Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace Internationale Eishockey-Föderation | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | IIHF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 15 May 1908; 116 years ago (1908-05-15) |
| Founded at | Paris, France |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Legal status | Governing body of ice hockey |
| Purpose | Sport governance |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
Region served | Worldwide |
| Membership | 84 members |
Official languages | English,French,German |
President | Luc Tardif |
| Website | www |
TheInternational Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF;French:Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace;German:Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwidegoverning body forice hockey.[1] It is based inZurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries.
The IIHF maintains theIIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockeytournaments. Rules of play for IIHF events differ from hockey inNorth America and the rules of theNational Hockey League (NHL). Decisions of the IIHF can beappealed through theCourt of Arbitration for Sport inLausanne, Switzerland. The IIHF maintains its own hall of fame for international ice hockey. TheIIHF Hall of Fame was founded in 1997, and has been located within theHockey Hall of Fame since 1998.
Previously, the IIHF also managed the development ofinline hockey; however, in June 2019, the IIHF announced that they would no longer govern inline hockey or organize theInline Hockey World Championships.[2]
The main functions of the IIHF are to govern, develop and organize hockey throughout the world. Another duty is to promote friendly relations among the member national associations and to operate in an organized manner for the good order of the sport.[3]The federation may take the necessary measures in order to conduct itself and its affairs in accordance with itsstatutes,bylaws and regulations as well as in holding a clear jurisdiction with regards to ice hockey at the international level. The IIHF is the body responsible with arranging thesponsorships, license rights, advertising and merchandising in connection with all IIHF competitions.
Another purpose of the federation is to provide aid in the young players' development and in the development ofcoaches andgame officials. On the other hand, all the events of IIHF are organized by the federation along with establishing and maintaining contact with any other sport federations or sport groups. The IIHF is responsible for processing the international players' transfers. It is also the body that presides overice hockey at the Olympic Games as well as over all levels of theIIHF World Championships.[4] The federation works in collaboration with local committees when organizing its 25 World Championships, at five different categories.
The IIHF is also responsible for the organization of European club competitions such as theChampions Hockey League or theContinental Cup.
The federation is governed by the legislative body of the IIHF which is the General Congress along with the executive body, which is the Council. The Congress is entitled to make decisions with regard to the game's rules, the statutes and bylaws in the name of the federation. It is also the body that elects the president and the council or otherwise known as board.[5] The president of the IIHF is the representative of the federation. He represents the federation's interests in all external matters and he is also responsible that the decisions are made according to the federation's statutes and regulations. The president is assisted by the General Secretary, who is also the highest ranked employee of the IIHF.
The International Ice Hockey Federation was founded on 15 May 1908 at 34Rue de Provence in Paris, France, as Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG).[6] The1920 Olympics were the first to integrate hockey into their program.
The1928 Winter Olympics, which also served as the World and European Championship for the year, saw a record 11 countries participate.[7]
TheHungarian Revolution of 1956 which had causedHungary to be occupied by theSoviet Army, led to a boycott of the1957 World Championships, which were being staged inMoscow. Canada and the United States led the boycott, and were joined byNorway,West Germany,Italy, andSwitzerland.[8]
The1962 World Championship, hosted by the American cities ofColorado Springs andDenver, was boycotted by theSoviet Union andCzechoslovakia, which led to a further boycott by the otherEastern Bloc countries. At issue was the boycott of the 1957 championships in Moscow by Canada and the United States, and the Americans refusal of East German passports in reaction to the building of theBerlin Wall byEast Germany.[9]
For the 1965–66 season, the IIHF created theEuropean Cup, a tournament consisting of the top club teams from around Europe. The competition was originated byGünther Sabetzki, based on theAssociation football European Cup (nowUEFA Champions League). In 1968 the IIHF organized theEuropean U19 Championship, a junior competition for players aged 19 and under. The age limit was later reduced to 18 in 1977.[8]
During the 1980s Canada stopped boycotting the World Championships and Olympic Games. The Canadians had boycotted these tournaments between 1970 and 1976 after the IIHF had refused to allow them to roster professional players at the World Championships from NHL teams that had not qualified for theStanley Cup playoffs. President Sabetzki found a compromise that resulted in the return of Canada to international events beginning in 1977. The pro players whose teams had been eliminated from the playoffs were allowed to compete and in exchange, Canada agreed to participate in the World Championships. They also waived their right to host any World Championships. The creation of theCanada Cup (a competition organized by the NHL in Canada every four years) was also part of the new agreement between the IIHF and North American professional hockey.[9]
