2008–09 KHL season
| 2008–09 KHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Kontinental Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September 2, 2008 – April 12, 2009 |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Regular season | |
| Regular-season winner |
 Salavat Yulaev Ufa
|
| Season MVP |
 Danis ZaripovAk Bars Kazan |
| Top scorer |
Sergei Mozyakin Atlant Moscow Oblast |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP |
Alexei Morozov Ak Bars Kazan |
| Gagarin Cup | |
| Champions |
Ak Bars Kazan
|
| Runners-up | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl |
The 2008–09 KHL season was the inaugural season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It started on September 2, 2008, and finished on April 12, 2009. 24 teams each played 56 games.
KHL teams signed several players from the NHL, including Jaromír Jágr, Alexander Radulov, Ray Emery,Sergei Brylin, Ladislav Nagy, Jozef Stumpel, Marcel Hossa, Ben Clymer, Alexei Zhitnik, Bryan Berard, and Chris Simon.
A dispute between the two leagues over some of these signings was supposed to have been resolved by an agreement signed on July 10, 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), leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
On a deal dated October 30, Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works bought 11.76% of the KHL.
The league has implemented a salary cap.
Metallurg Novokuznetsk has so far experienced difficulty financing its operations, largely due to the global financial crisis of 2008. Team sponsor Evraz Group is rumored to be cutting funding. There is a possibility the team will cease operations by New Years.
HC MVD has experienced delays in paying players, while Khimik Voskresensk has run itself into debt. Metallurg Magnitogorsk has been forced to cut staff expenditures by 30%. Avangard Omsk owner Roman Abramovich has promised to continue financial support so long as the team maintains good results. Other teams experiencing financial limitations are Vityaz Chekhov, Atlant Moscow Oblast, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, HC CSKA Moscow.
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