Barys Astana

The Barys Astana is a professional ice hockey team based in Astana, Kazakhstan. As of 2009, they are a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Team colors for Barys Astana are Blue and White. They are one of the 24 founding teams of the KHL. The team’s name ‘Barys’ translates into English as ‘Panthers’. The team’s logo depicts a stylized image of the animal.

The team was founded in 1999, they began to compete professionally in the 2001–2002 season where they participated in the Kazakhstani Championships. In 2004 they joined the Russian 1st League. While in the Russian hockey system, the team debuted in the Pervaya Liga. The team played fro threes seasons with the Liga. In the three years, the finished 3rd, 2nd and, 1st places respectively.

In the 2007-2008 Season, they became a member of the Russian Supreme League. They joined the KHL in 2008. They are they first team from Kazakhstan to join the KHL. The Alatau Sports Palace serves as home ice for Barys Astana. The arena can seat 5,532 people.

Wins for Barys Astana also include the Kazakhstan Championships in 2008 and the Pervaya Liga (Ural Zone) in 2007. With their 2007 win, they were allowed to play in the Vysshaya Liga. They finished 2nd out of 14 teams in the West conference of the Vysshaya Liga. They only played a single season for the league before moving on to the KHL.

The first game after joining the KHL was a successful won. They won with a score 2-1 in the shootouts against the Metallurg Nizhnekamsk. They also won their first KHL home game against the Salavat Yulaev with a shootout score of 3-2.