The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top-level men's ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia. The AIHL is a semi-professional league that is contested by ten franchised teams in two conferences spanning six Australian states and territories. AIHL premiers are awarded the H Newman Reid Trophy and AIHL champions are awarded the Goodall Cup, the world's third oldest ice hockey trophy, having been first awarded in 1909. The most successful team in AIHL history is the Newcastle Northstars, having claimed six championship titles. The current champions, from 2023, are the Melbourne Mustangs.
The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2002, and are four-time Goodall Cup champions and H Newman Reid Trophy premiers.
The Newcastle Northstars is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Northstars are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), joining as an expansion team in 2002. The team is based at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie, 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle. The Northstars are affiliated with the ice hockey club of the same name. The team have won six Goodall Cups and five H Newman Reid Trophies, making them the most successful team in AIHL history.
The Sydney Bears is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1982, the Bears are the only remaining founding member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) still operating. The Bears are based at Macquarie Ice Rink, within the Macquarie Centre, in the northern suburbs of Sydney. The Sydney Bears have claimed three Goodall Cups in 2002, 2003 and 2019.
The Canberra Knights were a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team played its home games at the Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Centre in Phillip, a suburb of Australia's capital city, Canberra. In February 2014 the team owner announced that operations would fold due to financial costs, lack of local players and poor performance. They were replaced in the league by the CBR Brave. The Knights were only ever premiers once, in 1998, in the now defunct East Coast Super League, and never made the finals since the formation of the AIHL.
The Sydney Ice Dogs is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 2002, the Ice Dogs are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The Ice Dogs are two time Goodall Cup champions.
The 2009 AIHL season was the tenth season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 25 April 2009 until 23 August 2009, with the AIHL finals following on 29 and 30 August 2009. The Newcastle North Stars won the H Newman Reid Trophy (backdated) after finishing the regular season first in the league standings. Adelaide Adrenaline won the Goodall Cup (backdated) for the first time by defeating the Newcastle North Stars in the final.
The 2010 AIHL season was the 11th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It also marked the 10th Anniversary since the league’s inception in 2000. The league ran from 24 April 2010 until 22 August 2010, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 28 and 29 August 2010. The Newcastle North Stars won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing the regular season first in the league standings. Melbourne Ice won the Goodall Cup for the first time by defeating the defending champions Adelaide Adrenaline in the final.
The Wilson Cup is an Australian ice hockey trophy first introduced in 2007 and named after John and Carol Wilson. The Cup was awarded to the winner of the New South Wales (NSW) pre-season tournament involving all NSW teams in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) between 2007 and 2016. Since 2017 the Wilson Cup has been awarded to the winner of the regular season four game series between the two Sydney based AIHL teams, the Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs.
Ice hockey in Australia is a sport which had a relatively poor popularity, having low participation and spectator attendance figures when compared with many other sports played in the country.
The Hunter Ice Skating Stadium is an ice sports and public skate centre, opened in 2000 and located in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium serves as the home ice rink of the Newcastle Northstars who compete in the Australian Ice Hockey League and East Coast Super League.
The Penrith Ice Palace was an ice sports and public skate centre, located west of Sydney in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. It permanently closed on Wednesday 29 June 2022 It served as the home ice rink of the Penrith Valley Figure Skating Club, AJIHL teams Sydney Sabres and Sydney Wolf Pack. It twice was the home venue of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) team Sydney Bears between 2007–11 and 2015-16.
The CBR Brave is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Canberra, ACT. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2014 to replace the defunct Canberra Knights in the AIHL. Their home venue is the Phillip Ice Skating Centre known as The Brave Cave. The Brave have claimed two Goodall Cup championships and three H Newman Reid Trophy premierships.
The 2015 AIHL season was the 16th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 25 April 2015, until 23 August 2015, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 29 and 30 August. The Newcastle North Stars won both the H Newman Reid Trophy for finishing first in the regular season, and the Goodall Cup after defeating the Melbourne Ice in the final.
The 2016 AIHL season was the 17th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 23 April 2016 until 21 August 2016, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 27 and 28 August. The Melbourne Ice won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing the regular season with the most points. The Newcastle North Stars won the Goodall Cup for the second year in a row after defeating the CBR Brave in the final.
The 2017 AIHL season was the 18th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 22 April 2017 until 27 August 2017, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 2 and 3 September. The Melbourne Ice won both the H Newman Reid Trophy for finishing first in the regular season, and the Goodall Cup after defeating the CBR Brave in the final.
The Macquarie Ice Rink is an ice sports and public skate centre, opened in 1981 and located within the Macquarie Shopping Centre in the northern Sydney suburb of Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is the current home of the Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs AIHL ice hockey teams.
The 2020 AIHL season was going to be the 21st season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It was originally scheduled to run from 18 April 2020 until 23 August 2020, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 29 August and 30 August 2020. However, on 12 March 2020 the league announced the postponement of the 2020 season to a to be determined date due to COVID-19. Then on 29 July 2020, the AIHL commission's return to play committee announced the official cancellation of the 2020 AIHL season due to July COVID outbreaks on the east coast as well as continued border closures for WA and SA. This marked the first time the Goodall Cup was not awarded since 1993, when the competition was cancelled as a result of financial problems.
The Blacktown international Ice Arena was an ice sports and public skate centre, built in May 1979 the rink was located in Blacktown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The rink closed on 28 October 2007 and was demolished over the course of 2007 and 2008. It had previously served as the home ice rink of the Sydney Ice Dogs in the Australian Ice Hockey League between 2002 and 2007.
The 2021 AIHL season was going to be the 21st season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), following the cancellation of the 2020 season. However, on 2 February 2021, the AIHL announced the season would not go ahead, citing ongoing border restriction issues between different Australian states as the reason for the cancellation. For the second year in a row, the Goodall Cup would not be contested.
