Ice hockey in the United Kingdom | |
---|---|
![]() The 1936 Winter Olympics gold winning Great British team | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Governing body | Ice Hockey UK English Ice Hockey Association Scottish Ice Hockey |
National team(s) | Men's national team; Women's national team |
First played | 1893 |
National competitions | |
National Ice Hockey League National Division, Division 1 North & South, Division 2 North & South Contents
Scottish National League Women's Elite League | |
International competitions | |
Ice hockey has been played in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the twentieth century, and it was a game between English Army veterans played in Canada that is the first recorded use of a sawed-off ball, which led to the use of the puck in hockey. [2] The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team enjoyed worldwide success through the 1920s and 1930s, achieving bronze at the 1924 Olympics, and gold twelve years later. [3] They also won medals at the World Championships in 1935, 1937 and 1938, though never won the tournament. The national team has struggled since the Second World War, and has not finished better than twelfth in the World Championships since 1962. Ice hockey is played professionally in the United Kingdom in the Elite Ice Hockey League, a ten team league which was founded in 2003. [4]
People in Northern climates have played sports with sticks and balls on skates for centuries, but ice hockey as we know it today was developed in Canada during the early nineteenth century, having developed from elements derived from the already existing sports of hurling, shinty, lacrosse, and sports similar to field hockey. [5] However, in its early development period, ice hockey in British North America, present day Canada, was a conglomeration of a number of similar ice skating games which were collectively called "hockey on the ice", a phenomenon which led to the creation of what is today known as bandy, though ice hockey developed in Canada while the early development bandy began largely in England. The earliest known, extant photograph of Bandy/ice Hockey in Britain is presumably of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club team training on Christ Church Meadow. [6]
Bandy is considered the forerunner to ice hockey and was first identified to have been organized in Britain with English speed skater and fen skater, Charles Goodman Tebbutt who was also responsible for the creating the first published set of rules for bandy in 1882. Bury Fen, near Bluntisham, was the home of the Bury Fen Bandy Club [7] (unbeaten for a century) where under the captaincy of Charles G. Tebbutt and his brothers (grandsons of Potto Brown's milling partner Joseph Goodman) the Bury Fen Bandy Club became responsible for formulating most of the rules of modern bandy and introducing the game into the Netherlands and other Northern European countries as well as other parts of Britain.
Today the word "bandy" is used rather than "hockey on the ice" or "ice hockey" in order to avoid confusion between the two ice skating sports. Bandy in all its forms disappeared from North America by the early 1900s after it had been absorbed into the new organized sport of ice hockey, but continued to develop in Russia and Scandinavia. Today, bandy is dominated internationally by Russia and Sweden. Meanwhile bandy is almost entirely extinct from Britain today and is played mostly as a type of cult sport in certain parts of the country, though efforts are being made to develop men's and women's national teams to compete in the international bandy competitions organized by the Federation of International Bandy. Today bandy in the United Kingdom is governed by the Great Britain Bandy Association (GBBA), formerly called the Bandy Federation of England and later the England Bandy Federation.
In early North America, indigenous persons are known to have played a type of field hockey which involved a type of "puck" or ball, and curved wooden sticks. It was first observed by Europeans being played by Mi'kmaqs in Nova Scotia during the late 17th century where it was called "ricket" by the Mi'kmaqs. It is considered possible that elements from these games were also involved in influencing the early development of ice hockey along with other existing games and sports, though in what manner and to what degree remains unclear.