The IIHF continued to grow in numbers during the 1980s and 1990s, both due to political events and the continued growth of hockey worldwide. Thedissolution of the Soviet Union saw its membership transferred toRussia, and the addition of four ex-Soviet republics;Azerbaijan,Belarus,Kazakhstan, andUkraine to the federation. In addition, the memberships ofEstonia,Latvia, andLithuania - all of which had initially joined the IIHF in the 1930s but were expelled following their annexation by the Soviet Union - were renewed. Thebreakup of Yugoslavia also resulted in an increase in membership.Croatia andSlovenia joined as new members, while the membership of the oldYugoslavia was transferred toFR Yugoslavia (which later became known as Serbia and Montenegro and still later dissolved into the independent republics ofSerbia andMontenegro). WhenCzechoslovakia broke up, its membership rights were transferred to theCzech Republic, andSlovakia was admitted as a new member. The influx of new members resulted in the IIHF increasing the size of the Group A tournament. It expanded from 8 teams to 12 in 1992 and from 12 to 16 in 1998.[10]
The IIHF celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008. As part of the celebrations, the2008 World Championship was held in Canada for the first time (the tournament was co-hosted by the cities ofHalifax andQuebec City).[11]
The number of members grew in the 21st century:Chile (2000),Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001),Liechtenstein (2001),North Macedonia (2001), theUnited Arab Emirates (2001),Macau (2005),Malaysia (2006),Moldova (2008; presumably expelled from IIHF membership in 2023),Georgia (2009), Kuwait (2009; had originally joined in 1985, but was expelled in 1992),Morocco (2010),Kyrgyzstan (2011),Jamaica (2012),Qatar (2012),Oman (2014),Turkmenistan (2015),Indonesia (2016),Nepal (2016), thePhilippines (2016),Algeria (2019),Colombia (2019),Iran (2019),Lebanon (2019),Uzbekistan (2019),Tunisia (2021),Puerto Rico (2022),Bahrain (2024),Kenya (2024).[10]
The IIHF received international criticism for holding the2014 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships inBelarus, because of the poorhuman rights record of the country. Several human rights organisations launched the "Don't play with the dictator!" boycott campaign[12] and there were appeals from theUS Congress, theGerman Parliament, and theEuropean Parliament.[13]
The IIHF again received criticism for planning to partly hold the2021 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships in Belarus.[14][15] In January 2021, the IIHF withdrew the 2021 World Championship fromMinsk due to safety and security issues during the political unrest, besides theCOVID-19 pandemic and decided to solely hold the tournament inRiga,Latvia.[16]
On 23 May 2021, civilianRyanair Flight 4978, which was enroute from Athens to Vilnius, was forced to land inMinsk and a passenger of that flight was detained. In protest, Latvian officials replaced theBelarusian state flag inRiga with the former flag associated with the Belarusian opposition groups, including at the 2021 IIHF World Championship display of flags. This was by order of Mayor of RigaMārtiņš Staķis and Minister of Foreign Affairs of LatviaEdgars Rinkēvičs. The IIHF issued a statement protesting the replacement of the flag, and IIHF presidentRené Fasel asked the mayor to remove the IIHF name, its flag and its symbols from such sites, or to restore the flag, insisting that the IIHF is an "apolitical sports organization".[17] In response, Staķis said he would remove the IIHF flags.[18][19]
On 28 February 2022, the IIHF suspended the memberships of the Russian and Belarusian ice hockey federations until further notice due tothe countries' invasion of Ukraine.[20]
Still, non-Russian players in Russian clubs are according to IIHF rules bound by their contracts, and cannot leave their clubs and Russia until their contracts expire or are terminated by their club. If players leave anyway they can be sued and would be blocked from playing for other clubs.[21]
On 22 March 2023, the IIHF excluded Russian and Belarusian national and club teams from IIHF competitions during the 2023–24 season, based on safety considerations.[22]
The IIHF awards ceremony is held annually on the second last day of each Ice Hockey World Championship, and its hall of fame induction ceremony on the final day of the championships. Prior to 2024, all awards were presented during one ceremony on the final day of the championships.[23]
Prior to the establishment of the IIHF Hall of Fame, the IIHF displayed a collection of historical artifacts from World Championships and the Olympic Games in temporary exhibits. From 1992 to 1997, the IIHF loaned its exhibits to theInternational Hockey Hall of Fame inKingston, Ontario, Canada.[24]
The first step taken by the IIHF to create its own hall of fame was a proposal made in 1996, which was later ratified at the 1997 IIHF summer congress to host the museum inZürich.[24] The approval came exactly 89 years from the foundation of the IIHF, with the purpose of honoring former internationalice hockey players, builders (administrators) and officials.[25] The annual induction ceremony takes place on the medal presentation day of the Ice Hockey World Championships.[24][25] The IIHF agreed with theNational Hockey League to transfer its exhibits to theHockey Hall of Fame inToronto, Canada, as of 29 July 1998.[24]
In 2015, the IIHF created the Torriani Award for "players with an outstanding career from non-top hockey nations". The award was named forBibi Torriani, who played internationally for theSwitzerland men's national ice hockey team.[26] The IIHF includes the recipients of the Torriani Award in the list of Hall of Fame inductees.[27]
