Ice Hockey in Germany

Though Ice Hockey in Germany is a popular sport, it is not so famous as football. However, Ice Hockey in Germany has acquired international acclaim over the past few years. Currently the Men's German National Ice Hockey Team ranks tenth in the world in the IIHF rank list.

Ice Hockey in Germany began as early as 1900 in the city of Berlin. In 1901, the Berliner Schlittschuhclub created its own department in Ice Hockey. Germany participated in the first European Ice Hockey Championship in 1910 which was a city league wherein ten teams played. When the German Championships were held in 1912, Berliner Schlittschuhclub emerged victorious.

After the First World War, Germany was banned from all types of sports. But when the Winter Olympics were held in 1932, Germany won a bronze medal. Germany won the Ice Hockey World Cup in 1934. However, after the Second World War when Germany was banned again, the Oberliga or Ice Hockey, in English, transformed itself into the Federal Republic which came back on March 10, 1951. It was succeeded by the Ice Hockey Bundesliga in 1958 which in turn was finally replaced by the Deutsche Eishockey-Bund in1963.

Some of the Ice Hockey teams of Germany are the Frankfurt Lions, the Hamburg Freezers and the Munich Lions. A few important Tournaments and Championships in Ice Hockey in Germany are the Deutschland Cup which is an international tournament. The Olympische Eishhockey Tourniere and the Men's Eishockey Weltmeisterschaft are two other instances of the same. The German Ice Hockey Hall Of Fame was founded on 1988. This institution is located at Augsberg in Germany. Its sole purpose is to honor those who have contributed to the game of Ice Hockey in Germany.

The Ice Hockey Bundesliga or the federal league was a competition meant for the elite class in the Federal Republic of Germany. It took place between 1958 and 1994. Even Women's Ice Hockey in Germany is making a strong impression nowadays.