The sport of ice hockey was originally played with a stick and ball, largely influenced by the British import of bandy, but in 1860 a group of English veterans from the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment played a game in Kingston, Ontario, utilising a sliced, flattened ball, a precursor to the modern puck, for what is believed to be the first time. This use of a puck in this match, played on the frozen harbour by the city, was a significant step towards the modern game of hockey, as a flat puck acts quite differently to a round ball, changing the dynamics of the game. [8] The game developed quickly in Canada, and in the late nineteenth century, Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby purchased a decorative punch bowl from a London silversmith to award to the leading amateur side in the country: this became known as the Stanley Cup. [9]
It was previously believed that in 1885 the first game of European ice hockey was played between Oxford University and their traditional rival Cambridge in the first Ice Hockey Varsity Match in St. Moritz, Switzerland. However, the first game is undocumented as the first photographs and team lists the date from 1895. [10] The match was won by the Oxford Dark Blues, 6–0. [11] [12] Today there is no contemporary evidence that this match took place, and Oxford now claims that this was a bandy match. [13]
In the United Kingdom, a five-team league was in operation in England in 1903; [8] the first in Europe. The league was contested at two rinks in London: the Prince's Skating Club in Knightsbridge and Hengler's Ice Rink in the City of Westminster. It was won by the London Canadians. [14] The first game to be played in Scotland occurred five years later in Crossmyloof, Glasgow. The same year saw the creation of the International Ice Hockey Federation, of which Great Britain was a founding member. The British Ice Hockey Association was set up in 1914, and continued until 1999, when it was replaced by Ice Hockey UK. [8]
The sport enjoyed an increase in interest in the 1980s, primarily in North East England and Scotland, where local clubs were at the forefront of the British Hockey League. [15] Its popularity rose further in the 1990s, when teams like the Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm were established, who had big, American-styled arenas and drew large crowds of up to 8,000 on average and up to 17,000 in single games, with the Manchester Storm holding the record for a British league game when they sold out Manchester Arena with 17,245 people on 23 February 1997. [16] In the early 2000s, the Nottingham Panthers and Belfast Giants also managed to draw large crowds. In order to take British ice hockey to the next level a new, more professional, top-tier league, the Ice Hockey Superleague, was established in 1996. However, after a number of clubs withdrew from the league while others folded, the league was disbanded and replaced by the considerably more low-profile Elite Ice Hockey League in 2003, resulting in a decrease in attendance during the mid- to late 2000s.
During the 2010s, the league recovered and the popularity of ice hockey rose again, with ice hockey now being considered the United Kingdom's biggest indoor sport and fastest-growing winter sport. [17]
Tier | Leagues/Divisions | ||
---|---|---|---|
1 | EIHL 10 teams – no promotions, no relegations | ||
2 | NIHL: National Division | ||
3 | NIHL: Division 1 – North (Moralee) | NIHL: Division 1 – South (Britton) | |
4 | NIHL: Division 2 – North (Laidler) | NIHL: Division 2 – South (Wilkinson) |
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) was formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague and it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom.
The league currently consists of ten teams, with representation from all four nations of the United Kingdom – the only league in any sport to do so. In fourteen completed seasons the league has been won by five different teams.
. | Club | Founded | City | Arena(s) | Capacity | Years in EIHL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Belfast Giants | 2000 | Belfast | SSE Arena Belfast | 9,000 | 2003–present |
![]() | Cardiff Devils | 1986 | Cardiff | Ice Arena Wales | 3,088 | 2003–present |
![]() | Coventry Blaze | 1965 | Coventry | SkyDome Arena | 3,000 | 2003–present |
![]() | Dundee Stars | 2001 | Dundee | Dundee Ice Arena | 2,300 | 2010–present |
![]() | Fife Flyers | 1938 | Kirkcaldy | Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 | 2011–present |
![]() | Glasgow Clan | 2010 | Glasgow | Braehead Arena | 4,000 | 2010–present |
![]() | Guildford Flames | 1992 | Guildford | Guildford Spectrum | 2,200 | 2017–present |
![]() | Manchester Storm [18] | 2015 | Altrincham | Silverblades Ice Rink Altrincham | 2,400 | 2015–present |
![]() | Nottingham Panthers | 1946 | Nottingham | National Ice Centre | 7,500 | 2003–present |
![]() | Sheffield Steelers | 1991 | Sheffield | FlyDSA Arena Sheffield | 9,500 | 2003–present |
The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of semi-professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association which currently form the second to fourth tiers of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly called the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL), it was renamed in 2012 to recognise the inclusion of several teams from Scotland and Wales.
