Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports.
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation (SIHF) is the governing body of ice hockey in Switzerland, as recognized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1908 and is a founding member of the IIHF. It manages both the amateur and professional games in Switzerland, as well as the national teams on junior and senior levels.
Hockey Canada is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority of organized ice hockey in Canada. There are some notable exceptions, such as the Canadian Hockey League, U Sports, and Canada's professional hockey clubs; the former two are partnered with Hockey Canada but are not member organizations. Hockey Canada is based in Calgary, with a secondary office in Ottawa and regional centres in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal.
The Canada men's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada internationally. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. From 1920 until 1963, Canada's international representation was by senior amateur club teams. Canada's national men's team was founded in 1963 by Father David Bauer as a part of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, playing out of the University of British Columbia. The nickname "Team Canada" was first used for the 1972 Summit Series and has been frequently used to refer to both the Canadian national men's and women's teams ever since.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2021, they were rated third in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has competed internationally from 1992 until a 2022 ban, and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. Russia has been one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won nine times since 2005. Since September 2021, the head coach is Alexei Zhamnov, who took over from Valeri Bragin.
The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team that represents the United Kingdom. A founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1908, the team is controlled by Ice Hockey UK. Great Britain is currently ranked 18th in the world by the IIHF as of March 2022 according to the IIHF World Ranking.
The Bulgarian national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Bulgaria. The team is controlled by the Bulgarian Ice Hockey Federation and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). As of 2018, Bulgaria is ranked 38th in the IIHF World Ranking and competes in Division III of the Ice Hockey World Championships.
IJshockey Nederland (IJNL) is the official governing body of ice hockey in the Netherlands. It was founded as the Nederlandse IJshockey Bond in 1933 as a three team league with The Hague, Amsterdam and Tilburg. It joined the International Ice Hockey Federation on 20 January, 1935. In 1946, it created the Eredivisie. The organisation’s name was changed from NIJB to IJNL in 2017.
The Hungarian men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of Hungary. They have participated in the IIHF European Championships, the IIHF World Hockey Championships and the Olympic Games since 1928. A consistent participant of the annual World Championship, Hungary has played at the Olympics three times, most recently in 1964. They are currently ranked 19th in the world by the IIHF.
The IIHF Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 1997, and has resided at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto since 1998. Prior to 1997, the IIHF housed exhibits at the International Hockey Hall of Fame in Kingston, Ontario. Inductions are made annually at the medal presentation day of the Ice Hockey World Championships. As of 2023, the IIHF has inducted 245 members.
The Spanish men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Spain. The team is administered by the Spanish Ice Sports Federation, itself a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). As of April 2020, the Spanish men's national program is 31st on the IIHF World Rankings and has 135 registered players. The men's national team currently competes at the IIHF World Championship Division II, Group A level.
The Thailand national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Thailand. The team is controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of Thailand and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Thailand is currently ranked at fifty-first in the IIHF World Rankings and have been entered in the World Championship tournaments since 2019 but have not yet participated at any Olympic Games. They have played in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.
The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation, commonly abbreviated as LHF is the governing body that oversees ice hockey in Latvia, including the Latvian Hockey Higher League, the Latvia women's national ice hockey team and the Latvia men's national ice hockey team. It was founded in 1931 and was admitted to the IIHF the same year.
The International Ice Hockey Federation is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 member countries.
The French Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body of ice hockey in France, as recognized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was founded in 2006 after separation with the Fédération française des sports de glace .
For the first ten years, the federation had its offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine. In 2016, it moved to a new national training center in Cergy, Val-d'Oise. It manages both the amateur and professional games in France, as well as the national teams on junior and senior levels. France is a founding member of the IIHF.
The Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation, abbreviated as RFEDH or FedHielo, is the administrative body for ice sports in Spain. It is a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) and, in partnership with the Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (RFEDI), represents Spain in all international interactions regarding the Winter Olympics. The RFEDH is headquartered in Barcelona and its president is Frank González, a former ice hockey player and official.
The national program for women's ice hockey in Finland had 5,858 active players in 2019. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association organizes both the national women's program and the three levels of domestic women's leagues in Finland.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
