Kontinental Hockey League

Current season or competition: 2012–13 KHL season
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Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2008
Commissioner	Alexander Medvedev
Motto	Хоккей – наша игра! Khokkei - nasha igra! (Hockey is our game!)[1]
No. of teams	26
Country(ies)	Russia (20 teams)  Belarus (1 team)  Kazakhstan (1 team)  Latvia (1 team)  Ukraine (1 team)  Czech Republic (1 team)  Slovakia (1 team)
Most recent champion(s)	Dynamo Moscow (1st title)
Most titles	Ak Bars Kazan (2)
TV partner(s)	KHL-TV (Russia (as part of the NTV Plus package), USA and Canada (part of ViaNetTV),[2] Latvia and international through KHL's website) Russia 2 (Russia)[3] Viasat (Finland, Sweden,[3] Norway, Denmark, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)[4] LTV7 (Latvia) Nova Sport (Czech Republic, Slovakia)[5] Sportdigital.tv (Germany)
Related competitions	Russian Championship Major Hockey League (VHL) Minor Hockey League (MHL)
Official website	KHL.ru (English)

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) (Russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига, Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. It is commonly considered to be the strongest hockey league in Europe, and the second-best in the world.^[6]

The league was formed in 2008, from a predecessor organization, the Russian Superleague (RSL). The RSL, in turn, was a successor to the Soviet Championship League, which was founded in 1946 with only five teams. The KHL began its operations with 24 teams. After minor changes in the composition of the Russian teams and even a reduction to 23 teams for two seasons, the league is expected to expand to 26 teams for the 2012–13 season: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will return after missing last season due to the air disaster in 2011, Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia and HC Donbass from Donetsk, Ukraine are set to join the league, while Lev Poprad will be replaced by HC Lev, a team with the same name, but based in Prague, Czech Republic. Thus, the league will for the first time consist of 26 teams, of which 20 are based in Russia and 6 more are located in Belarus, Czech Republic, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Ukraine.

The winner of the 16-team playoff after the end of the regular season is awarded the Gagarin Cup, named after the first man to reach space and orbit the Earth, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The title of Champion of Russia is given to the highest ranked Russian team.^[7]

Russians constitute a large majority of the players in the KHL because of its origins as the Soviet and Russian national league. Players not from Russia represent a minority of 33% of the KHL players, and are mostly Eastern European (17.0%), Scandinavian (7.7%), and North American (4.6%). In 2011–12, there were 701 players in the league.

Despite the word "Continental" traditionally being spelled with a C and not a K in the English language, the KHL transliterates the word with a K to distinguish it from numerous leagues that are abbreviated as CHL, such as the Canadian Hockey League and the Central Hockey League, and so that its abbreviation can look similar in both the Cyrillic and Roman alphabets.

Players[link]

Though now not as restrictive in maintaining an exclusively Russian composition of players and teams, Russian teams are still not allowed to sign more than five foreign players, while non-Russian teams must have at least 5 players from their respective country. Foreign goaltenders in Russian teams have a limit regarding total seasonal ice time.^[8]

Prior to the inaugural season, several KHL teams signed several players from the NHL.^[9] A dispute between the two leagues over some of these signings was supposed to have been resolved by an agreement signed on July 10, 2008, whereby each league would honor the contracts of the other, but the signing of Alexander Radulov was made public one day after the agreement (though it was actually signed two days prior to the agreement taking effect),^[10] leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.^[11] On October 4, 2010, the conflict between the leagues was settled when both signed a new agreement to honor one another's contracts.^[12]

KHL players are represented by the Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union.^[13]

Notable active players[link]

The top four point scoring players in the 2010–11 season were Alexander Radulov (80 pts), Patrick Thoresen (65 pts), Roman Červenka and Sergei Mozyakin (61 pts each). The top goal scorers were Roman Červenka with 31, followed by Patrick Thoresen (29), Sergei Mozyakin (27), Ryan Vesce (25) and Igor Grigorenko with 24. The top plus-minus rating went to Alexei Morozov who was a +27. The top goaltenders (by wins) were Karri Rämö (33), Petri Vehanen (25), Dimitri Kotschnew (24), Dominik Hašek (23) and Bernd Brückler (22).

