Irish Ice Hockey League
 The first official Irish Ice Hockey League. | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Countries | Ireland Northern Ireland |
| Most recent champion(s) | Latvian Hawks |
| Official website | Irish Ice Hockey Association |
The Irish Ice Hockey League was the highest league tier of ice hockey in Ireland, founded in 2007.[1] The official league was founded in 2007, yet amateur leagues have existed since the early 1980s.[2] The league collapsed in 2010 due to funding issues as they were unable to maintain the major arenas they played in. The league is now run by the IIHA with all games played at Dundonald International Ice Bowl due to closure of other rinks.[1]
History
Following on from the construction of Dundalk Ice Dome and the success of the Division 3 Ice Hockey World Championship held in Dundalk during April 2007 the Irish Ice Hockey Association announced the formation of an all new, all-Ireland Ice Hockey League. The five teams play all of their regular season games at the Dundalk Ice Dome. The league's inaugural champions were the Dundalk Bulls who won the championship by defeating the Dublin Rams 6-3.
Prior to the Irish Ice Hockey League's formation, the only Ice Hockey team in Ireland playing competitive hockey was the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. Many Irish hockey players seeking to play the sport at a competitive level have had to travel abroad.
The league is now played under the Irish Ice Hockey Association at an amateur level. All games are played at Dundonald International Ice Bowl due to the closure of the Dundalk Ice Dome.
Full team list
- Flying Ducks
- Dublin Buccaneers
- Kilkenny Storm
- Dún Dealgan Warriors
- Latvian Hawks
- Cork Wolfpack
- Sirens IHC
- Castlereagh Spartans
- Celtic Clovers
- Dublin Druids
- Dublin Rams
- Dundalk Bulls
- Dublin Stags
- Dublin Wolves
- Flyers IHC
- Junior Belfast Giants
- Dublin Flyers
- Belfast City Bruins
- Dundonald Redwings
- The Halifax Hockey Club
- Ice Breakers
Irish Ice Hockey League champions
References
- ^ a b "Irish Ice Hockey Association". www.iiha.org. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
- ^ Meltzer, Bill "Irish eye continued growth of domestic hockey" at NHL.com Retrieved 18-09-20.
External links
- Meltzer, Bill "Irish eye continued growth of domestic hockey" at NHL.com Retrieved 07-05-07.
- Meltzer, Bill "Ireland united in hockey" at IIHF.com
- Irish Ice Hockey Association
- Flyers IHC