The Paul Loicq Award was established in 1998.[28] It is presented annually to honor a person who has made "outstanding contributions to the IIHF and international ice hockey".[29] Named afterPaul Loicq, who was president of the IIHF from 1922 until 1947, it is the highest personal recognition given by the world governing body of ice hockey.[30]
The IIHF Centennial All-Star Team is an all-star team of hockey players from international tournaments. The team was chosen based on the players' "impact in international ice hockey over a period of at least a decade," with a requirement that they must have performed "at the highest possible level (Olympics, the IIHF World Championship or the Canada Cup/World Cup tournaments)." The selection was named in 2008. All six players were already members of the IIHF Hall of Fame.[31]
The Milestone Award was established in 2012, to be given to "the team or teams that make a significant contribution to international hockey or will have a decisive influence on the development of the game".[32] The IIHF wanted an award to recognize great events, great teams or moments that have shaped the game, and sought suggestions from hockey fans to rename it.[32] The award is given occasionally,[28] not being given between 2013 and 2024.[33][34]
| Year | Recipient(s) | Milestone accomplishment(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1972Canada men's national team 1972Soviet Union men's national team | Awarded for the 40th anniversary of the 1972Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.Reuters wrote that Canada was expected to win the series easily, but when they came from behind to win in the eighth and final game, it marked "the beginning of the modern hockey era".[32] |
| 2013 | 1954 Soviet Union men's national team | Awarded for winning the gold medal at the1954 Ice Hockey World Championships,[35] which was their country's first appearance at the World Championships and the beginning of a rivalry versus the Canada men's national team.[36] |
| 2024 | 1998Czech Republic men's national team | Awarded for winning the gold medal inice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics, which included victories versus Canada in the semifinal, and Russia in the finals.[33] The 1998 Olympic hockey tournament was also the first the includeNational Hockey League players.[34] The IIHF reported the gold medal to be "the most important event in the country's history after the1968 Uprising".[33] |
| 2025 | 2002–03Denmark men's national teams | Awarded for earning promotion to the World Championships top tier, after 53 years in lower divisions. Denmark won Division I-B at the2002 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships to play at the2003 IIHF World Championship, and has remained at the top level since.[37] |
| 2025 | 2006Sweden men's national teams | Awarded for becoming the first men's national team to win an Olympic gold medal and the World Championships in the same year. Sweden gold at both the2006 Winter Olympics and the2006 IIHF World Championship, with eight players appearing in both events.[37] |
The IIHF chose all-time teams for the 16 countries that would have participated at the2020 IIHF World Championship, to honor the 100-year anniversary of the Ice Hockey World Championships.[38][39]
The IIHF established male and female player of the year awards in 2023, to be given annually in recognition of the player who "best exemplifies exceptional skill, determination, team success, and sporting character on and off the ice during the preceding season".[40] It is selected by a panel of media and representatives drawn from IIHF member states.[41] To be eligible, a player must have competed in at least one of four IIHF tournaments (theWinter Olympics,IIHF World Championships,IIHF World Junior Championships, orIIHF World U18 Championships) as well as in a national domestic league "of the highest caliber for that country," with "the combined performances of which were deemed superior to all other players".[40]
The Johan Bollue Award was established in 2023, and named for Johan Bollue (1964–2021) who served as the sports development director for theRoyal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation, and was an organizer atYouth Olympic Games, and a mentor coach at IIHF development camps.[23][42] The award is given to an individual or a group who have made significant contributions to growth and development inyouth ice hockey.[43] Recipients of the award includeMarkus Graf in 2024,[23] andJim Aldred in 2025.[37]
The IIHF Media Award was established in 2024, given to an individual who made outstanding contributions to international hockey through television, print, and radio.[28] The inaugural honoree wasAl Michaels, whose call of "Do you believe in Miracles?" described theMiracle on Ice victory by theUnited States men's national team inice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics.[33] In 2025,Paul Graham was recognized for a career covering IIHF events withThe Sports Network.[37]
| Tournament | Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics |  2022 |  Finland |  Russia[45] |  Slovakia |  Sweden |
| IIHF World Championship |  2024 | Czechia |  Switzerland | Sweden |  Canada |
| U-20 IIHF World Championship | 2025 |  United States | Finland | Czechia | Sweden |
| U-18 IIHF World Championship | 2024 | Canada | United States | Sweden | Slovakia |
| Tournament | Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 2022 | Canada | United States | Finland | Switzerland |
| IIHF Women's World Championship | 2024 | Canada | United States | Finland | Czechia |
| U-18 IIHF Women's World Championship | 2025 | Canada | United States | Czechia | Sweden |
| Tournament | Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Hockey League | 2024–25 | ZSC Lions | Färjestad BK | Sparta Praha &Genève-Servette HC | |
| IIHF Continental Cup | 2024–25 |  Cardiff Devils |  Brûleurs de Loups |  GKS Katowice |  HC Arlan |
Since 2017, the IIHF has sanctioned theIIHF Development Cup for developing men's and women's national teams that do not qualify to compete in theIIHF World Championships.