The league is split into two regions, North and South, meaning teams do not have to travel long distances for away games. Each region has 2 divisions, with rules on promotion and relegation between the divisions in each region changing regularly.
Tier | Leagues/Divisions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Women's Elite League 6 teams | |||||
2 | Women's Premier League 8 teams | |||||
3 | Women Division 1 14 teams total, divided into 2 groups geographically. | |||||
South 9 teams | North 5 teams |
The British national ice hockey team (also known as Team GB) was a founding member of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1908. [19]
The team appeared on the international scene in the early 20th century, winning the first ever IIHF European Championship in 1910, finishing as bronze medallists at the 1924 Winter Olympics, and becoming Olympic champions in 1936. [20]
However, since then the national team has made little impact on the sport and Great Britain last qualified for the Olympics in 1948. The team's performances have increased in recent years, and in 2018, it managed to be promoted to the top division of the Ice Hockey World Championship for the first time since 1994. The Under 18 and Under 20 British teams also enjoyed success in 2018 with the former gaining promotion to group B of division I in the IIHF World U18 Championship whilst the latter finished third in their respective age category.
The British women's national ice hockey team was founded in 1989 and competed in the IIHF European Championships until 1996. Since then the team has competed in the IIHF World Women's Championships finishing in 23rd place (2nd in Division IIA) in 2018. They currently sit 23rd in the world rankings just one place lower than their male counterparts. The team has never qualified for the Olympics. However, the number of British female players has nearly doubled since 2011 to 889 eligible players as of 2019.
Male Players | Junior Players | Female Players | % of Population | Total Referees | Indoor Rinks | Outdoor Rinks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3,522 | 3,751 | 889 | 0.012 | 284 | 68 | 0 |
Ice hockey receives little national media coverage in the United Kingdom. Some national newspapers list results and provide short summaries of the league's news but more extensive coverage remains minimal.
On 20 July 2018 the EIHL agreed a two-year deal with FreeSports to broadcast one live EIHL game every two weeks, alongside a pre-season preview show, highlights package, and live coverage of the end of season play-off final. The coverage, which is available via Freeview (ch95), Sky (ch422), Virgin (ch553) FreeSat (ch252), TalkTalk (ch95), BT Vision (ch95) and online via the TVPlayer, will be fronted by Aaron Murphy who previously commentated on the league for Premier Sports. [21]
Coverage in the towns and cities where ice hockey clubs are based is more extensive, and local newspapers have dedicated ice hockey reporters who cover the local team. Local radio stations such as BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio Sheffield all provide programming on the sport. Radio Sheffield also provides a weekly ice hockey programme Iceline while Radio Nottingham has broadcast a similar programme, Powerplay since the later stages of the 2005–06 season, and has a 15-minute weekly preview of games on a Saturday evening during the ice hockey season after the station's coverage of the local football teams is completed. BBC Coventry & Warwickshire have also followed suit with Faceoff, a programme broadcast on the first Thursday of the month during the season.
The BBC shows extensive coverage of the sport during the Winter Olympics. [22]
Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers of players, apparel, and playing surface, they share broad characteristics of two opposing teams using a stick to propel a ball or disk into a goal.
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.
Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be performed on naturally frozen bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes, canals, and rivers, and on human-made ice surfaces both indoors and outdoors.
Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It can be played with traditional roller skates or with inline skates and use either a ball or puck. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 countries worldwide.
An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a competitive team sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette, rinkball, and rink bandy. It is a rectangle with rounded corners and surrounded by walls approximately 1.22 metres (48 in) high called the boards.
Checking in ice hockey is any of a number of defensive techniques aimed at disrupting an opponent with possession of the puck or separating him from the puck entirely. Most types are not subject to penalty.
