Norway

Norway
Continent	Europe
Population	5,009,150
Registered players	6,177
Referees	157
Rinks	44
National teams	Men's Women's Junior Women's U18
National federation	Norwegian Ice Hockey Association
IIHF since	January 20, 1935
IIHF ranking	9
Top league	Eliteserien

Norway is a country in the Nordic region of Northern Europe. Oslo is the capital and largest city.

Overview

National Teams

Men's · Men's-U20 · Men's-U18 · Women's · Women's-U18

Domestic Teams

See Category:Ice hockey teams in Norway

Arenas

See Category:Arenas in Norway

Competitions

Competition	Founded	Folded	Notes
Eliteserien	1934	-	Top-level national competition
Norwegian First Division	1990	-	Second-level national competition
Norwegian 2.Division	1990	-	Third-level national competition*
Norwegian 3.Division	1990	-	Fourth-level national competition**
Norwegian 4.Division	1990	-	Fifth-level national competition***
Norwegian 5.Division	1988 (revived in 2019)	1991	Sixth-level national competition****
Norwegian 6.Division	2019	-	Seventh-level national competition
Norwegian Cup	1964	1965	Defunct cup competition
Northern Norwegian Championship	1934	1940	Defunct regional competition
B-serien	1936	1938	Defunct second-level competition
Norwegian Kretsmesterskap	1955	1976	Defunct regional competitions
Reservelagsserien	1961	1962	Defunct fifth-level competition
Norwegian Women's Championship	1993	-	National women's competition
Norwegian junior competitions		-	Various junior competitions
Norwegian Juniorserien	1935	1937	Defunct junior competition

(*Prior to 1990, the 2.Division was the second-level Norwegian league.**Prior to 1990, the 3.Division was the third-level league.***4. Division was fourth-level league before 1990.****Served as fifth-level league from 1988-1990.)

History of hockey in Norway

For more information on the early years, please see Bandy and Ice Hockey in Norway (1888-1940) and 1932-33 in Norwegian ice hockey.

The first ice games in Norway were played in 1930 and the first official game took place between SFK Trygg and Sportsklubben Rapp (Trondheim Ishockey Klubb), on February 19, 1933, and was won 4-1 by Trygg. Many of the early ice hockey players had previously played bandy. The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association was founded on September 16, 1934, and the country joined the IIHF on January 20, 1935.

The GET-Ligaen (then known as the Hovedserien and later as the 1. divisjon) was first contested in the 1934-35 season. The best teams in the early years were Trygg and Grane. The competition was not organized from 1941-1945 due to World War II. After the war, Furuset Ishockey and Gamlebyen were the best teams in the league. Vålerenga Ishockey started an incredible run of success with their first title in 1960, going on to win 11 of 14 championships held between 1960 and 1973.

Valerenga Ishockey has won the most league championships overall, with 26. The Frisk, Manglerud Star and Hasle/Løren IL teams also became contenders in the 1970s, each capturing multiple titles. The Storhamar Dragons won three straight championships from 1995 to 1997. In recent years, the Stavanger Oilers have dominated the league, having won five of the last six titles.

The men's national team made its international debut in 1937, participating in the World Championships held in London. Norway lost both games at the tournament - 7-0 to Czechoslovakia and 13-2 to Switzerland. The national team later enjoyed modest success, winning a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1951 and 1962.

Led by Ragnar Rygel and Leif Solheim, the Norwegians turned in a strong performance at the 1951 World Championships in Paris, where they finished fourth. After bouncing between the A and B Pools for much of the 1950s and 1960s, Norway played chiefly in the lower division from 1966 to 1989, but spent most of the 1990s in the top division.

Their first appearance at the Olympic Games came in 1952 and Norway has participated in the tournament a total of 11 times, including on eight occasions between 1964 and 1994. They have played in the top division of the World Championships annually since 2006, finishing as high as sixth in 2011. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Norwegians finished 12th. Norway hosted the Olympics in 1952 and 1994, and the World Championships in 1958 and 1999.

The most prominent Norwegian player during the 1990s and early 2000s was Espen Knutsen. He played in the NHL with the Mighty Ducks of Anahiem and the Columbus Blue Jackets., and became the first Norwegian player to appear in the NHL All-Star Game in 2002. Some other top players from Norway have been: Arne Billkvam, Ole Eskild Dahlstrom, Age Ellingsen, Geir Hoff, Roy Johansen, Jon Magne Karlstad, Erik Kristiansen, Orjan Lovdal, Trond Magnussen, Jim Marthinsen, Svein Enok Norstebo, Petter Salsten, Robert Schistad, Petter Thoresen and his son Patrick, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Anders Bastiansen, Morten Ask, Mathis Olimb, Jonas Holøs, and Marius Holtet.

Vålerenga Ishockey competed in the Senior D division of the 1987 Brampton Canadettes' Dominion Ladies Hockey Tournament. They beat Penetang-Midland, Ontario by a score of 7-5, but fell to Philadelphia, USA 4-3. Vålerenga was a "rink bandy" team, with all the women on it being former ice hockey players. At that time, the senior women's ice hockey league no longer existed. The Norwegian Women's Championship restarted for 1993-94.

The women's national team made its international debut in 1988, playing in the Nordic Cup held in Copenhagen, Denmark. They participated in all five of the IIHF European Women Championships held between 1989 and 1996, winning a bronze medal in 1993. Norway has competed at the IIHF World Women's Championships yearly since 1990. The women's U18 national team has taken part in the IIHF World Women's U18 Championships since 2009.

The junior national team first played in the IIHF World U20 Championships in 1979, finishing in eighth and last place in Pool A. Their best finish was sixth place in Pool A in 1990. Norway has played primarily at the Division I level (second-tier).