| Tournament | Year | Gender | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIHF Development Cup | 2024 | Men |  Ireland |  Portugal |  Colombia |
| 2023 | Women | Colombia |  Argentina |  Iran |
The IIHF employs twenty staff members at the headquarters in Zurich.[47]
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Louis Magnus | 1908–1912 |
 Henri van den Bulcke | 1912–1914 |
| Louis Magnus | 1914 |
 Peter Patton | 1914 |
| Henri van den Bulcke | 1914–1920 |
| Max Sillig | 1920–1922 |
| Paul Loicq | 1922–1947 |
| Fritz Kraatz | 1947–1948 |
 W. G. Hardy | 1948–1951 |
| Fritz Kraatz | 1951–1954 |
 Walter A. Brown | 1954–1957 |
| Bunny Ahearne | 1957–1960 |
 Robert Lebel | 1960–1963 |
| Bunny Ahearne | 1963–1966 |
| William Thayer Tutt | 1966–1969 |
| Bunny Ahearne | 1969–1975 |
 Günther Sabetzki | 1975–1994 |
| René Fasel | 1994–2021 |
| Luc Tardif | 2021–present |
As of 28 September 2024, the IIHF has 84 members.[51]
The federation has 60 full members, including two suspended members:Australia,Austria,Azerbaijan,Belarus (suspended),Belgium,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,Canada,China,Croatia,Czech Republic,Denmark,Estonia,Finland,France,Georgia,Germany,Great Britain,Hong Kong,Hungary,Iceland,India,Iran,Ireland,Israel,Italy,Japan,Kazakhstan,Kuwait,Kyrgyzstan,Latvia,Lithuania,Luxembourg,Malaysia,Mexico,Mongolia,Netherlands,New Zealand,North Korea,Norway, thePhilippines,Poland,Romania,Russia (suspended),Serbia,Singapore,Slovakia,Slovenia,South Africa,South Korea,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Taiwan,Thailand,Turkey,Turkmenistan,Ukraine, theUnited Arab Emirates, and theUnited States. Full members have a national body dedicated to the sport, and participate annually in the international championships. Only full members have voting rights.
In addition, there are 23 associate and 1 affiliate members who either do not have a national body dedicated to the sport, or do not regularly participate in the international championships (Chile is still listed as 'affiliate' despite having ice hockey now). They areAlgeria,Andorra,Argentina,Armenia,Bahrain,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Greece,Indonesia,Jamaica,Kenya,Lebanon,Liechtenstein,Macau,Morocco,Nepal,North Macedonia,Oman,Portugal,Puerto Rico,Qatar,Tunisia, andUzbekistan.
