2012 European Trophy
The 2012 European Trophy was the third European Trophy, a European ice hockey tournament held annually. It is also the seventh tournament since its predecessor, the Nordic Trophy, was launched in 2006. The regulation round started on 31 July 2012 with the [|South Division] game between Piráti Chomutov–Slovan Bratislava, and will end on 28 November 2012. The [|playoffs] will be played between 13 and 16 December 2012 in Vienna and in Bratislava. The preliminary schedule for the regulation round was released on 12 April 2012.
In this year's tournament the number of participating teams was increased from 24 to 32. Also, as Red Bull Salzburg no longer hosted the playoffs for the first time in European Trophy history, they weren't guaranteed a playoff spot. Of the 128 regular round games, 20 were played mid-season. Regarding the playoffs, there were only Quarterfinals, Semifinals as well as the Final game, meaning that the losing teams in each round were immediately eliminated from the tournament.
On 31 May 2012, Slavia Praha announced that they were pulling out of the tournament. On 18 June it was announced that Piráti Chomutov would take over Slavia Praha's spot in the South Division.
Tournament format
The 32 teams in the tournament are, partly based on geographical location, divided into four divisions: the [|West Division], the [|North Division], the South Division, and the [|East Division]. Each division consists of 8 teams who will play a round-robin in their division, with an extra game against a [|local rival] in their division, giving a total of 8 games per team. Each team is assigned four home games as well as four road games. The top two teams of each division qualify for the playoffs; however, should Slovan Bratislava and/or Vienna Capitals qualify for the playoffs as hosts, they will replace the worst second ranked team out of all four divisions.Should at least two teams in the same division end up tied in points, the following tie-breaker format will be used:
- Best goal difference
- Most goals scored in total
- Results in games against the tied teams
- Drawing of lots
Playing format
If a game is tied after regulation time, an overtime lasting for 5 minutes is played. During overtime, both teams substitute only 4 players on the ice at once. If no team scores during the overtime period, a shootout is played, starting with three penalty shots for both teams. If the shootout remains tied after the first three rounds, sudden death rounds are played until a winning team has been forced.In the regulation round games, the teams get three points for a regulation-time victory, two points for an overtime/shootout win, one point for losing in overtime/shootout, and zero points for a regulation loss.
Prize money
After the regulation round, the four division winners received €25 000 each, the four second-placed teams €20 000, and the third, fourth and fifth team of each division received €15 000, €10 000, and €5 000, respectively. Additionally, in the final of the Red Bulls Salute, the winning team received €50 000, while the losing finalist got €10 000. In total, €360 000 was given out during the entire tournament.Participating clubs
| Division | Team | City | Home arena* | Capacity | Joined NT/ET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North | Oulun Kärpät |  Rivalries
Regulation roundWest DivisionGames in Finland are UTC+3, while all other games are UTC+2, except the 28 October game which is UTC+1.North DivisionGames in Finland are UTC+3, while all other games are UTC+2, except the November games which are UTC+1.South DivisionGames in Finland are UTC+3, while all other games are UTC+2, except the November game which is UTC+1.East DivisionGames in Finland are UTC+3, while all other games are UTC+2, except the November games which are UTC+1.Playoff team seedsPlayoff hosts Slovan Bratislava and Vienna Capitals qualify automatically. Four division-winners qualify. After this, best-scoring division-runners-up qualify to bring the number to exactly eight.Winners of divisions:
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