The Winter Games Federation of India was founded in 1979 and became a member of International Ice Hockey Federation in 1989. The first two clubs to play hockey in India were Bombay IHC and Madras IHC. The main hockey rivalry existed between two other clubs; the Simla Ice Skating Club in the north-western part of India in the Himalayian Mountains and the Ladakh Ice Skating Club in Leh near the Tibet border. The 1,000 mile distance between the two cities forced the clubs to travel by plane when playing one another. However, because Leh was located in a valley in the Himalayian Mountains, air travel is often difficult because of heavy clouds. The teams traveled only when the sky was clear. During inclement spells, they often continued to play games against one another until weather conditions permitted a return flight.
|