5] Through the years, the naming rights of the league has been leased to a series of sponsors, resulting in numerous name changes.

Period Name Sponsor
1960–1998 Superisligaen none
1998–2001 Codan Ligaen Codan A/S
1998–2002 Sanistål Ligaen Sanistål A/S
2002–2004 SuperBest Ligaen SuperBest
2004–2007 Oddset Ligaen Danske Spil
2007–2013 AL-Bank Ligaen Arbejdernes Landsbank
2013–2014
(half-season)		 Superisligaen none
2014– Metal Ligaen Danish Union of Metalworkers

Teams
Teams currently in the Metal Ligaen.
Team City Founded Arena Capacity Opened
Aalborg Pirates [6] Aalborg 1967 Bentax Isarena 5000 2007
Esbjerg Energy [7] Esbjerg 1964 Granly Hockey Arena 4200 1976
Frederikshavn White Hawks [8] Frederikshavn 1964 Nordjyske Bank Arena 4000 2015
Herning Blue Fox [9] Herning 1947 KVIK Hockey Arena 4100 1988
Herlev Eagles [10] Herlev 1968 PM Montage Arena 1740 1977
Odense Bulldogs [11] Odense 1978 Spar Nord Arena 3280 1999
Rungsted Seier Capital [12] Rungsted 1941 Bitcoin Arena 2460 1971
Rødovre Mighty Bulls [13] Rødovre 1964 Rødovre Centrum Arena 3600 1995
SønderjyskE Ishockey [14] Vojens 1963 Frøs Arena 5000 2011

Notable players

List of notable players who have played in the Danish ice hockey league.

Danish Champions
Season Winner Finalist Bronze Cup Champion
1954–55 Rungsted IK KSF København Silkeborg not yet played
1955–56 KSF København Rungsted IK not played not yet played
1956–57 not played not played not played not yet played
1957–58 not played not played not played not yet played
1958–59 not played not played not played not yet played
1959–60 KSF København Rungsted IK Silkeborg not yet played
1960–61 KSF København Rungsted IK Esbjerg IK not yet played
1961–62 KSF København Rungsted IK not played not yet played
1962–63 Rungsted IK Esbjerg IK KSF København not yet played
1963–64 KSF København Rungsted IK Esbjerg IK not yet played
1964–65 KSF København Esbjerg IK Gladsaxe SF not yet played
1965–66 KSF København Gladsaxe SF Esbjerg IK not yet played
1966–67 Gladsaxe SF KSF København Esbjerg IK not yet played
1967–68 Gladsaxe SF Esbjerg IK Rungsted IK not yet played
1968–69 Esbjerg IK Gladsaxe SF Vojens IK not yet played
1969–70 KSF København Gladsaxe SF Esbjerg IK not yet played
1970–71 Gladsaxe SF Rungsted IK Esbjerg IK and Vojens IK not yet played
1971–72 KSF København Esbjerg IK Gladsaxe SF not yet played
1972–73 Herning IK KSF København Esbjerg IK not yet played
1973–74 Gladsaxe SF no playoff no playoff not yet played
1974–75 Gladsaxe SF no playoff no playoff not yet played
1975–76 KSF København no playoff no playoff not yet played
1976–77 Herning IK no playoff no playoff not yet played
1977–78 Rødovre SIK KSF København Vojens IK not yet played
1978–79 Vojens IK Rødovre SIK Aalborg IK not yet played
1979–80 Vojens IK Rungsted IK Aalborg IK not yet played
1980–81 Aalborg IK Rødovre SIK Herning IK not yet played
1981–82 Vojens IK Rødovre SIK Aalborg IK not yet played
1982–83 Rødovre SIK Aalborg IK Herlev IK not yet played
1983–84 Herlev IK Aalborg IK Rungsted IK not yet played
1984–85 Rødovre SIK no playoff no playoff not yet played
1985–86 Rødovre SIK no playoff no playoff not yet played
1986–87 Herning IK no playoff no playoff not yet played
1987–88 Esbjerg IK no playoff no playoff not yet played
1988–89 Frederikshavn IK Aalborg IK Herning IK Esbjerg IK
1989–90 Rødovre SIK Herning IK Frederikshavn IK not played
1990–91 Herning IK Rødovre SIK Aalborg IK Esbjerg IK
1991–92 Herning IK Esbjerg IK Rødovre SIK Esbjerg IK
1992–93 Esbjerg IK Herning IK Rødovre SIK Esbjerg IK
1993–94 Herning IK Esbjerg IK Aalborg IK Herning IK
1994–95 Herning IK Esbjerg IK Rungsted IK not played
1995–96 Esbjerg IK Rungsted IK Herning IK Herning IK
1996–97 Herning IK Esbjerg IK Rungsted IK not played
1997–98 Herning Blue Fox Rungsted IK Frederikshavn White Hawks Herning Blue Fox
1998–99 Rødovre Mighty Bulls Frederikshavn White Hawks Esbjerg IK Frederikshavn IK
1999–2000 Frederikshavn White Hawks Herning Blue Fox Esbjerg IK Rungsted Cobras
2000–01 Herning Blue Fox Esbjerg IK Rødovre Mighty Bulls not played
2001–02 Rungsted Cobras Odense IK Herning Blue Fox Frederikshavn IK
2002–03 Herning Blue Fox Odense IK Rungsted Cobras Odense IK
2003–04 Esbjerg Oilers Aab Ishockey Odense IK Rungsted Cobras
2004–05 Herning Blue Fox Aab Ishockey Frederikshavn White Hawks Nordsjælland Cobras
2005–06 SønderjyskE Ishockey Aab Ishockey Herning Blue Fox Odense Bulldogs
2006–07 Herning Blue Fox Aab Ishockey SønderjyskE Ishockey AaB Ishockey
2007–08 Herning Blue Fox Frederikshavn White Hawks SønderjyskE Ishockey Rødovre Mighty Bulls
2008–09 SønderjyskE Ishockey Herning Blue Fox Rødovre Mighty Bulls Odense Bulldogs
2009–10 SønderjyskE Ishockey Aab Ishockey Frederikshavn White Hawks SønderjyskE Ishockey
2010–11 Herning Blue Fox Frederikshavn White Hawks SønderjyskE Ishockey SønderjyskE Ishockey
2011–12 Herning Blue Fox Odense Bulldogs SønderjyskE Ishockey Herning Blue Fox
2012–13 SønderjyskE Ishockey Frederikshavn White Hawks Rødovre Mighty Bulls SønderjyskE Ishockey
2013–14 SønderjyskE Ishockey Herning Blue Fox Frederikshavn White Hawks Herning Blue Fox
2014–15 SønderjyskE Ishockey Esbjerg Energy Frederikshavn White Hawks Herning Blue Fox
2015–16 Esbjerg Energy Herning Blue Fox Frederikshavn White Hawks Odense Bulldogs
2016–17 Esbjerg Energy Gentofte Stars Frederikshavn White Hawks Rungsted Seier Capital
2017–18 Aalborg Pirates Herning Blue Fox Rungsted Seier Capital Aalborg Pirates
2018–19 Rungsted Seier Capital SønderjyskE Ishockey Frederikshavn White Hawks Rungsted Seier Capital
2019–20 Cancelled due to Covid19 Cancelled due to Covid19 Cancelled due to Covid19 Frederikshavn White Hawks
2020–21 Rungsted Seier Capital Aalborg Pirates Esbjerg Energy SønderjyskE Ishockey
2021–22 Aalborg Pirates Rungsted Seier Capital Odense Bulldogs Aalborg Pirates
2022–23 Aalborg Pirates Herning Blue Fox Herlev Eagles Herning Blue Fox