Nationalities of players[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011)

In the current season, players representing 14 nations have played at least one game in the KHL.^[14][15] A player's nationality is for various reason sometimes ambiguous. For the table presented below, the nationality "is determined based on the last country that the player represented in international competition. If a player has never played for a national team, usually the country of birth is chosen as the player nationality, unless there is strong evidence indicating otherwise."^[16] For players born in former Soviet republics, the situation is often more complex. Therefore, a list of players born in Ukraine gives case-by-case details for some of those players.

Country	Players active (2011–12)
Russia (20 teams)	467
Czech Republic (1 team)	40
Finland	33
Latvia (1 team)	27a
Slovakia (1 team)	26
Canada	26
Kazakhstan (1 team)	26
Belarus (1 team)	22
Sweden	20
United States	6
Ukraine (1 team)	4b
Germany	2
Norway	1
Austria	1
TOTAL	701

a - For further information, see: List of Latvians in the KHL

b - For further information, see: List of Ukrainians in the KHL

Season structure[link]

The league is divided into two conferences, East and West, and further into 4 divisions of 6 teams each (except the Tarasov division with currently only 5 teams). During the regular season, each team plays 54 games: four games against each of the teams in their own division (for a total of 20 games) and two games against each of the other teams (for a total of 34 games). Teams of the Tarasov division play two extra games each among each other to also reach the total of 54 games.

The eight top-ranked teams in each conference receive playoff berths. Within each conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are played before the conference winners play against each other for the Gagarin Cup. The division winners are seeded first and second in their conference, based on their regular season record. All playoff rounds are played as best-of-seven series.^[17] In each round, the top seeded remaining team is paired with the lowest seeded team etc. This playoff structure is very similar to the current format of the NHL playoffs. In the playoffs, overtime periods last 20 minutes (or until a goal is scored). The number of overtime periods is not limited.

This playoff format does not allow the strongest teams to take the topmost positions in the KHL final standings when these teams are from the same conference. This is because the format makes the conferences equally represented in top two, four, eight and sixteen spots of the final standings, regardless of the relative strength of the conferences.^[17]

Higher rank within the entire league after the regular stage of the championship does not give home ice advantage for a Gagarin Cup finalist, when the team have lower seed within their conference, than their opponent from the other conference.^[17]

Teams in 2012–13[link]

Nizhny Novgorod

Yaroslavl

Cherepovets

Mytishchi

Chekhov

Minsk

Moscow (3 teams)

Saint Petersburg

Riga

Prague

Donetsk

Bratislava

Western conference teams (Divisions: : Bobrov, : Tarasov)

Astana

Khabarovsk

Novokuznetsk

Novosibirsk

Omsk

Ufa

Kazan

Magnitogorsk

Chelyabinsk

Khanty‑Mansiysk

Nizhnekamsk

Yekaterinburg

Eastern conference teams (Divisions: :Kharlamov, : Chernyshev)

Division	Team	City/Area	Arena	Capacity	Founded	Joined[1]	Team Captain
Eastern Conference
Chernyshev	Barys	Astana	Alatau Sports Palace	5,532	1999	2008	Kevin Dallman
	Amur	Khabarovsk	Platinum Arena	7,100	1966	2006	Alexander Krysanov
	Metallurg	Novokuznetsk	Kuznetsk Metallurgists Sports Palace	8,040	1949	1992	Sergei Brylin
	Sibir	Novosibirsk	Ice Sports Palace Sibir	7,400	1962	2002	Jonas Enlund
	Avangard Omsk Oblast	Omsk	Omsk Arena	10,318	1950	1991	Alexei Kalyuzhny
	Salavat Yulaev	Ufa	Ufa Arena	8,400	1957	1992	Viktor Kozlov
Kharlamov	Traktor	Chelyabinsk	Traktor Sport Palace	7,500	1947	2006	Vladimir Antipov
	Ak Bars	Kazan	TatNeft Arena	10,000	1956	1992	Aleksey Morozov
	Yugra	Khanty-Mansiysk	Arena Ugra	5,500	2006	2010	Evgeny Blokhin
	Metallurg	Magnitogorsk	Magnitogorsk Arena	7,700	1950	1990	Sergei Fedorov
	Neftekhimik	Nizhnekamsk	SCC Arena	5,500	1968	1995	Maxim Pestushko
	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg	Yekaterinburg	KRK Uralets	5,500	2006	2009	Andrei Subbotin
Western Conference
Tarasov	Vityaz	Chekhov	Ice Hockey Center 2004	3,300	1998*	2005	Alexander Sazonov
	Severstal	Cherepovets	Ice Palace	6,000	1956	1989	Evgeny Ketov
	Dinamo-Minsk	Minsk	Minsk-Arena	15,000	2004	2008	Jaroslav Obšut
	Atlant Moscow Oblast	Mytishchi	Mytishchi Arena	7,000	1953*		Dmitry Upper
	Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod	Nizhny Novgorod	Trade Union Sport Palace	5,500	1947	2007	Evgeny Varlamov
	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl [1]	Yaroslavl	Arena 2000	9,000	1949	1987
Bobrov	CSKA	Moscow	CSKA Ice Palace	5,600	1946		Nikolai Pronin
	Dynamo Moscow	Moscow	Luzhniki Minor Arena	8,700	1946		Alexei Kudashov
	Spartak Moscow	Moscow	LDS Sokolniki	5,000	1946	2007	Denis Makarov
	Lev	Poprad	Tatravagónka Arena	5,000	2010	2011	Lubos Bartecko
	Dinamo Riga	Riga	Arena Riga	10,300	2008		Sandis Ozoliņš
	SKA	Saint Petersburg	Ice Palace	12,300	1946	1992	Vitaly Vishnevski

