The Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association was founded on August 8, 1980. Hong Kong joined the International Ice Hockey Federation on March 31, 1983 and made its debut on the world stage at the "D" Pool World Championships in Perth, Australia in 1987. Hong Kong tied Taiwan 2-2 in its first international game on March 13, 1987 and went on to win the Fair Play Cup at the world tournament.
Although there was plenty of hockey activity in Hong Kong, local teams (usually stocked with Canadian and American players) did not compete for a national championship until 1995-96. The first title was won by a team sponsored by Planet Hollywood.