CHL Canada/Russia Series

Team OHL vs. Russian Selects.

The CHL Canada/Russia Series is an annual six game exhibition ice hockey tournament held between a select team of Russian junior players and all-star teams representing the three leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The event was first held in 2003 as the RE/MAX Canada-Russia Challenge, the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge from 2004 until 2008, and the Subway Super Series from 2009 until 2014. The 2015 series did not have a title sponsor.^[1] In 2016, CIBC picked up the naming rights for five years and renamed the event CIBC Canada-Russia Series^[2] while asking the fans to vote for a new name for the series for 2017.^[3]

The Russian Selects play two games each hosted by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. All games are broadcast nationally in Canada on Sportsnet. The series features many players, also on the Canadian National junior team.^[4]

2003 RE/MAX Canada-Russia Challenge

Inaugurated in 2003, the tournament was envisioned as tune-up for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The first series was won by the CHL five games to one in a series of blowout victories for the home squads. Following the tournament, the Russians were criticized for bringing over a team that was uncompetitive, as the Russian team kept many of its top junior players at home.

2004 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

Prior to the second tournament, the Russians vowed to avenge their lopsided defeats in 2003. They started off well, defeating the QMJHL in both games by identical 4-3 scores, both via shoot-out. However, the Russians were once again unable to compete with either the OHL or WHL, losing the overall series four games to two.

2005 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

The third challenge series saw the CHL dominate the series six games to zero as a travel weary Russian squad found itself consistently overmatched by its Canadian counterparts.

2006 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

In the first game, the QMJHL cruised to an easy 6-2 victory. The Q followed that up with a 4-3 victory. Goaltender Ilia Proskuryakov was named the game star in both games for the overmatched Russians who were outshot 82-34 in the first two games. The OHL continued the CHL's dominance with an easy 5-0 victory in the third game.

The fourth game was a much more spirited affair, and while the OHL came out on top for the CHL's fourth consecutive victory, the Russians made a game of it in a close 4-3 final. The game was marred by two ugly incidents late, as both the OHL's Chris Stewart and Russia's Andrey Lange were assessed match penalties in the final minute of the game.

The Russians entered game five with only 14 skaters, and while badly outshot, managed to make a close and entertaining game of it before falling to the WHL 5-3. Game six would prove an entirely different story, as a Brodie Dupont hat trick led the WHL to an 8-1 victory. The CHL swept the series for the second year in a row.

2007 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

The Russians started off the challenge by ending the CHL's 16-game winning streak that began in game three of 2004, defeating the QMJHL squad 6-4.

The OHL squad remained undefeated against the Russian Selects, going to 10 wins and no losses overall for the five years the challenge has run.

The WHL suffered their first ever loss to the Russians in game five, but came back in game six to clinch the series for the CHL.

2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

2009 Subway Super Series

2010 Subway Super Series

For the first time in the history of the Super Series tournament, Russia ended up as the winners after winning four of the six games. Russia lost their two games against the OHL all-stars, and the OHL remains unbeaten in this tournament. The two leading scorers for Team Russia were Maxim Kitsyn with four goals and two assists and Nikita Dvurechensky with two goals and four assists.

2011 Subway Super Series

Russia won three of the games of the 2011 Super Series, but since Russia's victory in the second game against the QMJHL^[5] came in a shootout they were awarded two points for that victory (as opposed to three points for a win in regulation) while the QMJHL got one point. This in combination with three regulation wins for the other CHL teams led to another series win by the CHL.^[6] The OHL would remain unbeaten, although at one point in the first game against the OHL, Russia led by a score of 6-4.^[7] The two highest scorers of the series would be Nikita Kucherov with four goals and three assists and Nikita Gusev with three goals and four assists.

2012 Subway Super Series

Russia ended an 18-game losing streak against Team OHL by defeating it on November 8.^[8] Since Russia won three games in regulation and the WHL all-stars won one game in a shootout, Russia won the 2012 tournament by 10-8 in points.^[9]

2013 Subway Super Series

On June 5, the 2013 schedule was released.^[10] Canada wins based on 3-point system, Canada had three wins, two losses, and an overtime loss for 10 points, while Russia had two wins, an overtime win, and three losses for 8 points.

2014 Subway Super Series

Russia wins based on 3-point system, Russia had three wins, two losses, and an overtime win for 11 points, while Canada had two wins, three losses, and an overtime loss for 7 points.

2015 Canada/Russia Series

2016 CIBC Canada/Russia Series

All-time records

Updated through November 18, 2016

See also

• 2007 Super Series

References

• 2006 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, chl.ca. Accessed October 17, 2006
• russianprospects.com 2005 tournament page

External links

• Official website