• Kontinental Hockey League on Google maps

An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise relocation. See the respective team articles for more information.

^ 1. Due to the plane crash that killed the majority of the team, Lokomotiv will play the 2011–12 season in the VHL, though still has a franchise spot in the KHL.^[18]

History[link]

Seasons overview[link]

Season	Gagarin Cup Winner	Gagarin Cup finalist	Continental Cup Winner	Top scorer
2008–09	Ak Bars Kazan	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	Salavat Yulaev Ufa* (129 points)	Sergei Mozyakin (76 points: 34 G, 42 A)
2009–10	Ak Bars Kazan	HC MVD	Salavat Yulaev Ufa (129 points)	Sergei Mozyakin (66 points: 27 G, 39 A)
2010–11	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	Atlant Moscow Oblast	Avangard Omsk (118 points)	Alexander Radulov (80 points: 20 G, 60 A)
2011–12	Dynamo Moscow	Avangard Omsk	Traktor Chelyabinsk (114 points)	Alexander Radulov (63 points: 25 G, 38 A)

*: In the first season, Salavat Yulaev Ufa was the winner of the regular season, but the Continental Cup was not yet awarded.

Foundation (2008)[link]

The KHL was founded in 2008 with 24 teams, the 20 teams from the last season of the Russian Superleague as well as the champion of the 2007–08 season of the second division. In addition, one team each from Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan were included. The teams were divided into 4 divisions, based on the performance in previous seasons. The first season got under way on 2 September 2008 and ended in April 2009 with Ak Bars Kazan becoming the first ever winner of the Gagarin Cup.

Introduction of conferences (2009)[link]

In an effort to reduce the large travel distances for the teams, the second season saw the introduction of two conferences (East and West) and the re-alignment of the divisions according to geographical criteria. Despite efforts to expand the league to Central and Western Europe, only minor changes in the compositions of the Russian teams happened in the first three seasons. In the Gagarin Cup finals, teams from the East dominated with Ak Bars Kazan winning twice and Salavat Yulaev Ufa once.

Yaroslavl air disaster (2011)[link]

The start of the fourth season was overshadowed by the Yaroslavl air disaster on 7 September 2011 in which almost the entire team of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was killed shortly after take-off for their flight to their season opening game in Minsk. The Opening Cup game in Kazan, which was already under way when news of the disaster arrived, was abandoned and the start of the season postponed by 5 days. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was forced to withdraw from the KHL season, but later played part of the VHL season and is expected to return to the KHL in 2012.

Expansion to Central Europe (2011 and 2012)[link]

After several failed attempts of teams from Central Europe and Scandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union was finally realized in 2011. HC Lev, a newly founded team based in Poprad, Slovakia was admitted to the league. Lev failed to reach the play-offs, but managed to draw considerable interest and sold out many of their home matches. For the 2012–13 season, Lev is moving to Prague, Czech Republic, while Slovan Bratislava from Slovakia is set to join the KHL.^[19] In addition, Ukraine's HC Donbass will join the league in 2012 after competing in the Russian Major League the previous season.

