Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply 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 h ...

is a sport played primarily in cold weather countries in the world. The

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...

has 76 members (54 full members, 21 associate members and 1 affiliate member).

Current countries

Africa

Americas

Asia and Oceania

}) is the country's first ice hockey player to go abroad. Notable players of Iranian descent are Daniel Rahimi,

Mika Zibanejad Mika Zibanejad ( fa, میکا زیبانژاد; born 18 April 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Zibanejad was selected sixth overall in the 2011 ...

, and

Rhett Rakhshani Rhett Thomas Rakhshani (born March 6, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the New York Islanders in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Rakhshani is of Iranian– German– Mex ...

. Current

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

vice captain, Samson Mahbod plays in the

KHL The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs b ...

. So far the national team held a total of four camps, June 2016 in

Asiago Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in th ...

, August 2016 in Almaty, December 2016 in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

and January 2017 in Tehran. August 23, 2016, The Iran national team played its first unofficial game against a Kazakh team, HC Almaty, winning 5-4 in Almaty. On October 1, 2016, the first ice hockey match was played between two Iranian teams in a friendly in Padide Ice Rink in Mashhad, Padide defeated Khorasan Razavi 5-4. Iran was supposed to compete at the

2017 Asian Winter Games The 2017 Asian Winter Games ( ja, 2017アジア冬季競技大会, 2017 Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai) was the 8th edition of the Asian Winter Games. They were hosted in Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. These Games were originally scheduled fo ...

, but they were disqualified after a number of players were deemed ineligible to compete in the regional games. , - , , , IIHF member. 3 rinks. 1,838 registered players. The Israeli Hockey League, founded in 1993, is the national league in the country. Israel has men's and junior national teams. , - , , , IIHF member. 167 rinks. 18,765 registered players. The

Japan Ice Hockey League The Japan Ice Hockey League (JIHL) (日本アイスホッケーリーグ) was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey. Only Japanese teams competed in the JIHL. Baseball an ...

was the national league in the country from 1966–2004, when it folded in favor of the multi-national Asia League. Since 1933, a cup competition, the

All Japan Ice hockey Championship The All Japan Ice hockey Championship (全日本アイスホッケー選手権大会) is an annual ice hockey tournament for Japanese teams, that began in 1930, making the tournament one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country. The tou ...

has been held. A women's counterpart has been held since 1982. Japan has men's, women's and junior national teams. The Japan women's national team qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...

in Pyeongchang. Japan hosted and participated at the

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

. , - , , , IIHF member. 373 rinks. 6,478 registered players. The Kazakhstan Championship, founded in 1992, is the country's top level league. The

Kazakhstan Cup The Kazakhstan Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Kazakhstan football, run by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The tournament was initially founded in 1936 as a competition for clubs in the Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Сове� ...

has been held since the 2001-02 season, with the exception of 2004-05 and 2009. Kazakhstan's top team,

Barys Astana Hockey Club Barys ( kk, Барыс хоккей клубы , translit=Barys Hokkei Kluby), also referred to as Barys Astana or HC Barys, is a professional ice hockey team based in Astana, Kazakhstan. It is one of the founding members of the Kon ...

, participates in the multi-national

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

. Kazakhstan has men's, women's and junior national teams. , - , , , IIHF member. 13 rinks. 2,300 registered players. The North Korean Championship has been contested since 1956. The North Korea national team participated at the

Asian Winter Games The Asian Winter Games (AWG) is an international multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) which features winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of holding a winter ...

in 1986, 1990 and 2007. North Korea has men's, women's and junior national teams. , - , , , IIHF member. 30 rinks. 3,052 registered players. The top Korean teams, Anyang Halla,

High1 High1 ( ko, 하이원) is an ice hockey team based in Seoul, South Korea. Formed in 2004, the team was initially made up of players from the defunct Korean Ice Hockey League who didn't immediately move to Anyang Halla from the Hyundai and Dongwon ...

and

Daemyung Killer Whales The Daemyung Killer Whales were a professional ice hockey team based in Seoul, South Korea. The club joined the Asia League Ice Hockey Asia League Ice Hockey ( ja, アジアリーグアイスホッケー; ko, 아시아리그 아이스하키) ...

participates in the multi-national Asia League. The Korea Domestic Championship, open to both club teams and university teams, has been held since 1955. From 1996-2003, the

Korean Ice Hockey League The Korean Ice Hockey League (KIHL) was the national ice hockey league in South Korea from the 1995–96 season until it folded after the 2003–04 season. Anyang Halla (known as Mando Winia from 1994–1997 and Halla Winia from 1998–2004) won the ...

also existed.

