Norway men's national ice hockey team

Norway

Nickname(s)	Isbjørnene (The Polar Bears)
Association	NIHF
Most games	Tommy Jakobsen (135)
IIHF code	NOR
IIHF ranking	12
Highest IIHF ranking	8 (2012)
Lowest IIHF ranking	21 (2004)
Team colors
First international
Czechoslovakia 7–0 Norway (London, England; 17 February 1937)
Biggest win
Norway 24–0 Belgium (Sofia, Bulgaria; 5 March 1975) Norway 25–1 China (Debrecen, Hungary; 22 April 2005)
Biggest defeat
Finland 20–1 Norway (Hämeenlinna, Finland; 12 March 1947)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances	70 (first in 1937)
Best result	4th (1951)
Olympics
Appearances	12 (first in 1952)
International record (W–L–T)
453–773–112

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The Norwegian men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team from Norway that participates at the IIHF World Championships. The team is governed by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association.

History

Norway prior to the 1937 World Championships, their first international tournament. They finished in ninth place.

Norway's Uniforms outside of olympic competition

Game between France vs Norway at Patinoire Pôle Sud.

The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association was founded in 1934 and, adopting the international rules and regulations of ice hockey, became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1935. Poor finances delayed the formation of a national team until 1937, and continued to hamper its development in the years prior to World War II. After missing out on the 1935 World Championships and 1936 Winter Olympics, the NIHF managed to raise enough funds to send a team to London for the 1937 World Championships. The national ice hockey team thus played its first game on 17 February 1937, losing 0–7 to Czechoslovakia, and was eliminated from the competition following a 2–13 loss to Switzerland. Norway also took part in the next tournament in 1938, but was unable to participate in 1939. Results remained meagre throughout the pre-war years; of the nine international fixtures contested between 1937 and 1940, the closest Norway came to winning was 3–4 in the first game against Sweden, on 20 January 1939.

After the war, the growth of Norwegian ice hockey accelerated as new teams formed and improvements in infrastructure were made. The opening of the state of the art Jordal Amfi in Oslo meant that for a time Norway was at the forefront in terms of facilities. Results began to improve on the international stage, though not before Norway had endured its worst defeat ever at the hands of Finland in 1947.

The period from 1949 to 1953 has been viewed as a "golden age" in the history of the national team, beginning with the maiden victory, a 2–0 win over Belgium at the 1949 World Championships. In 1951, the NIHF appointed Canadian Bud McEachern as head coach. McEachern brought a physical style which suited the players of the generation well, and at the 1951 World Championships, Norway defeated the United States and Great Britain to finish fourth overall. The following year, Norway competed in its first ever Olympic tournament, as host nation of the 1952 Winter Olympics. Finally, in 1953, Norway became the first Western nation to play the Soviet Union, an event that was overshadowed by the death of Joseph Stalin shortly after the team's arrival in Moscow.

The remainder of the decade saw the Norwegians continue to challenge the strongest hockey nations. From the 1960s onwards, however, Norwegian ice hockey fell into decline internationally. The game was becoming increasingly popular at home, but this did not translate into better results against other nations. This has been attributed to poor training conditions. Mild winters meant that a northerly location could no longer make up for the lack of artificial ice rinks, which local politicians were reluctant to support compared to other sports facilities. After the 1965 World Championships, the Norwegian team was no longer allowed to compete at the highest level, and the NIHF resigned itself to competing at the top of Pool B instead. Qualifying for the Winter Olympics was still within reach, however, and Norway managed to do so in both 1964 and 1968.

Norway slipped further into mediocrity during the 1970s, suffering relegation to Pool C after finishing in last place in Pool B of the 1972 World Championships. Once again, the NIHF was forced to revise its objectives; not to return to Pool A, but merely to survive in Pool B. The goal of qualifying for the Winter Olympics remained throughout this period, but after another stint in Pool C in 1975, the ice hockey tournament at the 1976 Winter Olympics went ahead without Norwegian participation.