The following are countries who will compete in the2025 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, divided by tier:[52]
| Division | IIHF members |
|---|---|
| Top |       |
| I |          |
| II |            |
| III |             |
| IV |      |
The following are countries who will compete in the2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, divided by tier:[53]
| Division | IIHF members |
|---|---|
| Top | |
| I | |
| II | |
| III | |
The following are countries who are competing in the2024 Women's Ice Hockey World Championships, divided by tier:[54]
| Division | IIHF members |
|---|---|
| Top | |
| I | |
| II | |
| III | |
Based on the number of registered ice hockey players, including male, female and junior, provided by the respective countries' federations. This list includes 71 out of 84 IIHF member countries with more than 100 registered players as of October 2022.[51][55]
| Country | Registered players | % of registered players | % of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 551,006 | 35.44% | 0.166% |
| Canada | 513,674 | 33.04% | 1.361% |
| Russia | 103,101 | 6.63% | 0.071% |
| Finland | 66,687 | 4.29% | 1.204% |
| Sweden | 61,547 | 3.96% | 0.609% |
| Czechia | 34,341 | 2.21% | 0.321% |
| Switzerland | 29,360 | 1.89% | 0.339% |
| Germany | 21,090 | 1.36% | 0.025% |
| France | 18,686 | 1.20% | 0.029% |
| Japan | 16,219 | 1.04% | 0.013% |
| China | 13,388 | 0.86% | 0.001% |
| Great Britain | 13,327 | 0.86% | 0.020% |
| Slovakia | 11,447 | 0.74% | 0.210% |
| Hungary | 8,943 | 0.58% | 0.093% |
| Norway | 8,618 | 0.55% | 0.159% |
| Latvia | 7,898 | 0.51% | 0.419% |
| Austria | 7,232 | 0.47% | 0.080% |
 Belarus | 7,053 | 0.45% | 0.075% |
| Australia | 6,150 | 0.40% | 0.024% |
| Ukraine | 5,341 | 0.34% | 0.012% |
| Denmark | 5,147 | 0.33% | 0.089% |
| Italy | 5,136 | 0.33% | 0.008% |
| Kazakhstan | 4,320 | 0.28% | 0.023% |
| Poland | 3,950 | 0.25% | 0.010% |
| Netherlands | 3,515 | 0.23% | 0.021% |
| South Korea | 3,044 | 0.20% | 0.006% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2,702 | 0.17% | 0.041% |
| Romania | 2,213 | 0.14% | 0.012% |
| New Zealand | 2,035 | 0.13% | 0.042% |
| Belgium | 1,793 | 0.12% | 0.015% |
| North Korea | 1,700 | 0.11% | 0.007% |
 India | 1,502 | 0.10% | 0.000% |
| Turkey | 1,486 | 0.10% | 0.002% |
| Lithuania | 1,340 | 0.09% | 0.049% |
| Mexico | 1,232 | 0.08% | 0.001% |
| Slovenia | 1,072 | 0.07% | 0.052% |
| Estonia | 995 | 0.06% | 0.075% |
| Argentina | 980 | 0.06% | 0.002% |
| Bulgaria | 945 | 0.06% | 0.014% |
| Spain | 893 | 0.06% | 0.002% |
| Chinese Taipei | 868 | 0.06% | 0.004% |
| Mongolia | 828 | 0.05% | 0.025% |
| Iceland | 752 | 0.05% | 0.220% |
| United Arab Emirates | 695 | 0.04% | 0.007% |
| Serbia | 668 | 0.04% | 0.008% |
| Thailand | 624 | 0.04% | 0.001% |
| Georgia | 598 | 0.04% | 0.015% |
| Hong Kong | 576 | 0.04% | 0.008% |
| Croatia | 520 | 0.03% | 0.013% |
| Israel | 508 | 0.03% | 0.006% |
| Luxembourg | 492 | 0.03% | 0.079% |
| South Africa | 480 | 0.03% | 0.001% |
| Uzbekistan | 421 | 0.03% | 0.001% |
| Kuwait | 402 | 0.03% | 0.009% |
| Ireland | 350 | 0.02% | 0.007% |
| Turkmenistan | 347 | 0.02% | 0.006% |
 Greece | 269 | 0.02% | 0.003% |
 Chile | 250 | 0.02% | 0.001% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 242 | 0.02% | 0.007% |
| Iran | 233 | 0.01% | 0.000% |
 Morocco | 225 | 0.01% | 0.001% |
| Singapore | 220 | 0.01% | 0.004% |
 Lebanon | 208 | 0.01% | 0.003% |
 Puerto Rico | 205 | 0.01% | 0.007% |
| Armenia | 187 | 0.01% | 0.006% |
| Philippines | 185 | 0.01% | 0.000% |
 Qatar | 165 | 0.01% | 0.006% |
| Indonesia | 139 | 0.01% | 0.000% |
 Macau | 121 | 0.01% | 0.019% |
| Colombia | 110 | 0.01% | 0.000% |
| Malaysia | 110 | 0.01% | 0.000% |
The IIHF World Ranking is a tool to reflect the long-term quality of the countries' national team program.[56] The IIHF World Ranking is released following each IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and the Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament.
Russian Olympic Committee due tosanctions from theRussian doping scandal
Media related toInternational Ice Hockey Federation at Wikimedia Commons