Jim Paek Jim Paek ( ko, 백지선, Baek Chi-sun, born April 7, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, who is currently the director of hockey for the Korea Ice Hockey Association and head coach of the South Korean national team. Paek ...

is of Korean descent, who played in the NHL, was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. Korea has men's, women's and junior national teams. Korea hosted and participated at the

in Pyeongchang. , - , , , IIHF member. 3 rinks. 530 registered players. In 2009, the

Kuwait Hockey League The Kuwait Hockey League is the national ice hockey league in Kuwait and the 68th member of the International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: I ...

was held, with Kuwait City winning. The league has not been held since. The Kuwait national team has participated in the

in 1999, 2007, 2011 and 2017, the

IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia The IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship (formally the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia) are a series of international ice hockey tournaments in the continent of Asia. The purpose of the tournament is to provide competitive opportunities for Asian and Oc ...

in 2010 through 2018, the

Arab Cup The FIFA Arab Cup ( ar, كأس العرب, translit=Kaʾs al-ʿArab), or simply Arab Cup, is an international association football competition which has been organized by FIFA since 2021, and is contested by the senior men's national teams of ...

in 2008, and the GCC Gulf Championship in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Kuwait has men's national team. , - , , , IIHF member. 17 rinks. 915 registered players. The Kyrgyzstan Championship has been held since 2008. In 1962, the Kyrgyzstan national team played three games, losing to Estonia, Georgia and Lithuania. They participated at the

2011 Asian Winter Games ) , Host city = Astana & Almaty, Kazakhstan , Nations participating = 26IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia The IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship (formally the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia) are a series of international ice hockey tournaments in the continent of Asia. The purpose of the tournament is to provide competitive opportunities for Asian and Oc ...

in 2014 through 2016. Kyrgyzstan has men's national team. , - , , , The country has a team, the Veg Group Beirut. There is a small recreational hockey league known as the Lebanese Minor Hockey League, co-founded by Gordon Penney and Jiří Vlk from the Canadian and Czech embassies, respectively, and a Lebanese native Tony Abi Almeh, at the Ice Skating Arena in Zouk Mosbeh in 2003. The league was set to visit Prague for the tournament in 2005. Hockey died out after the rink was shuttered in 2006. The Lebanese Hockey Association, founded by Pascal Malkoun in 2015, has been created to advance ice, inline and

ball hockey Ball hockey is a team sport and an off-ice variant of the sport of ice hockey. The sport is also a variant of one of several floor hockey game codes but more specifically a variant of street hockey. Ball hockey is patterned after and closely r ...

initiatives of Lebanese hockey players on a worldwide basis in addition to enabling international development and representation of the country in the sport of hockey.

Nazem Kadri Nazem Kadri (born October 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He played his juni ...

is of Lebanese descent, who currently played for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

in the NHL.

Ed Hatoum Edward Hatoum (Arabic: إدوارد حاطوم) (born December 7, 1947) is a Lebanese-born Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League between 1968 and 1971, and the World Hockey Association between 1 ...

who also played in the NHL, was born in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

played its first game on April 15, 2017. Lebanon defeating Maghreb United, 8–3. Maghreb United was made up of players from

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. Lebanon played in an exhibition game against Haiti on April 23, 2017, at the Aréna Raymond-Bourque in

Saint-Laurent, Quebec Saint-Laurent () is a borough of the city of Montreal, Canada, located in the northern part of the island. Although it is no longer an independent city, it is still commonly known as Ville Saint-Laurent (''City of Saint-Laurent'') or by its initi ...

