Israelis who emigrated from the Soviet block (U.S.S.R) and Canada established the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel in 1989. In the first year of operations (1990) the federation had 150 registered players who played for four teams in Ramat-Gan, Haifa, Bat-Yam and Jerusalem. At that time, the largest rink in Israel (in Bat-Yam) had an ice-surface that was approximately 33% of the size of a NHL rink. Two other rinks with much smaller ice-surfaces were in Haifa and Ramat-Gan.

In 1994 two more clubs from Netanya and Metula joined the Ice Hockey Federation and the Canada Center with its Olympic-size rink was opened in Metula. In 1996 and 1998 teams from Holon and Lod, respectively, joined the Federation. In 1999 a rink with an ice-surface that is approximately 40% of the size of a NHL rink was opened in Maalot and the team from Maalot joined the Ice Hockey Federation. In the meantime the small rinks in Bat-Yam, Ramat-Gan and Haifa closed their gates and some of the clubs folded. In 2004, five hockey clubs with more than 500 registered players participate in both Senior and Junior leagues in Israel. All league games take place in the Olympic-size rink in Metula, which is located on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, about 150 miles north of Tel-Aviv.

In 1991 the Israeli Ice Hockey Federation joined the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the Israeli national teams started to participate in the World Championships. From 1992 to 1996 the Israeli senior team played in pool D of the World Championships and was placed in either the 7th or 8th places (last place). Following a steady and gradual progress, Israel took the 5th place in 1997 and won the bronze medal of pool D in 1998 (in South Africa). In 1999 Israel won the silver medal and in 2000, in Iceland, Israel won the championship of pool D. In 2001 and 2002 (following a realignment of divisions within the IIHF) Israel won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, of Division II of the world championships.

In 1995, the Israeli Junior National team (U-18) started to participate in the European championships. The Junior team played in pool B of the championship and won the Bronze medal in 1996 in Bulgaria. From 1997 to 2000 the Junior team took either the 4th or 5th places in pool B of the championships. From 2001 to 2003 the Israeli Junior team finished in the last place of Division II of the World Under 18 Championships. Initially, the majority of the players on Israel’s junior national hockey teams were composed of Russian immigrants and Israeli Canadians (Israeli citizens who live in Canada). Today, however, Israel’s Junior team consists mostly of Israeli born youth. Also, since 1995 the Israeli league’s champion participates in the European cup for National Champions.

Some of the players who played for the Israeli national teams continue to play hockey at a professional level: Max Birbrayer was drafted by the NJ Devils and is playing in the American Hockey League; Alon Eizenman led Penn State University to three national hockey championships and played in the French premier league; and Sergei Zak is coaching and playing in Iceland.

The development of hockey in Israel was helped significantly by the influx of immigrants from the Soviet block. Currently there are more than 1.5 million immigrants in Israel who are familiar with the sport and can provide the infrastructure (coaches, managers, etc.) and dedication that are needed for the sport to grow. For some of these immigrants hockey provides an opportunity to integrate, settle and contribute to the rich fabric of the Israeli society. Boris Mendel, the coach of the Israeli Junior national team, often suggests that for many of his players the opportunity to play hockey helped with their self-esteem and academic performance and allowed them to excel in their army service.

Even though the sport of hockey has a relatively short history in Israel it has already reached a level that is similar to the level of hockey programs in countries with much longer histories (i.e. Bulgaria, Spain, Australia, Belgium). Please look at the Future Plans section of the web-site to learn more about projects that promote the sport of hockey in Israel.