Surprising Places Around The World You Can Find Hockey
Have you ever wondered how much ice hockey is played around the world? We all know the hockey hotbeds of Canada, the United States, Scandinavia, and Russia, but what about regions where ice is not readily available? If you are like me, you would have never imagined that ice hockey is played in Kenya or Costa Rica or even North Korea! But why wouldn’t they be? Hockey is a beautiful sport and the allure of seeing players skate at full speed while stickhandling a puck and trying not to get decked is an incredible experience to watch, let alone play. With the global community getting smaller each year as technology and the internet make basically anything possible, we shouldn’t be surprised to read that ice hockey is played on nearly every continent on the planet. The International Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body of the sport and currently has 76 countries that are members! Let’s take a look at some of the more exotic locations that you can find a local rink to go play some shinny at!
Africa
Really? Africa? The continent with the hottest average temperature on the planet has ice rinks? You better believe it! South Africa actually has the most organized hockey community that centers around the South African Ice Hockey Association, as well as the South African national hockey team which has been a part of the IIHF since 1937. There is even a local South African Super League which was founded in 2016, and features three local teams from Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
North Africa actually has several hockey loving countries that have their own exclusive competitive ice hockey leagues as well. These countries include Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. In total, twelve African countries have some sort of organized ice hockey league or association that is currently running, although there is no plan to form an African continental hockey league that would allow teams from the different countries to compete.
The Americas
No, we’re not going to talk about Canada and the U.S. for obvious reasons, but the other North American country, Mexico, has a fairly decent hockey following. The Mexican Elite League was formed in 2010 and has four competitive teams all based out of Mexico City. There is a small but organized development system in Mexico as well that actually has national programs for men, women, and juniors. Mexico currently has a total of over 1,500 registered ice hockey players across the various programs.
We all remember the Jamaican bobsled team right? Well this Caribbean paradise actually does have a men’s national team, although Jamaica currently does not have any ice rinks for them to play at. The solution? Holding tryouts in other countries such as Canada and the United State where ice rinks are abundant. The goal of the men’s national program is to compete in a Winter Olympic Games in the next twenty years!
Other South American countries do have some limited exposure to ice hockey including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. While there are not any professional or organized ice hockey leagues in South America, there are national team programs that compete in such tournaments as the Pan American hockey tournament. Not surprisingly given the climate, inline hockey has become popular in South America, and there are several countries with both men’s and women’s national teams.
Asia
Ice hockey actually has quite the following in Asia, with Japan being the clear leader in the sport. The island country actually has 167 IIHF recognized rinks and nearly 20,000 players registered to organized leagues. Japan had its own ice hockey league which operated until 2004, when a Asian continental league was formed. Japan has both men’s and women’s national development programs and the women’s team has actually qualified for the past two Olympic Winter Games. One of the highlights of Japan hockey was at the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games when the men’s national sledge hockey team took the silver medal, losing to the United States in the gold medal game.
Perhaps on the more surprising side of the spectrum, North Korea has full developmental programs for its men’s and women’s national teams. North Korea actually has 13 IIHF recognized rinks and over 2,000 registered players. There is even a North Korean Championship that has been played in every single year since 1956!
Given the sheer population that China and India have it should come as no surprise that both countries have organized ice hockey leagues for both men and women. China even has a franchise based out of Beijing that competes in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League or KHL, called the HC Kunlun Red Star.
Other countries that have professional, organized ice hockey leagues include Israel, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Australia, and Indonesia. How many of these countries would you have guessed have an organized ice hockey league?
Europe
Europe is a global hub for ice hockey and we all know about the countries who have risen to dominate the sport in the NHL. But what about some of the smaller countries that you wouldn’t expect? Belgium, Estonia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Spain, and Turkey all have a very faithful ice hockey following and all have some form of organized professional leagues!
Italy, a country known for its obsession with soccer, actually has 70 IIHF recognized rinks and well over 5,000 registered players, while even smaller countries like North Macedonia, Luxembourg, and Romania, all have their own organized ice hockey leagues.
So there you have it, ice hockey truly is a global sport that is enjoyed on basically every continent. While some of these countries may not have the facilities or equipment that we are so fortunate to have in Canada, the love of the game and the spirit of competition is something we can all appreciate.