By club
Club Winners Winning Years
Herning Blue Fox (earlier known as Herning IK)
16
 1973, 1977, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
KSF København
10
 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1976
SønderjyskE Ishockey (earlier known as Vojens IK)
9
 1979, 1980, 1982, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015
Esbjerg Energy (earlier known as Esbjerg Oilers and Esbjerg IK)
7
 1969, 1988, 1993, 1996, 2004, 2016, 2017
Rødovre Mighty Bulls (earlier known as Rødovre SIK)
6
 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1999
Gladsaxe SF
5
 1967, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1975
Rungsted Seier Capital (earlier known as Rungsted IK and Rungsted Cobras)
5
 1955, 1963, 2002, 2019, 2021
Aalborg Pirates (earlier known as AAB Ishockey, Aalborg IK and AaB Ishockey)
4
 1981, 2018, 2022, 2023
Frederikshavn White Hawks (earlier known as Frederikshavn IK)
2
 1989, 2000
Herlev Hornets (earlier known as Herlev IK)
1
 1984

References
  1. "Farvel til udlændingeloftet i dansk ishockey – Faceoff.dk". www.faceoff.dk. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  2. "Liga-klubber får tildelt egenkapital frem til 2019 – lønloft stadig seks millioner – Faceoff.dk". www.faceoff.dk. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  3. "PM: Hvidovre godkendt! Metal Ligaen udvides fra 10 til 11 hold". Danmarks Ishockey Union (in Danish). Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  4. "PM: Hvidovre godkendt! Metal Ligaen udvides fra 10 til 11 hold". Danmarks Ishockey Union (in Danish). Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  5. Licensudvalgets bestemmelser | Uddrag af DIUs love og turneringsbestemmelser [Licensing Committee regulations | Extract from DIU's laws and tournament regulations] (PDF) (Report) (in Danish). Danish Ice Hockey Union. 2023-02-01. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2023-02-01. Foreninger, som er sportsligt kvalificeret til at deltage i Superisligaen... skal søge om ligalicens for næste sæson inden hvert års 1. april. [Associations that are sportingly qualified to participate in the Superisligaen... must apply for a league license for the next season before April 1 each year.]
  6. "Aalborg Pirates". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  7. "Esbjerg Energy". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  8. "Frederikshavn White Hawks". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  9. "Blue Fox Herning". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  10. "Herlev Eagles". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  11. "Bulldogs Odense". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  12. "Rungsted Seier Capital". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  13. "Rødovre Mighty Bulls". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  14. "SønderjyskE". al-bankligaen.dk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
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