Sportin Latvia includes basketball, football, ice hockey, athletics (track), rugby, tennis, cycling, and others. Basketball is the most popular of the Latvian sports and is closely followed by icehockey. Some of Latvia’s most notable athletes include hockey player Sandis Ozoliņš, football player Māris Verpakovskis, olympic javelin thrower Jānis Lūsis, two-time Olympic BMX champion Maris Strombergs, and basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis. The national sport of Latvia is ice hockey.
Floor hockey is a broad term for several indoor floor game codes which involve two teams using a stick and type of ball or disk. Disks are either open or closed but both designs are usually referred to as "pucks". These games are played either on foot or with wheeled skates. Variants typically reflect the style of ice hockey, field hockey, bandy or some other combination of sport. Games are commonly known by various names including cosom hockey, ball hockey, floorball, or simply floor hockey.
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom.
The Belfast Giants are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current champions for the 7th time in their history. They play their home games at the SSE Arena. Since their inception in 2000, the Giants have won fourteen major honours, including seven British league championships, three British championships by winning the play-offs, and five Challenge Cups.
Roller in-line hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport is a very fast-paced and free-flowing game and is considered a contact sport, but body checking is prohibited. There are five players including the goalkeeper from each team on the rink at a time, while teams normally consist of 16 players. There are professional leagues, one of which is the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL). While it is not a contact sport, there are exceptions, i.e. the NRHL involves fighting.
Anatoly Vladimirovich Tarasov was a Russian ice hockey player and coach. Tarasov is considered "the father of Russian ice hockey" and established the Soviet Union national team as "the dominant force in international competition". He was one of the first Russians to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1974 in the builders category. Tarasov also played and managed in the sport of football, but is best known for his work in developing the USSR's ice hockey program.
Paul Thompson is a British ice hockey head coach and general manager. He was head coach of the Great Britain men's national ice hockey team from 2006 to 2011. As of 2018, he is the winningest coach in the Elite Ice Hockey League, and has received nine Coach of the Year trophies in his career. His teams have won three Challenge Cups, two British Knockout Cups, and he is the first coach to win five Elite League titles. In the 2004–2005 season, Thompson completed the British Hockey Grand Slam; winning the Challenge Cup, the EIHL title, and the EIHL playoff championship. He served as the general manager and head coach of the Sheffield Steelers from 2015 to 2018, and previously coached 19 seasons with the Coventry Blaze organisation. He has coached professional teams in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Sweden; and has been the head coach of the Odense Bulldogs since 2021. He is known by the nickname "Thommo".
Anatoli Vasilievich Firsov was a Russian ice hockey left wing and center, who competed internationally for the USSR. In the IIHF World Championships, he won the scoring title four times and was named the best forward three times. He was also named the most valuable player in the Soviet hockey league three times. Between 1964 and 1972, Firsov played 166 games for the national team. He scored 134 goals, and won three Olympic and eight world titles.
The India national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of India. They are controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of India and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). India is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not qualified for any World Championship tournaments or at any Olympic Games. They have only played in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.
Meaghan Mikkelson is a Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Canadian national ice hockey team, currently affiliated with the Calgary chapter of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). Mikkelson won gold medals during the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She was selected third overall in the 2011 CWHL Draft by Team Alberta CWHL, nicknamed the Alberta Honeybadgers and later renamed the Calgary Inferno. Prior to her Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) career, Mikkelson played with the Edmonton Chimos of the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL).
The Great Britain Bandy Association (GBBA) is the governing body of the sport of bandy in the United Kingdom. It is based in The Fens part of Cambridgeshire, East Anglia. Formerly, the federation was named Bandy Federation of England. After some years with less activity, the federation was restarted and given the name England Bandy Federation in January 2017. In September 2017 the present name was adopted, as the federation widened its scope to all of the UK.
Ben Bowns is a professional British ice hockey goaltender for UK Elite Ice Hockey League side Cardiff Devils and the Great Britain national team.