Current season, competition or edition: 2016–17 Polska Hokej Liga season |
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Sport | Ice hockey |
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Founded | 1927 (Original) 2013 (Current Edition) |
Founder | Polish Ice Hockey Federation |
Inaugural season | 2013–14 |
CEO | Janusz Wierzbowski |
No. of teams | 10 |
Country | Poland |
Most recent champion(s) |
Cracovia (2nd title) |
TV partner(s) | TVP Sport |
Related competitions |
Polish 1. Liga |
Official website | http://hokejfan.pl/phl (Polish) |
The Polska Hokej Liga is the premier ice hockey league in Poland. Previously, it was known as the I Liga or Ekstraklasa from 1927 to 1999, and the Polska Liga Hokejowa from 1999 to 2013. In 2013, it was reorganized as a limited liability company and renamed the Polska Hokej Liga.
The championship started in 1927. At first it was a non-league system composed of regional tournaments. The tournaments had two stages. The best teams qualified to the final tournament, of which the winner was declared champion. In 1938, the Polish Ice Hockey Federation decided to reorganise the championship, by creating a league system. Those plans were abandoned due to outbreak of World War II.
The current structure of the league began in 1955.