High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The IIHF European Champions Cup (ECC) was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF. The Champions Cup was first played in 2005, as a replacement for the defunct European Cup (1965–1997), and the suspended European Hockey League (1996–2000). In the 2008–09 season, it was replaced by the Champions Hockey League, which was the new official European club championship event. Since the Champions Hockey League was cancelled after only one season, there is currently no official competition for the national ice hockey champions of Europe.