Portuguese National Team
The Portugal national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Portugal. The team is controlled by the Federation of Portuguese Ice Sports, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since May 13, 1999. Portugal is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and is not actively competing in any World Championship events.
History
Ice hockey was played in Portugal from 1996 until 2006 in the Palácio do Gelo shopping center, in Viseu. The ice rink has since closed down.
In 2000, The national team of Portugal played three games, the only games they ever played. The team they compiled to play was made up of former Portuguese emigrants who played ice hockey in the United States and Canada, as well as former players from traditional roller hockey. The event consisted of three games between the newly created national team of Portugal and the First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Center (FPCCC) from Toronto, Ontario, representing Canada. The games were held from June 21 to June 23, 2000 at the Palácio do Gelo in Viseu.
The tournament was a joint venture by the Federação Portuguesa de Desportos No Gelo and the Embassy of Canada, namely the Ambassador of Canada, Robert Vanderloo. The event was also sponsored by Banco Comercial Português and Nortel.
The FPCCC won the first game 18–6 and the second 21–5. Pedro Regado was the first ever player to score for Portugal when he scored on 8:04 mark of the first period. The third and final game was played with the decision to mix-up the teams, placing Portuguese descendants of the FPCCC on the Portuguese team. At the end of the third match, the score was a close 15–11 for FPCCC.
It took nearly 15 years for the national team to compete in an international game again. They played two games against the Czech Republic Lions at a rink in Elvas, Portugal, on January 10 and 11, 2015. The Portuguese won both games, 6-4 and 6-2, respectively. A few days later, the national team traveled to Prague to play in a local tournament. They lost to the same Lions team 2-0 and also fell to the Stingers 3-0.
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