The Czech Women's Ice Hockey Extraliga () or Women's Extraliga () is the premier league for women's ice hockey in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1985, it was known as the 1. liga à ¾enského hokeje from 1989 until 2017, at which time the league came under the oversight of the Czech Ice Hockey Association and the current name was adopted. The victorious team of the Women's Extraliga is named Champion of the Czech Republic (, MÃÂR).
The Czech Women's Extraliga traces its origins to the (), in which teams from across Czechoslovakia gathered in Klatovy to play a traditional tournament. First contested in 1985, the inaugural champion of the was TJ Kovo Praha from Prague. TJ Sparta ÃÂKD Praha, the representative women's team of HC Sparta Praha, won the tournament in 1986.
In 1986âÂÂ87, a season format was adopted with games played on weekends. The top-ranked team from the regular season was named league champion. In 1987 and 1988, the league champions were awarded the (). from Beroun won the in both the 1986âÂÂ87 and 1987âÂÂ88 seasons.
During the 1988âÂÂ89 season, teams competed for the (). TJ à  koda Plzeà  won the in 1989.
Ahead of the 1989âÂÂ90 season, the league was named the (), shortened to or . TJ Lokomotiva Beroun were the first champions of the in 1990.
A second division was established in 1992 and a system of promotion and relegation was implemented whereby the top ranked team from the second division was promoted and the bottom ranked team from the top division was relegated at the end of each season.
Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the became the highest level of women's ice hockey in the Czech Republic.
The two-division system was reconfigured in 1996, moving from skill-based divisions to geographic conferences. The two conferences, called ÃÂechy () and Morava (), used the traditional boundaries between the Czech lands of the same names to organize teams. Each conference played a closed series and the top teams from each would then move on to the finals.
During the 2010âÂÂ11 and 2011âÂÂ12 seasons, the number of teams in the ÃÂechy conference led it to be further subdivided into (sk. A; 'Group A') and (sk. B; 'Group B'). was for the most skilled teams and engaged in a system of promotion and relegation with . The Morava conference did not experience the boom in teams seen in the west and no subdivisions were implemented.
A new division system was implemented in 2012 that introduced a national elite level, called the . The represented a new division above the previous conferences and divisions, which were renamed and continued as the lower levels of the . The previous and of the ÃÂechy conference were designated and , respectively, and the Morava conference was designated . Together the new and comprised the skill tier below the , while represented the lowest tier of skill. Promotion and relegation between the and was possible via a best of three series played by the lowest ranked team and the winner of the qualification series between the top teams from and . Likewise, promotion and relegation between and was also possible.
The was organized and operated by the Association of Women's Hockey League Clubs (, ALKà ½H) during the 2010s until the league came under the oversight of the Czech Ice Hockey Association in 2017. At that time, the was divided into three separate leagues: the elite Women's Extraliga, the second-tier , and the third-tier .
Top women's ice hockey competition/league in Czechoslovakia
Top women's ice hockey league in the Czech Republic
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HC Berounské Lvice qualified for the 2024âÂÂ25 Extraliga à ¾en season and the club continues to hold league rights but the team opted to instead participate in the 2024âÂÂ25 season of the second-tier league, the 1. liga à ¾en.
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All-time regular season records of the Women's Extraliga since the league came under the oversight of the Czech Ice Hockey Association in 2017. Statistics are valid through the 2022âÂÂ23 season.
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The top-ten regular season point-scorers in Women's Extraliga history, from the 2017âÂÂ18 season through the 2022âÂÂ23 season.
<small>Note: Nat = Nationality; Pos = Position; S = Seasons played; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty in minutes</small>