Greek Ice Hockey Championship
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country |
 Greece
|
| Most recent champion(s) |
Iptameni Athens |
| TV partner(s) | None |
| Official website | icehockey.gr |
Greek Ice hockey Championship (Greek: Ελληνικό Πρωτάθλημα Χόκεϊ επί Πάγου) is the only level of ice hockey in Greece. It is operated under the jurisdiction of the Greek Ice Hockey Federation, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. There are currently registered 100 players, but it is unsure how many of them are active.
Ice Hockey started in Greece in 1984 by players that returned to Greece from abroad. Soon later five teams were formed, two in Athens, one in Piraeus, one in Salonica and one in Chalkida. The first official game was played in 1985 in Athens.
The first official Greek Championship was held in 1989 in the Peace and Friendship Stadium with five teams taking place. It was the first time hockey games were held in a normal size rink. The following year the Championship was held once again in the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
In 1990 the first Junior National Team was formed and took part in the World Junior Championship Pool C, held in Yugoslavia. In 1991 the Junior National Team took part in the World Junior Championship, held in Italy.
In 1992 the first ever Men's Greek National Team was formed and took place in the World Championships Pool C held in South Africa. With only two weeks of serious training abroad and the support of the Greeks of South Africa, the National Team won the bronze medal. It was extraordinary for a team to win a medal in their first appearance at the World Championships.
Despite the great achievement, the decline of the sport came in 1993. Economic help was discontinued by the Greek Undersecretary of State for Sports and all expenses to keep ice hockey alive were passed over to the players. Practices stopped and many players quit.
Practices started again in 1995 but were limited to once a week. Despite the hard times ice hockey faced, a National Team was formed in 1995 and took part in the World Championships held once again in South Africa. Unfortunately, the problems affected the players and they were unable to defend the bronze medal they had won three years ago. They managed to win one game and tie one in five games.
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Wikipedia