The first international ice hockey matches for each (past or present) country are listed chronologically as follows:
| World Championships | |
|---|---|
| Other competitions | |
| Awards and honors | |
| Related articles | |
Ice hockey is a contact winter team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. 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.
The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is the fifth-wealthiest professional sport league in the world by revenue, after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the English Premier League (EPL).
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, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. 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 Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional or amateur. It was sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League. Canada won the tournament four times, while the Soviet Union captured the championship once. It was succeeded by the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.
Vsevolod Mikhailovich Bobrov was a Soviet athlete, who excelled in football, bandy and ice hockey. He is considered one of the best Russians ever in each of those sports.
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (19), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1) and China (1) for a total of 22.
The International Ice Hockey Federation is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 82 member countries.
The 2008 IIHF World Championship rosters consisted of 399 players on 16 national ice hockey teams. In honour of the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) 100th anniversary, the World Championship was hosted in Canada for the first time. Held in Quebec City and Halifax, Canada, the 2008 IIHF World Championship was the 72nd edition of the tournament. Russia won the Championship, the second time they had done so and their 24th title if including those won by the Soviet Union. Dany Heatley of Canada led the tournament in scoring with 20 points, and was named the tournament's most valuable player and top forward. Canadian Brent Burns was named top defenceman, while Evgeni Nabokov of Russia was selected as top goaltender.
The 2009 IIHF World Championship rosters consisted of 396 players from 16 national ice hockey teams. Run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the 2009 IIHF World Championship, held in Berne and Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland, was the 73rd edition of the tournament. Russia won the championship, the third time they had done so; it was their 25th championship if it is included with those won by the Soviet Union team.
The 2010 IIHF World Championship rosters consisted of 395 players from 16 national ice hockey teams. Run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the 2010 IIHF World Championship, held in Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim, Germany, was the 74th edition of the tournament. The Czech Republic won the championship for the sixth time after defeating Russia 2–1 in the final.
The Thai World Hockey League was an ice hockey league in Thailand. After 14 years, it was replaced by the Siam Hockey League for the months of November through May. The TWHL was one of the first leagues that allowed various skill levels to participate. The Siam Hockey League was formed to try to establish a high level of play.
The 2011 IIHF World Championship rosters consisted of 397 players from 16 national ice hockey teams. Organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the 2011 IIHF World Championship, held in Bratislava and Košice, Slovakia, was the 75th edition of the tournament. Finland won the tournament for the second time defeating Sweden 6–1 in the final.
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.
Sweden competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
Ice hockey at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics took place at the Vaudoise Aréna in Lausanne, Switzerland from 10 to 22 January 2020.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) was the host nation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing which took place from 4 to 20 February 2022. China sent its largest ever contingent of delegation of 387 personnel to the games, of which 176 were athletes.
The Czech Republic competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
Finland competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
Denmark competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
Slovakia competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022.
