Latvian Cup (ice hockey)
The Latvian Hockey Cup was the national cup competition in the Latvian Hockey. He was held in the years 1995, 1999, 2007 and 2008. The record holder is the HK Liepaja Metalurgs with three title wins.
History
The first edition of the Cup competition was played in 1995 and was limited to only one of two playoff teams as the regular active in the League operation of the International Hockey League Pārdaugava Riga met Essamika Ogre and secured the Cup win with a 7-2 success. Four years later a second edition of the Latvian Cup competition took place. The mode changed to a large extent; after a qualifying round with eight teams who completed two games with the same opponent, the tournament continued with the quarter-finals, the tournament format has remained unchanged. Only in the third semi-final duel between the later Cup Winners Liepaja Metalurgs HK and HK Riga Lido Nafta it required an extension.
It was only in August 2007 finally started another edition of the Latvian Cup competition. After a group stage with two groups of three teams qualified to the two group winners and the runners-up for the semi-finals. The semi-finals were alike as the finals played in the same format as eight years earlier. For the fourth edition of the competition, the format changed as follows: It took in August and September 2008, five teams in the cup contest and completed in a group stage eight games. The best-placed team finally won the trophy, so that the knockout stage for the first time fully accounted for.