, Canada, with both teams making their international ice hockey debut. Lebanon gets their first international win over Haiti with a score of 7–4. , - , , , IIHF member. 1 rink. 86 registered players. The Macau national team has participated in the

in 2007 and 2017, and the

every year since 2008. They also participated in the Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Macau Ice Hockey League in 2007–08, going 0–1–5. Macau has men's national team. , - , , , IIHF member. 2 rinks. 367 registered players. The

Malaysian Ice Hockey League The Malaysian Ice Hockey League is the national ice hockey league in Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the ...

has existed since 2002. The Malaysia national team participated in the

every year since 2008, and the

in 2007, 2011 and 2017. Malaysia has men's and women's national teams. Malaysia hosted and made its debut in ice hockey tournament at the

2017 Southeast Asian Games Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

. , - , , , IIHF member. 21 rinks. 730 registered players. The

Mongolia Hockey League The Mongolian Hockey League ( Mongolian: ''Монгол хоккейн лигийн'') is the national ice hockey league in Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country ...

was founded in 1991, is the country's national league. The Mongolia national team participated in the

every year since 2009, and the

in 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2017. Mongolia is unable to compete in any IIHF tournaments, when the IIHF enacted new "minimum participation standards", stipulating that Mongolia must have at least one functional, full-sized indoor rink. Their last appearance was the

2013 IIHF World Championship Division III The 2013 IIHF World Championship Division III was an international Ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Group A was contested in Cape Town, South Africa, from 15 to 21 April 2013 and the qualification tournamen ...

. Mongolia has men's national team. , - , , , IIHF member. Currently one IIHF standard rink and no registered players. The Nepal Ice Hockey Association was founded on June 17, 2014, and it joined the IIHF on May 20, 2016. There is a single ice rink constructed in 2017.

Tilicho Lake Tilicho Lake () is a lake located in the Manang district of Nepal, as the crow flies from the city of Pokhara. It is situated at an elevation of in the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. Another source lists the elevation of Lake Tilicho as bein ...

is frozen for nearly half a year and was used for training until the current rink was constructed. , - , , , IIHF member. 11 rinks. 1,335 registered players. The

New Zealand Ice Hockey League The NZIHL is New Zealand’s national ice hockey league. It is an amateur league that was formed in 2005 to develop the sport in New Zealand and to give the top players regular competition against each other to improve the skill level of the game ...

has been the national league since 2005. Prior to its founding, the New Zealand Championship was contested in some years. New Zealand has men's, women's and junior national teams. , - , , , IIHF member. 2 rinks. 73 registered players. There are two teams, Wadi Dogs and Muscat Cobras. The Oman Ice Sports Committee was founded and it joined the IIHF in May, 2014. The Oman national team participated in the GCC Gulf Championship in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, and the

in 2015 and 2017. , - , , , IIHF member. 4 rinks. 131 registered players. There is a recreational hockey league around the capital of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

known as the Manila Ice Hockey League (MIHL). The

Federation of Ice Hockey League The Federation of Ice Hockey League, Inc. (FIHL), also known as Hockey Philippines, is the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the Philippines. It handled the formation of the Philippine national team, together with the acqui ...

(FIHL) was founded in 2015 and it joined the IIHF on May 20, 2016. By July 2016, the federation has become a member of the

Philippine Olympic Committee The Philippine Olympic Committee Inc. (POC) is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines. The POC is a private, non-governmental organization composed of and serve as the mother organization of all National Sports Associations (NSAs) i ...

and the

can apply to participate in the official tournaments such as the Challenge Cup of Asia and the

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with sup ...

. The Philippines competed at the

. They finished 13th place (3rd in Division II) after defeating Macau 9:2. The women's national team made its debut on March 7, 2017, playing against Thailand, losing to them 21–1 during the

2017 IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia The 2017 IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia is an international women's ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The tournament took place from 7 to 15 March 2017 at the Rink Ice Arena of the CentralPlaza Grand Rama IX ...

