Belgian Hockey League
| Belgian Elite League | |
| |
| Sport | Ice Hockey |
| Founded | 1912 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country(ies) |  Belgium
|
| Most recent champion(s) | HYC Herentals |
| Most championship(s) | Brussels Royal IHSC (23) |
| Official website | kbijf.be |
The Belgian Hockey League, also known as the Belgian Elite League, is the highest level of competition organized by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation. The league winner is crowned the Belgian Champion. The league has been in existence since 1912. The Brussels Royal IHSC the most decorated team with 23 titles.
History
Early History
The Belgian Hockey League played first in 1912. The play was interrupted several times in its history. The first game suspension happened 1914-1920 due to World War I. The next break was from 1929-1934 due to the world economic crisis. The 3rd and last break was in the 1994/95 season, which was cancelled after the regular season due to issues over playoff participation.
Recent History
In 2009, there were 5 clubs competing in the Elite league for the Belgian Championship, all from the Flemish Community part of the country (listed below).
During the 2010-2011 season, the two top Belgian teams competed in a joint tournament with the teams of the Dutch Eredivisie called the North Sea Cup. The other three teams dropped out of the Belgian elite league to join the Belgian National League, leaving only Herentals and Turnhout to decide the Belgian Championship.[1] Leuven Chiefs played in the North Sea Cup for the 2011-2012 season, but Turnhout dropped out of the league midway through the season and Leuven dropped out at the end [of the season.
In 2012, the North Sea Cup was discontinued and HYC Herentals joined the Dutch Eredivisie. For the 2012-2013 season, the teams of the Belgian National League joined Leuven and Turnhout to form the "Belgian Elite League", the winner of which becomes the Belgian national champions.
Starting in 2015-16, the top six Belgian teams joined the multi-national BeNe League, which also features teams from the Netherlands. HYC Herentals, who won the BeNe League, was also crowned Belgian national champions.
Belgian Hockey League Champions
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Titles by team
| Titles | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 231 | Brussels Royal IHSC 1911–1948 Brussels IHSC 1948–1954 Enente St`Sauveur 1954–1966 Brussels IHSC 1966–1970 Brussels IHSC Poseidon |
1912, 1913, 1923, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1962, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982 |
| 14 | HYC Herentals | 1981, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1997, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| 11 | Olympia Heist op den Berg | 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004 |
| 10 | Cercle des Patineurs Liègois | 1949, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974 |
| 5 | Le Puck d'Anvers | 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 |
| 4 | Antwerp Ice Hockey Club | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 |
| 4 | Brabo IHC | 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| 4 | Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises | 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936 |
| 4 | White Caps Turnhout | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 |
| 41 | Olympia IHC | 1962, 1966, 1967, 1969 |
| 4 | Phantoms Antwerp | 2000, 2001, 2003, 2015 |
| 3 | Bulldogs Liege | 2014, 2022, 2023 |
| 3 | Chiefs Leuven | 2005, 2010, 2013 |
| 3 | Club des Patineurs de Bruxelles | 1914, 1920, 1921 |
| 2 | Cercle des Sports d’Hiver de Bruxelles | 1937, 1939 |
| 1 | Cercle des Patineurs Unis | 1946 |
| 1 | Griffoens Geel | 1996 |
Notes
1. Olympia IHC and Brussels Royal IHSC shared the title in 1962, as they finished level on eight points apiece.
References
External links
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