Statistics[link]

Single season records[link]

Regular season^[20]

Record		Name	Season
Points	80	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2010–11
Goals	35	Jan Marek (Magnitogorsk) Pavel Brendl (N. Novgorod) Marcel Hossa (Riga)	2008–09 2008–09 2009–10
Assists	60	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2010–11
Shots on goal	234	Kevin Dallman (Astana)	2011–12
Plus/minus	+45	Patrick Thoresen (Ufa)	2009–10
Penalty minutes	374	Darcy Verot (Chekhov)	2009–10
Wins (goaltender)	33	Karri Rämö (Omsk)	2010–11
Shutouts	9	Robert Esche (St. Petersburg)	2008–09

Playoffs^[20]

Record		Name	Season
Points	22	Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl)	2010–11
Goals	14	Mikhail Anisin (Dyn. Moscow)	2011–12
Assists	15	Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl) Pavol Demitra (Yaroslavl) Patrick Thoresen (Ufa) Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2010–11 2010–11 2010–11 2010–11
Shots on goal	77	Sergey Mozyakin (Mytishchi)	2010–11
Plus/minus	+15	Josef Vašíček (Yaroslavl)	2009–10
Penalty minutes	69	Grigori Panin (Kazan)	2008–09
Wins (goaltender)	16	Alexander Eremenko (Dyn. Moscow)	2011–12
Shutouts	5	Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl)	2008–09

Career records[link]

Regular season^[20]

Record		Name	Years
Points	254	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2008–2012
Goals	108	Sergei Mozyakin (Mytishchi, Magnitogorsk)	2008–2012
Assists	163	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2008–2012
Games played	219	Sergei Mozyakin (Mytishchi, Magnitogorsk) Miķelis Rēdlihs (Riga)	2008–2012
Plus/minus	+98	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2008–2012
Penalty minutes	798	Darcy Verot (Chekhov, CSKA)	2008–2012
Wins (goaltender)	84	Michael Garnett (HC MVD, Dynamo M, Chelyabinsk)	2008–2012
Shutouts	24	Vasily Koshechkin (Togliatti, Magnitogorsk, Cherepovets)	2008–2012

Playoffs^[20]

Record		Name	Years
Points	50	Josef Vašíček (Yarolslavl)	2008–2011
Goals	22	Aleksey Morozov (Kazan)	2008–2012
Assists	34	Alexander Radulov (Ufa)	2008–2012
Games played	67	Andrei Pervyshin (Kazan, Omsk, SKA)	2008–2012
Plus/minus	+26	Ilya Gorokhov (Yarolslavl, Ufa, Dynamo Msc, Atlant)	2008–2012
Penalty minutes	143	Fedor Fedorov (Nizhnekamsk, Magnitogorsk, Atlant, SKA)	2008–2012
Wins (goaltender)	34	Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk)	2008–2012
Shutouts	7	Georgi Gelashvili (Yaroslavl, Magnitogorsk)	2008–2012

All-time team records[link]

Since its foundation in 2008, 27 clubs have played in the KHL. Only three of the current teams have not yet played in the play-offs. The table gives the final regular-season ranks for all teams, with the play-off performance encoded in colors.

 ^[a]: includes record of Dynamo Moscow before the merger with HC MVD in 2010

Trophies and awards[link]

The winner of the play-off is awarded the Gagarin Cup, the KHL Champion title and the Russian Champion title, regardless of the country the club represents. The team ranked first in the standings after the regular season, i.e. the winner of the regular season, is awarded the Continental Cup^[21] (Russian: Кубок Континента, Kubok Kontinenta). The winners of the conference finals are awarded the Eastern Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Восток, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Vostok) and the Western Conference Champion Cup (Russian: Кубок Победителю конференции Запад, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Zapad).^[22]

The KHL presents annual awards to its most successful players. In 2012, a total of 20 trophies in various categories were awarded. Among the winners were Alexander Radulov (regular season MVP), Oleg Znarok (coach of the year) and Dmitry Lugin (rookie of the year).^[23]

The KHL also awards the Lokomotiv Cup annually to the winner of the first game between the Gagarin Cup winner and the runner-up of the previous season. The Cup, originally known as the Opening Cup, was renamed in the wake of the plane crash that killed 36 Lokomotiv players and staff in 2011.