. , - , , , IIHF member. 3 rinks. 106 registered players. The Qatar Winter Sports Committee was founded in 2010 and it joined the IIHF on May 18, 2012. The

Qatar Ice Hockey League The Qatar International Ice Hockey League is the ice hockey league in Qatar. It was first contested in 2003. History The Qatar International Ice Hockey League (QIIHL) was founded in 2003. Usually league games are played at the ''Villaggio Ice Ri ...

has been the country's national league since 2005. The Qatar national team participated in the GCC Gulf Championship in 2014 and 2016. , - , , , There are three ice rinks in

Dhahran Dhahran ( ar, الظهران, ''Al-Dhahran'') is a city located in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. With a total population of 240,742 as of 2021, it is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Together with the nearby citi ...

, Jeddah and

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...

. Saudi Arabia participated in the GCC Gulf Championship in 2010. They finished 3rd place (won the bronze medal) after defeating Oman, 3–1. , - , , , IIHF member. 2 rinks. 533 registered players. The

Singapore National Ice Hockey League The Singapore National Ice Hockey League is the ice hockey Sports league, league in Singapore. It was first contested in 1995. Champions * 2017: D1: Singapore Scotiabank, D2: JOG, D3: Momentum * 2016: Scotia * 2015: SEB * 2014: Triple-O Singapore ...

is the national league in the country. It was held yearly from 1995 to 2009, but it has not been held since. The Singapore national team participated in the

in 2008 through 2018. Singapore has men's and women's national teams. , - , , , There are two ice rinks in

Khujand Khujand ( tg, Хуҷанд, Khujand; Uzbek: Хўжанд, romanized: Хo'jand; fa, خجند‌, Khojand), sometimes spelled Khodjent and known as Leninabad (russian: Ленинабад, Leninabad; tg, Ленинобод, Leninobod; fa, لنی ...

and Safed Dara. On January 8, 2017, the first ever ice hockey game in Tajikistan took place, with the debut match taking place between Safed Dara and Farozom at the Safed Dara Ski Resort. , - , , , IIHF member. 3 rinks. 359 registered players. The

Thai World Hockey League 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 parti ...

was founded in 2003, is the national league in the country. The Thailand national team participated in the

every year since 2008, and the

in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2017. Thailand has men's and women's national teams. , - , , , IIHF member. 4 rinks. 354 registered players. The Turkmenistan Championship was founded in 2013, is the national championship in the country. The Turkmenistan national team held its first international match against the Belarusian club team, Minsk City, which they won by 7:2. The National Center of Turkmenistan for Winter Sports was founded and it joined the IIHF in May 2015.

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

made its debut on February 18, 2017, and competed at the

. They won their first international game by defeating Malaysia, 9–2, and later went on to win the Division II by defeating Kyrgyzstan, 7–3. , - , , , IIHF member. 5 rinks. 563 registered players. The

Emirates Ice Hockey League The Emirates Hockey League (EHL) is the national ice hockey league of the United Arab Emirates. The league is governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Founded in 2009 by the country’s Winter Sports Federation and the Emirates Olymp ...

is the national league in the country. The UAE national team has participated in the

IIHF World Championship Division III The IIHF World Championship Division III are an annual sports event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It was the lowest level of the IIHF World Championships until the formation of Division IV for 2020. Organization Wh ...

in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017, the

in 2009 through 2017, the

in 2007, 2011 and 2017, the

in 2008, and the GCC Gulf Championship in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. The UAE has men's and women's national teams. , - , , , There is a synthetic ice sheet in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 2 ...

. The regular ice rink in Tashkent is closed around 1990. Binokor Tashkent played in the

Vtoraya Liga The Second League (russian: Вторая лига, translit. ''Vtoraya Liga'', also seen as RUS-4) was an ice hockey league in Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and ...

/ Pervaya Liga (2nd and 3rd level Soviet leagues) from 1970–1988. In 1986, the Uzbekistan national team played a game against Latvia, losing 5–2. Ice hockey in Uzbekistan was revived in 2012 and the Uzbekistan Hockey League was founded in 2013.

Current countries

Africa

Americas

Asia and Oceania

Europe

Former countries

See also

References

External links