A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2012–13 Elitserien season | |
|---|---|
| League | Elitserien |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | 13 September 2012 – 18 April 2013 |
| Number of games | 55 (330 total) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Total attendance | 1,883,192[1] |
| Average attendance | 5,707[1] |
| Regular season | |
| League Champion | Skellefteå AIK |
| Season MVP | Jimmie Ericsson (Skellefteå AIK) |
| Top scorer | Bud Holloway (Skellefteå AIK) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Oscar Lindberg (Skellefteå AIK) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Skellefteå AIK |
| Runners-up | Luleå HF |
The 2012–13 Elitserien season was the 38th season of Elitserien. The regular season began on 13 September 2012 and ended on 5 March 2013.[2] The playoffs began on 12 March 2013 and ended on 18 April 2013. The 2012–13 Elitserien season was the last season under the name "Elitserien"; on 17 June 2013, the league was renamed "Swedish Hockey League" (SHL).[3]
Skellefteå AIK clinched the Swedish Championship for the first time since 1978, defeating Luleå HF 4–0 in the Finals. It was the team's second Swedish Championship in club history. Skellefteå also won the regular season for the first time since the 1980–81 season, and the second time in club history. Their 114-point finish is the highest number of points since Färjestad BK won the 2001–02 regular season with 118 points. Luleå HF improved on the record for fewest goals surrendered in a 55-game regular season that they set last season by only having 102 goals scored against them.
In Kvalserien, Örebro HK (first SHL season) and Leksands IF qualified for the 2013–14 SHL season at the expense of Timrå IK and Rögle BK.
Participating teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIK | Stockholm | Hovet | 8,094 |
| Brynäs IF | Gävle | Läkerol Arena | 8,585 |
| Frölunda HC | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | 12,044 |
| Färjestad BK | Karlstad | Löfbergs Lila Arena | 8,647 |
| HV71 | Jönköping | Kinnarps Arena | 7,000 |
| Linköpings HC | Linköping | Cloetta Center | 8,500 |
| Luleå HF | Luleå | Coop Norrbotten Arena | 6,300 |
| Modo Hockey | Örnsköldsvik | Fjällräven Center | 7,600 |
| Rögle BK | Ängelholm | Lindab Arena | 5,150 |
| Skellefteå AIK | Skellefteå | Skellefteå Kraft Arena | 6,001 |
| Timrå IK | Timrå | E.ON Arena | 6,000 |
| Växjö Lakers | Växjö | Vida Arena | 5,700 |
- Note: Frölunda HC played their final three home games of the regular season in Frölundaborg, which had a smaller capacity of 7,600 spectators.
Summary
Short-term contracts
Short-term contracts and the possibility of signing players affected by the 2012–13 NHL lockout was a controversial issue for several months. The board of hockey operations for Elitserien (Hockeyligan) decided to continue rejecting short-term contracts (i.e. contracts not lasting for the entire season) on 23 August 2012.[4] On 21 September 2012, the Swedish Competition Authority (SCA) examined the matter and responded with a ruling that allowed short-term contracts.[5] Hockeyligan appealed the SCA ruling to the Market Court. On 18 December 2012, the Market Court ruled against the SCA and allowed Hockeyligan to forbid short-term contracts.[6] The uncertainty and concerns of legal punishment caused a number of Elitserien clubs to refrain from signing short-term contracts and await the Market Court's decision. In the end, Cody Franson played 26 Elitserien games with Brynäs, Alexander Steen played 20 games with Modo, and Matt Duchene played 19 games and Viktor Stålberg 11 games with Frölunda before their short-term contracts expired.
Outdoor game
For the fourth consecutive season, an outdoor game was played. As part of Brynäs IF celebrating their 100th year as a club, they hosted Timrå IK on December 8, 2012, in a temporary arena called Gävlebocken ("Gävle Goat") Arena. Brynäs won the game 3–0 in front of 15,009 spectators.[7][8]
Decline in attendance
The average attendance in Elitserien fell by 10.5% from 6,385 to 5,717 spectators per game, the lowest average since the 2002–03 season. The drop meant that Elitserien was fifth in average attendance among professional ice hockey leagues (fourth in Europe) – after the NHL, NLA, DEL and KHL.[9][10] In the 2011–12 season, Elitserien had the second highest average attendance among professional hockey leagues (first in Europe).[11]
There were several reasons for the decline; Frölunda HC saw an 18.1% decrease to an average of 8,588 fans per game. The second most attended team last season, Djurgårdens IF, was relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan. Nine of the eleven returning teams from last season had lower attendance numbers, with Skellefteå AIK and Luleå HF being the only teams to increase their average attendance. HockeyAllsvenskan, on the other hand, improved its attendance average this season from 2,606 to 3,227 spectators per game, an improvement of 23.8% from the 2011–12 season.
Regular season
Standings
| 2012–13 Elitserien season | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skellefteå AIKy | 55 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 170 | 107 | 63 | 114 |
| Färjestad BKx | 55 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 155 | 110 | 45 | 102 |
| Luleå HFx | 55 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 145 | 102 | 43 | 102 |
| HV71x | 55 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 155 | 124 | 31 | 102 |
| Linköpings HCx | 55 | 27 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 145 | 136 | 9 | 94 |
| Frölunda HCx | 55 | 21 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 123 | 126 | –3 | 84 |
| Modo Hockeyx | 55 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 135 | 129 | 6 | 81 |
| Brynäs IFx | 55 | 17 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 123 | 166 | –43 | 75 |
| AIKe | 55 | 16 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 123 | 149 | –26 | 69 |
| Växjö Lakers HCe | 55 | 14 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 102 | 130 | –28 | 64 |
| Timrå IKr | 55 | 12 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 100 | 127 | –27 | 57 |
| Rögle BKr | 55 | 10 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 104 | 174 | –70 | 46 |
x – clinched playoff spot; y – clinched regular season league title; e – eliminated from playoff contention; r – play in relegation series
Statistics
Scoring leaders
Updated as of the end of the regular season.[12]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bud Holloway |
Skellefteå AIK | 55 | 20 | 51 | 71 | +25 | 36 |
 Carl Söderberg |
Linköpings HC | 54 | 31 | 29 | 60 | +18 | 48 |
| Joakim Lindström |
Skellefteå AIK | 53 | 18 | 36 | 54 | +11 | 56 |
| Pär Arlbrandt |
Linköpings HC | 54 | 21 | 32 | 53 | +25 | 28 |
 Broc Little |
AIK | 55 | 16 | 30 | 46 | –3 | 24 |
| Jason Krog |
HV71 | 55 | 17 | 26 | 43 | +16 | 18 |
| Simon Hjalmarsson |
Linköpings HC | 55 | 12 | 31 | 43 | +21 | 10 |
| Oscar Lindberg |
Skellefteå AIK | 55 | 17 | 25 | 42 | +1 | 54 |
| Calle Järnkrok |
Brynäs IF | 53 | 13 | 29 | 42 | –2 | 12 |
| Chris Lee |
Färjestad BK | 54 | 12 | 29 | 41 | +20 | 30 |
Leading goaltenders
These are the leaders in GAA among goaltenders who have played at least 40% of the team's minutes. Updated as of the end of the regular season.[13]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