Season	Lokomotiv Cup Winner	Gold Stick Award (MVP)
2008/09	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	Danis Zaripov
2009/10	Ak Bars Kazan	Alexander Radulov
2010/11	Dynamo Moscow	Alexander Radulov
2011/12	Salavat Yulaev Ufa	Alexander Radulov

See also[link]

• Kontinental Hockey League All-Star Game
• Russian Major League
• Minor Hockey League
• Potential Kontinental Hockey League expansion
• Ice Hockey Federation of Russia
• Russian Elite Hockey Scoring Champion
• Russian Elite Hockey Goal Scoring Champion
• List of current KHL team rosters
• 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster

References[link]

External links[link]

• (Russian) www.khl.ru - Official homepage.
• (English) en.khl.ru - Official homepage.
• Official KHL Store
• (English) KHL All Stars Game
• (English) KHL vs NHL exhibition games official homepage
• (Russian) Kontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union
• (Russian) Official KHL page on Facebook
• (English) Official KHL page on Facebook, English version

Pavol Demitra
Born	(1974-11-29)29 November 1974 Dubnica nad Váhom, Czechoslovakia
Died	7 September 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 36) Tunoshna, Yaroslavl, Russia
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	HC Dukla Trenčín (Cze-1/SlEx) Ottawa Senators St. Louis Blues Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
National team	Slovakia
NHL Draft	227th overall, 1993 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	1992–2011

Pavol Demitra (29 November 1974 – 7 September 2011) was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), two in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League (CFIHL)/Slovak Extraliga and one in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Known as an offensive player, Demitra was a first- or second-line forward throughout his career.

After a season with HC Dukla Trenčín in the CFIHL, Demitra was selected 227th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. He subsequently left Slovakia to join the Senators organization and played three seasons between the NHL and the American Hockey League with Ottawa's minor league affiliate, the PEI Senators. Demitra began the 1996–97 season in a contract holdout with the Senators, resulting in him being traded to the St. Louis Blues in November 1996. After spending the majority of his first season with St. Louis organization in the International Hockey League, he secured a regular roster spot with the Blues in 1996–97. Demitra spent his most successful seasons with St. Louis, being named to three NHL All-Star Games (1999, 2000 and 2002) and winning the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2000. He achieved the 30-goal mark three times and the 90-point mark once with the Blues. Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Demitra returned to HC Dukla Trenčín for one season. Upon returning to the NHL the following year, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. After one year with Los Angeles, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild, where he played on the team's top line with winger Marián Gáborík. In July 2008, he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Vancouver Canucks.

Demitra left the NHL after a two-year stint with the Canucks, joining Lokomotiv Yarolsavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. Demitra spent the entire 2010–11 KHL season with Lokomotiv, netting 18 goals and 43 assists in 54 games. On September 7, 2011, the eve of the 2011-12 KHL season, a plane carrying the Lokomotiv players and coaching staff crashed shortly after takeoff. 44 passengers, including Demitra, died as a result.^[1][2][3]

In international competition, Demitra began his career with Czechoslovakia. He won a gold medal at the 1992 IIHF European U18 Championship and a bronze medal at the 1993 IIHF World U20 Championship. After the country split in 1993, Demitra began competing for Slovakia. Beginning in 1996, he played in six IIHF World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2003 and captaining his country in 2011. In 1996 and 2004, Demitra participated in the NHL-sanctioned World Cup. He was also a three-time Olympian and played his first tournament in 2002. Four years later, he captained Slovakia and in 2010, where he led all scorers in points and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team.

Playing career[link]

Czechoslovakia[link]

Demitra began playing at the men's level with ZTS Dubnica in Czechoslovakia's second-tier league; he recorded 23 points (13 goals and 10 assists) over 28 games. The following season, Demitra joined HC Dukla Trenčín of the premier Czechoslovak Extraliga in 1992–93, where he scored 11 goals and 28 points in 46 games. After the season, Demitra was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 227th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He came to be considered one of the best draft steals in NHL history.^[4]

Ottawa Senators[link]

Demitra began the 1993–94 season with the Ottawa Senators, and in his first NHL game on 9 October 1993, Demtira scored on St. Louis Blues goaltender Curtis Joseph for his first ever NHL goal and point in a 7–5 loss. He played in 12 games for Ottawa during the season, scoring a goal and two points. Most of the 1993–94 was spent with the Prince Edward Island Senators of the AHL, as Demitra had 18 goals and 41 points in 41 games for the team.

Demitra spent most of the 1994–95 with PEI, where in 61 games, Demitra had 26 goals and 74 points to finish third in team scoring. In five playoff games, Demitra had seven assists. Demitra also spent time with Ottawa, as he scored four goals and seven points in 16 games.

