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Norway
Norges Ishockeyforbund
Norwegian Federation Logo

  • Incorporated  Sep. 18, 1934
  • Joined the IIHF  Jan. 20, 1935
  • 6,177  registered players
  • 101  registered clubs
  • President:  Ole-Jacob Libaek
National Teams
Star Players

History
Hockey in Norway
The roots of hockey in Norway go back to the late 1920s when the game debuted in the northern part of the country. Like many other European countries, the first ice hockey players in Norway had a great deal of previous experience playing bandy. The first hockey teams in Norway were created in 1932 in Trondheim, Sandviken, and Tromso. The first Norwegian national championship was played in 1934-35 and was won by the Trygg SFK club of Oslo. The 1934-35 season also saw the formation of the Norges Ishockeyforbund (Norwegian Ice Hockey Union) on September 18, 1934 and the inclusion of Norway in the International Ice Hockey Federation on January 20, 1935.

The Furuset and Gamlebyen clubs dominated Norwegian hockey in the 1960's. The Valerengens team emerged as a dynasty with consecutive titles in 1962 and 1963 followed by a string of seven consecutive championships from 1965 to 1971. The Frisk, Manglerud and Hasle teams joined the traditional powers as contenders in the 1970's. Recently the Storhamar team has excelled with three straight championships from 1995 to 1997.

The Norwegian National Team began its official history on February 13, 1937 when Norway was defeated 13-2 by Switzerland in the first game of the World and European Championship. However, Norway would later make its mark on the international scene by winning a bronze medal at the European Championship in 1951 and 1962. The Norwegians turned in a particularly strong performance at the 1951 World Championships in Paris when they finished fourth. Norway played chiefly in "B" Pool between 1961 and 1991 but returned to "A" Pool through most of the 1990's. The team managed an eighth place finish at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics but did not qualify when the games returned to Japan in 1998. Recently, the most prominent national team player has been forward Espen Knutsen who has played in the NHL with the Mighty Ducks of Anahiem and the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets.


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