Sport Ice hockey No. of teams 6 | Founded 2007 Most recent
champion(s) Dundalk Bulls | |
Countries Ireland
Northern Ireland Official website Irish Ice Hockey Association | ||
The Irish Ice Hockey League was a top level ice hockey league in Ireland from 2007 until 2010. The official league was founded in 2007, yet amateur leagues have existed since the early 1980s. The league collapsed due to funding issues as they were unable to maintain the major arenas they played in. Many of the teams either collapsed or moved to the recreational league maintained by the IIHA.
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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.