He began the 1995–96 season with PEI, as in 48 games, Demitra put up 28 goals and 81 points, which earned him a promotion back to the NHL. With Ottawa, Demitra had seven goals and 17 points in 31 games.

To start the 1996–97 season, Demtira was a contract hold-out with Ottawa. He played a game with HC Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga, getting a goal and two points, before joining the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL. With the Thunder, Demitra had eight goals and 21 points in 22 games. On 27 November 1996, the Senators parted ways with Demitra, as Ottawa traded him to the St. Louis Blues for Christer Olsson.^[5]

St. Louis Blues[link]

The St. Louis Blues assigned Demitra to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the IHL, where in 42 games, Demitra had 20 goals and 50 points. He was called up to the Blues, and played his first game with the club on 17 March 1997, getting no points in a 3–2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. Demitra scored his first two goals with St. Louis on 3 April 1997, scoring twice against Tommy Salo in a 5–5 tie with the New York Islanders. He finished the season appearing in eight games with St. Louis, scoring three goals. Demitra made his NHL playoff debut on 16 April 1997, recording his first playoff point, an assist, in the Blues 2–0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. On 22 April 1997, Demitra scored his first playoff goal, beating Red Wings goaltender Mike Vernon, and added two assists in a 4–0 win over Detroit. Overall, Demitra had a goal and four points in six playoff games.

Demitra made the NHL full-time in 1997–98, as he played in 61 games with St. Louis, scoring 22 goals and 52 points to finish fifth in team scoring. In 10 playoff games, Demitra had three goals and six points.

The 1998–99 was a break-out season for Demitra, as he finished tenth in NHL scoring with 89 points, as he scored 37 goals and added 52 assists in 82 games. Demitra appeared in the 1999 NHL All-Star Game held in Tampa Bay, Florida, scoring a goal for the World team in a 8–6 loss to North America. In the playoffs, Demitra added five goals and nine points in 13 games.

Demitra continued his success in 1999–2000, as he scored 27 goals and 75 points in 71 games to lead the Blues in scoring once again. Demitra played in the 2000 NHL All-Star Game held in Toronto, Ontario, where he scored two goals in a 9–4 World victory over North America. Demitra also scored his first career hat trick, scoring three goals against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on 12 February 2000 in a 6–3 Blues victory. Demitra suffered a season ending injury on 24 March 2000, and missed the playoffs. After the season, he was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy after he accumulated only eight penalty minutes throughout the season.

Injuries cut short Demitra's season in 2000–01 when he appeared in only 44 games with St. Louis. He scored 20 goals and 45 points to finish fifth in team scoring. He scored a hat trick and added two assists for a five point game against the New York Rangers on 20 December 2000 in a 6–3 win. Less than a week later, on 26 December 2000, Demitra had another high scoring game, scoring two goals and four points against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5–0 victory. On 30 December 2000, Demitra suffered an injury, however, he came back with the team late in the season, and appeared in 15 playoff games, scoring two goals and six points.

In 2001–02, Demitra was healthy, as he appeared in all 82 games for St. Louis, scoring 35 goals and 78 points to lead the team in scoring and finish seventh in the league scoring race. Demitra had a league high ten game winning goals. He had a four point night against his former team, the Ottawa Senators, on 27 November 2001, scoring two goals and two assists in a 4–2 victory. Demitra appeared in the 2002 NHL All-Star Game held in Los Angeles, California, however, he was held off the scoresheet in a 8–5 World win over North America. In the playoffs, Demitra appeared in 10 games, scoring four goals and 11 points. He had a four point night against the Detroit Red Wings on 7 May 2002, scoring a goal and three assists in the Blues 6–1 victory.

The 2002–03 was Demitra's most productive in the NHL, as he set a career high with 93 points, which placed him sixth in NHL scoring, as Demtira scored 36 goals and 57 assists in 78 games. He had a hat trick and a season high four points on 29 November 2002 in a 7–2 win over the Calgary Flames. In the playoffs, Demitra had two goals and six points in seven games.

Demitra had a disappointing 2003–04 season, scoring 23 goals and 58 points, his lowest totals since his injury plagued 2000–01 season, in 68 games. In the playoffs, Demitra had a goal in five contests. This would be his final season with the Blues, as Demitra left the team fifth in franchise scoring with 493 points in 494 games.

