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The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) is a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom. Initial sponsorship was from Rapid Solicitors. The league currently consists of ten teams, with representation from all four Home Nations – the only league in any sport to do so. In eight completed seasons the league has been won by four different teams. From the 2012–13 Season onwards the league features a northern conference (Gardiner Conference, named after Scottish-born former NHL goalie Charlie Gardiner〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Erhardt and Gardiner )〕) featuring Braehead (SCO), Dundee (SCO), Edinburgh (SCO), Fife (SCO) and Manchester Storm (ENG) and a Southern conference (Erhardt Conference, named after 1936 English Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist Carl Erhardt〔) featuring Belfast (NIR), Cardiff (WAL), Coventry (ENG), Nottingham (ENG) and Sheffield (ENG). Since 2012, the ten teams are split into two conferences, Gardiner and Erhardt – while previously all 10 teams competed in a single division, similar to most British sports. The top eight teams in the overall league standings qualify for the Elite League playoffs. The Elite League post-season is considerably shorter than playoff tournaments in North America; in the first round teams play a two-leg game (one home, one away) and the semi-finals and final take place over the course of a single weekend at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. ==Overview== Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other teams in the league. Teams play each team in their conference 4 times at home and 4 times away from home, and each team in the other conference twice at home and twice away. Two points are awarded for a win and one for an overtime or penalty shootout defeat. Overtime consists of five minutes of four-on-four hockey and ends immediately if a goal is scored. The team that has most points after all fixtures are completed is declared champion. After the regular season is complete, the teams with the best regular season records enter the playoffs, the winner of which receives the British Championship. The number of teams competing in the playoffs has varied, the first two seasons saw six teams qualify, while the demise of the London Racers in November 2005 saw all eight teams qualify. Prior to the 2006–07 season, the teams were divided into two groups, with the members of each group playing on a round-robin basis. The top two teams in each group qualify for the semi-finals, which are straight knockout matches. However, since the 2006–07 season, the top eight teams of the regular season have qualified for the quarter-finals with the team finishing first playing the eighth-placed team, second vs seventh, third vs sixth and fourth vs fifth, with all ties being played on a two-legged, home and away game basis with the four winners qualifying for the semi-finals. Both the semi-finals and the final take place over a single weekend in April at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. Some Elite League games may also count as Challenge Cup games and points count for both. The Challenge Cup has taken a number of different formats, ranging from a table formed from the results of designated league fixtures to four team groups played on a round-robin basis at the beginning of the season. The semi finals and final are two-legged games, the winner being the team with the highest aggregate score at the end of the second game. The Knockout Cup was created in 2005 after the London Racers withdrew from the league. The Cup is a knockout tournament in which teams are randomly drawn to face one another in two-legged games, with aggregate scoreline determining the winner of each tie. The Elite League is governed by a board of twelve directors: the owners of the ten participating teams, plus the owners of the London Racers and Milton Keynes Lightning, who maintain the right to join the league without making an application. The day-to-day operation of the league is overseen by chairman Eamon Convery and Director of Hockey Andy French. Disciplinary matters are handled by Director of Discipline and former referee Simon Kirkham. The level below the Elite League is the English Premier Ice Hockey League. A system of promotion and relegation is not operated by the Elite League; teams enter the league on the basis of a decision by the board of directors. In 2006 the Hull Stingrays, the club which finished eighth in the EPIHL during the 2005–06 season, were elected into the Elite League. At the end of the 2008–09 season, two teams, the Basingstoke Bison and Manchester Phoenix, withdrew from the EIHL largely due to financial difficulties. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Elite Ice Hockey League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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