In addition to the continuing lack of political will to improve training conditions, the bleak situation during the 1970s had been compounded by a growing reluctance among players to represent Norway internationally. This trend was finally reversed under the leadership of Georg Smefjell and Olav Dalsøren from 1978 to 1980. Smefjell and Dalsøren also succeeded in leading Norway back to the Winter Olympics. At the 1979 World Championships, Norway finished fourth in Pool B and qualified for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. There, the team showed encouraging signs for the future, despite losing heavily against the top tier nations and eventually coming away from the tournament with only a single point.

The appointment of Ronald Pettersson as head coach in 1980 heralded an era of Swedish influence on Norwegian international ice hockey. For the next nine years, four Swedish coaches in a row took charge of a team that proved to be highly unstable. For Pettersson, the 1981 World Championships were a disappointment. Wins against Yugoslavia and Japan were barely enough to avoid relegation from Pool B. His successor, Arne Strömberg experienced similar difficulties. At the 1982 World Championships, an otherwise strong performance was blighted by losses against newly promoted China and Austria.

The next Swedish import was Hans Westberg in 1982, whose unorthodox methods lead Norway to the 1984 Winter Olympics. Expectations ahead of the Olympic tournament were only partially met, the 3–3 draw against the United States being the most notable result. The following season, while initially promising, ended in catastrophe at the 1985 World Championships as Norway dropped out of Pool B for the third time.

Norway stabilized itself in the lower half of Pool A in the 1990s, but the team was relegated again in 1997. After a spell with Swedish coach Leif Boork, Roy Johansen was hired in 2001. A new era of slow, but steady, growth began and Norway climbed thirteen places in the IIHF World Ranking during Johansen's reign, from a 21st place in 2004, to an 8th place in 2012. Johansen stepped down as head coach in 2016 and was replaced by Petter Thoresen.

Tournament record

Olympic Games

• 1952 – 9th place
• 1964 – 10th place
• 1968 – 11th place
• 1972 – 8th place
• 1980 – 11th place
• 1984 – 12th place
• 1988 – 12th place
• 1992 – 9th place
• 1994 – 11th place
• 2010 – 10th place
• 2014 – 12th place
• 2018 – 8th place

World Championship

• 1937 – 9th place
• 1938 – 13th place
• 1940–1945 – World War II
• 1949 – 8th place
• 1950 – 6th place
• 1951 – 4th place
• 1954 – 8th place
• 1956 – 12th place (2nd in "Pool B")
• 1958 – 7th place
• 1959 – 8th place
• 1960 – 9th place (Won "Pool B")
• 1961 – 10th place
• 1962 – 5th place
• 1963 – 9th place (Won "Pool B")
• 1964 – 10th place (2nd in "Pool B")
• 1965 – 8th place
• 1966 – 12th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1967 – 11th place (3rd in "Pool B")
• 1968 – 11th place (3rd in "Pool B")
• 1969 – 11th place (5th in "Pool B")
• 1970 – 9th place (3rd in "Pool B")
• 1971 – 10th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1972 – 13th place (7th in "Pool B")
• 1973 – 15th place (Won "Pool C")
• 1974 – 13th place (7th in "Pool B")
• 1975 – 15th place (Won "Pool C")
• 1976 – 11th place (3rd in "Pool B")
• 1977 – 12th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1978 – 14th place (6th in "Pool B")
• 1979 – 12th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1981 – 14th place (6th in "Pool B")
• 1982 – 12th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1983 – 12th place (4th in "Pool B")
• 1985 – 15th place (7th in "Pool B")
• 1986 – 17th place (Won "Pool C")
• 1987 – 10th place (2nd in "Pool B")
• 1989 – 9th place (Won "Pool B")
• 1990 – 8th place
• 1991 – 10th place (2nd in "Pool B")
• 1992 – 10th place
• 1993 – 9th place
• 1994 – 11th place
• 1995 – 10th place
• 1996 – 10th place
• 1997 – 12th place
• 1998 – 21st place (5th in "Pool B")
• 1999 – 12th place
• 2000 – 10th place
• 2001 – 15th place
• 2002 – 22nd place (3rd in "Group B")
• 2003 – 20th place (2nd in "Group B")
• 2004 – 20th place (2nd in "Group A")
• 2005 – 17th place (Won "Group A")
• 2006 – 11th place
• 2007 – 14th place
• 2008 – 8th place
• 2009 – 11th place
• 2010 – 9th place
• 2011 – 6th place
• 2012 – 8th place
• 2013 – 10th place
• 2014 – 12th place
• 2015 – 11th place
• 2016 – 10th place
• 2017 – 11th place
• 2018 – 13th place
• 2019 – 12th place
• 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• 2021 – 13th place
• 2022 – 13th place
• 2023 – 13th place
• 2024 – 11th place

All-time record

Updated as of 22 April 2024. Defunct teams are listed in italics.