HC Dukla Trenčin[link]

With the 2004-05 NHL lockout cancelling the season, Demitra signed with HC Dukla Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga on 17 September 2004. Demitra led the league in scoring with 28 goals and 82 points in 54 games. Demitra scored four goals and 17 points in 12 playoff games with the team.

Pavol Demitra with the Los Angeles Kings.

Los Angeles Kings[link]

On 2 August 2005, Demitra signed a three year, $13.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings.^[6] On 5 October 2005, Demitra played his first game with the Kings, scoring an assist in a 5–4 loss to the Dallas Stars. The next night, on 6 October 2005, Demitra scored his first goal with his new team, scoring against David LeNeveu of the Phoenix Coyotes in a 3–2 win. Demitra had three four-point games during the season, including one on 22 November 2005 against his former team, the St. Louis Blues in a 6–3 Los Angeles win. Demitra missed 24 games with injuries, including an eye problem, during the season. In 58 games during the season, Demitra had 25 goals and 62 points to finish third in team scoring. On 24 June 2006, Los Angeles traded Demitra to the Minnesota Wild for Patrick O'Sullivan and a first round draft pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Minnesota Wild[link]

Demitra joined the Wild and fellow Slovak Marián Gáborík for the 2006–07 season. Demitra played his first game with the Wild on 5 October 2006, recording two assists in a 3–2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. In his next game on 7 October 2006, Demitra scored his first goal with Minnesota, scoring against Tomáš Vokoun of the Nashville Predators in a 6–5 victory. Demitra finished the season tied for first in team scoring, as he had 25 goals and 64 points in 71 games. The 64 points were the highest by Demitra since 2002–03. Demitra played in his first playoff game with Minnesota on 11 April 2007, scoring a goal against Ilya Bryzgalov of the Anaheim Ducks in a 2–1 loss. Demitra appeared in five playoff games, scoring a goal and four points.

Demitra was named the captain of the Wild for the month of October 2007^[7] as part of the Wild's rotating captaincy to begin the 2007–08 season. Demitra had a tough season, scoring only 15 goals, his lowest total since 1996–97, and 54 points through 68 games as he finished fourth in team scoring. In the playoffs, Demitra had a goal and three points in six games. At the end of the season, he became an unrestricted free agent.

Vancouver Canucks[link]

On 10 July 2008, Demitra signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks.^[8] He played in his first game as a Canuck on 9 October 2008, getting no points in a 6–0 win over the Calgary Flames. In his next game, also against Calgary, Demitra scored his first goal with Vancouver, the game winning overtime goal against Miikka Kiprusoff in a 5–4 win. He finished the season with 20 goals and 53 points in 69 games, finishing fourth in team scoring. Demitra appeared in his first playoff game with Vancouver on 15 April 2009, recording an assist in a 2–1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Demitra scored his first playoff goal with the Canucks on 30 April 2009, scoring against Nikolai Khabibulin of the Chicago Blackhawks in a 5–3 victory. On 2 May 2009, Demitra suffered a shoulder injury against the Blackhawks that would end his season. In six playoff games, Demitra had a goal and three points.

The 2009–10 would be a tough season on Demitra, as he missed most of the regular season with the shoulder injury that occurred in the 2009 playoffs. In 28 games, Demitra had three goals and 16 points, his lowest totals since 1996–97. In the playoffs, Demitra had a three point game against the Los Angeles Kings on 23 April 2010, helping Vancouver to a 7–2 win. Overall, Demitra appeared in 11 playoff games, scoring two goals and six points. After the season, he became an unrestricted free agent. This would mark the end of Demitra's NHL career. He'd played in 847 career games, and scored 304 goals with 464 assists for 768 points.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl[link]

Demitra joined Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL on 15 July 2010. In his first season with Lokomotiv, Demitra scored 18 goals and 60 points in 54 games to finish fifth in league scoring. He was named Forward of the Month in January 2011. In 18 playoff games with Yaroslavl, Demitra had six goals and 15 assists for 21 points which placed him second in KHL playoff scoring.

Demitra returned to the team for the 2011–12 season, however, on 7 September 2011, he was killed in a plane crash along with most of his teammates.

International play[link]

Medal record
Demitra faces off with Henrik Sedin (both of the Vancouver Canucks) during the 2010 Olympics
Men's ice hockey
Competitor for  Slovakia
World Championships
Bronze	2003 Finland
Competitor for  Czechoslovakia
World Junior Championships
Bronze	1993 Sweden