SKA Saint Petersburg
Russian club owned by Gazprom, two-time Gagarin Cup champion.
HC SKA (Russian: Хоккейный клуб СКА), commonly called SKA Saint Petersburg, is a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The name stands for Sports Club of the Army. The club plays in the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). SKA did not reach a league final until the 2014–15 season, when they beat Ak Bars Kazan to win the Gagarin Cup. They claimed a second Gagarin Cup in 2017, this time defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In 2012, the team averaged 10,126 spectators per game, making it the first Russian club to draw a five-digit average attendance.
The club is owned by Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy giant. Using its substantial financial resources, SKA gathered nearly all top Russian KHL players to prepare them for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Russian national team’s gold medal at those Olympics—the first Games since 1994 without active NHL players—was credited to the chemistry those players had built while playing together at SKA.
**History**
SKA was founded in 1946 as a top-level team in the Soviet Championship League’s first season. It originally went by Kirov LDO (Kirov Leningrad Officers’ Club). The name changed to ODO (District Officers’ Club) in 1953, then to SKVO (Sports Club of the Military District) in 1957, and finally to Sportivnyi Klub Armii (Sport Club of the Army) in 1959. During the Soviet era, SKA—along with CSKA Moscow—was part of the Ministry of Defense sports club system.
After finishing last in its group in the inaugural season, LDO sat out the next season and was moved down to the second tier in 1948. The club returned to the Soviet Class A in 1950–51 and stayed in the top division until 1991. Its best results during that period were reaching the Soviet Cup Finals in 1968 (losing 7–1 to CSKA Moscow) and 1971 (losing 5–1 to Spartak Moscow), and earning bronze medals in the Soviet Championship in 1970–71 and 1986–87.
After one season in the Soviet League’s second division (the only CIS Championship), SKA joined the International Ice Hockey League, which was formed by top teams from the former Soviet Union. In the 1993–94 season, SKA reached the IHL Cup semifinals but lost to eventual champion Lada Togliatti. The club struggled in the Russian Superleague, which replaced the IHL as the main Russian championship in 1996, never advancing past the first playoff rounds.
- Founded
- 1946
- Home arena
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- League
- KHL (Bobrov Division)
- Gagarin cup titles
- 2 (2014–15, 2016–17)
- Continental cup titles
- 3 (2012–13, 2017–18, 2022–23)
- Average attendance 2012
- 10,126
- Average attendance 2016 17
- 11,735
Lore & Background
The club was established in 1946 as Kirov LDO (Kirov Leningrad Officers' Club). It subsequently changed names to ODO in 1953, SKVO in 1957, and finally Sportivnyi Klub Armii in 1959. During the Soviet era, SKA (along with CSKA Moscow) belonged to the Ministry of Defense sports club system. After finishing last in their group during the first season, LDO skipped the next season and was downgraded to the second level in 1948. The club returned to the Soviet Class A in 1950–51 and remained in the top division until 1991. Its highest Soviet achievements were the 1968 and 1971 Soviet Cup Finals (lost to CSKA Moscow 7–1 and Spartak Moscow 5–1, respectively) and bronze medals in 1970–71 and 1986–87.
After one season in the second level division of the Soviet League, SKA joined the International Ice Hockey League. In 1993–94, they advanced to the IHL Cup semi-finals but lost to Lada Togliatti. The club was less successful in the Russian Superleague, failing to get further than the first playoff rounds. The formation of the KHL in 2008 marked a new era. SKA reached their first Conference finals in 2011–12 and won the Continental Cup in 2012–13. In the 2015 Gagarin Cup playoffs, after defeating Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and Dynamo Moscow, they faced CSKA Moscow in the Western Conference finals. Down 0–3, they won four straight to become the first KHL team to win a series after being down three games to none, then defeated Ak Bars Kazan 4–1 for the Gagarin Cup. They were swept by CSKA Moscow in the 2016 conference finals. SKA has a major rivalry against CSKA Moscow, referred to as the Army Derby.
Reader's Guide
SKA Saint Petersburg is notable as a club owned by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, which used its immense wealth to gather almost all elite Russian KHL players to prepare them for the 2018 Winter Olympics. The success of the Russian team in winning gold at the first Olympics since 1994 that did not feature any active NHL players was attributed to players' chemistry developed in SKA. The club never competed in a league final until the 2014–15 KHL season, when they won the Gagarin Cup, becoming the first nationwide championship in club history. They won a second Gagarin Cup in 2017. In 2012, SKA became the first Russian club to average a five-digit attendance (10,126). The club also holds the distinction of being the first in KHL history to win a playoff series after being down three games to none, achieved in the 2015 Western Conference finals against CSKA Moscow. Their pre-season successes include four Spengler Cup titles (1970, 1971, 1977, 2010) and multiple Puchkov Cup wins.
Did You Know?
- SKA was the first team in KHL history to win a playoff series after being down three games to none (2015 Western Conference finals vs. CSKA Moscow).
- The club's original name in 1946 was Kirov LDO (Kirov Leningrad Officers' Club).
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