According to Kontinental Hockey League vice president Georgi Kobylyansky, the league has received permission from the British ice hockey association to expand into London.
https://twitter.com/KHLNewsEN/status/753968277043421184
It’s the latest move to see the Russian hockey league expand globally. The league already has teams outside Russia, including Belarus, Croatia, Finland, Lativa, Slovakia and the recently formed team in Beijing, China. The KHL has made a big effort to have a multi-national league and expanding into new countries is a great way of accomplishing the goal.
Expanding into London makes sense as the UK actually has a flourishing hockey market. The Elite Ice Hockey League is a pro league which has been around since 2003. The 10-team league features pro squads in Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham. Paul Bissonnette played with the Cardiff Devils during the last lockout. While the venues aren’t huge, they still have capacities ranging from 2,000 to 7,500. It’s a market that should be able to support a KHL team easily.
A team coming to London isn’t guaranteed, but acquiring permission for expansion is a big deal and a step towards eventually getting a pro KHL team in the city. If that happens, the KHL will continue its reign as the most global hockey league in the world.
[theScore]