Opponent	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD
Austria	55	32	5	18	200	141	+59
Belarus	39	12	4	23	91	114	−23
Belgium	5	5	0	0	58	7	+51
Bulgaria	5	4	1	0	31	11	+20
Canada	84	5	4	75	142	487	−345
China	11	9	1	1	93	20	+73
Croatia	4	4	0	0	36	5	+31
Czech Republic	31	1	2	28	33	121	−88
Czechoslovakia	18	0	0	18	23	141	−118
Denmark	97	46	9	42	310	245	+65
East Germany	68	12	4	52	200	363	−163
Estonia	2	1	0	1	4	2	+2
Finland	97	8	5	84	147	494	−347
France	97	58	14	25	335	225	+110
Germany	49	14	2	33	145	238	−93
Great Britain	21	16	1	4	113	55	+58
Hungary	27	16	3	8	102	64	+38
Italy	46	26	3	17	167	132	+35
Japan	38	16	8	14	159	131	+28
Kazakhstan	7	3	1	3	21	18	+3
Latvia	41	16	0	25	108	135	−27
Lithuania	3	2	0	1	15	8	+7
Netherlands	42	25	6	11	200	130	+70
Poland	77	31	7	39	243	316	−73
Romania	31	15	3	13	134	112	+22
Russia	18	1	1	16	25	75	−50
Serbia and Montenegro	1	1	0	0	21	0	+21
Slovakia	36	7	2	27	65	140	−75
Slovenia	16	8	1	7	50	44	+6
South Korea	6	6	0	0	31	6	+25
Soviet Union	13	0	0	13	14	115	−101
Spain	1	1	0	0	18	3	+15
Sweden	96	2	11	83	139	527	−388
Switzerland	76	26	5	45	221	289	−68
Ukraine	9	3	1	5	26	27	−1
United States	44	5	3	36	106	246	−140
Yugoslavia	28	18	5	5	155	97	+58
Total	1,332	453	112	773	3,983	5,280	−1,297

References

• Langholm, Dag (1984). Norsk ishockey gjennom 50 år. Norwegian Ice Hockey Association. 

External links

• Official website
• IIHF profile

Men's National teams

Armenia - Australia - Austria - Belgium - Belarus - Bosnia - Bulgaria

Canada - China - Chinese Taipei - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark

Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Georgia - Greece - Great Britain

Hong Kong - Hungary - Ireland - Iceland - Indonesia - Iran - Israel - Italy

Japan - Kazakhstan - Kuwait - Kyrgyzstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg

Macau - Malaysia - Mexico - Mongolia - North Korea - Norway

New Zealand - The Netherlands - Philippines - Poland - Romania - Russia - Serbia

Singapore - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - South Africa - South Korea

Sweden - Switzerland - Thailand - Turkey - Turkmenistan - Ukraine - UAE

United States

Defunct teams: Bohemia - - Bohemia and Moravia - CIS - Czechoslovakia

East Germany - Serbia and Montenegro - U.S.S.R. - West Germany - Yugoslavia

Teams that do not participate in IIHF competitions:

Algeria - Andorra - Argentina - Azerbaijan - Brazil - Chile - Colombia - Egypt

India - Jamaica - Lebanon - Liechtenstein - Morocco - North Macedonia

Oman - Portugal - Puerto Rico - Tunisia - - Qatar - Uzbekistan

Non IIHF members: Bahrain - Costa Rica - Haiti - Falkland Islands - Saudi Arabia - Venezuela

Other teams: Basque Country - Catalonia - - England - Northern Ireland - - Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Scotland - Team Europe - Team North America

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