Armenia
| Armenia | |
 | |
| Continent | Eurasia |
| Population | 3,262,200 |
| Registered players | 578 |
| Referees | 27 |
| Rinks | 5 |
| National teams | Men's Junior |
| National federation | Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia |
| IIHF since | September 22, 1999 |
| IIHF ranking | N/A |
| Top league | Armenian Hockey League |
| Current champion | Ararat Yerevan |
Armenia is a small nation in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Yerevan is the capital and largest city.
Overview
National Teams
Domestic Teams
See Category:Ice hockey teams in Armenia
Arenas
See Category:Arenas in Armenia
Competitions
| Competition | Founded | Folded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenian Hockey League | 2000 | - | Top-tier national competition |
History of hockey in Armenia
Armenia joined the International Ice Hockey Federation on September 22, 1999. The Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia is the governing body for ice hockey in the country.[1]
In September 2009, then president of the Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia, Karen Khatchatyran was killed in a car crash along with his wife, his son, and Denis Davidov, the vice-president of the Georgian Ice Hockey Federation. The group was driving through Turkey to attend the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in Tunis, Tunisia, when the crash occurred.
Some bandy began to be played in Armenia in 1949. A local Yerevan Championship was held and the game was also played in Leninakan (today Gyumri). This lasted until the late 1950s when the weather conditions permitted.
The Armenian Hockey League was founded in 2000. Urartu Yerevan has won the most league championships, with eight. Other teams in the Armenian League over the years include HC Dinamo Yerevan, ASC Yerevan, Shirak Gyumri, and Ararat Yerevan. Ararat has been the most successful club in recent years, winning the title in 2013, 2014, and 2016.
Ice hockey was featured at the inaugural 2014 Pan-Armenian Winter Games. A team called Moscow (representing Russia) defeated Yerevan 7-4 in the final. There was also a team known as the Montreal Armenians, who represented Canada.[2]
Ararat Yerevan's junior team, joined the Belarusian U18 League for the 2015-16 season. They played a test match against HC Mogilev on August 30, 2015, winning 2-1. The club plays their home games at the Vitebsk Ice Arena in Belarus.[3]
The national team made its debut at the Soviet Winter Spartakiad in 1962. They failed to win a game at the tournament, losing to the Kirghiz SSR 6-3 and 5-0, the Ukrainian SSR 26-0, the Russian Federation 48-0, the Georgian SSR 11-2, the Latvian SSR 35-0, the Lithuanian SSR 1-0. and the Estonian SSR 31-1. The national team did not compete again until 2004.
Armenia made its debut at the World Championships in 2004, competing at the Division III tournament in Reyjavik, Iceland. Armenia failed to win a game, scoring only two goals the entire tournament. Armenia again went winless at the 2005 Division III tournament in Mexico City. They lost to South Africa, 33-1, Ireland, 23-1, Luxembourg, 38-3, and Mexico, 48-0. Armenia fared better at the 2006 Division III tournament, going 2-2. They notched their first ever international victory against Ireland, winning the game 6-0.
Armenia did not compete at the 2007 World Championships, as they were denied visas to compete in the Division III tournament in Dundalk, Ireland. Armenia participated in the 2008 IIHF World Championship Division III Qualification tournament held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They lost to Greece by a score of 8-5, and defeated Bosnia by a score of 18-1. Both games were later forfeited due to Armenia using ineligible players. Armenia returned for the 2010 IIHF World Championship Division IIIB tournament, held in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Armenia finished 3-0 in the round robin, but lost the gold medal to North Korea by a score of 5-2. Armenia's games were later annulled due to them again using ineligible players at the tournament. All games they participated in were recorded as 5-0 forfeit victories for their opponents. Armenia was suspended from the IIHF in April 2010.
The Armenian junior national team made their debut at the 2006 World Junior Championship Division III tournament. They also competed at the tournament in 2007 and 2008. Their worst result was a 50-0 loss to Iceland at the 2006 tournament.
Armenia's suspension was lifted in 2015. The IIHF stated the following in the November 2015 issue of its official Ice Times publication: "After careful review the IIHF Council decided that the Armenia suspension should be lifted. The Council requested the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress to supports its judgement and lift the Armenia suspension. Armenia was suspended indefinitely due to eligibility issues with their men’s national team that participated in the 2010 IIHF World Championship Division III Group B in Yerevan, Armenia. The member was on probation due to eligibility issues in the past."[4]
