Irish Ice Hockey League
The first official Irish Ice Hockey League.
SportIce hockey
Founded2007
No. of teams8
CountriesIreland
Northern Ireland
Most recent
champion(s)		Latvian Hawks
Official websiteIrish 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 ran 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.

Teams

Current IIHL Teams

Past IIHL Teams

Irish Ice Hockey League Champions

References

  1. 1 2 "Irish Ice Hockey Association". www.iiha.org. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  2. ↑ Meltzer, Bill "Irish eye continued growth of domestic hockey" at NHL.com Retrieved 18-09-20.
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