Irish Ice Hockey

This is the Eirball Index Page to the All-Time Results & Standings of Irish Ice Hockey Leagues. Ice Hockey has been played in Ireland since 1940 when the first Leagues were played in Belfast during WW2, mostly by Canadian Soldiers stationed there during the War but also by Irish Ice Hockey players. Leagues have come and gone since with the most recent being the Cross-Border Cup from 2016-17 to the present.

Header Image (1): Contributor: Kat72 Closeup of one hockey stick and puck laying on textured ice in black and white Item ID: 576241228 [Internet] Available from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-one-hockey-stick-puck-laying-576241228 [Accessed 22 March 2022]

Featured Image Credit

Featured Picture Credit: Vincent JIANG / Shutterstock (2018) Montreal, Canada – March 18 2018：Junior hokey team parading in the Saint Patrick`s Day in Montreal downtown [Accessed 4 May 2021]

Irish Ice Hockey Leagues

Ice Hockey has been played in Ireland since 1940 when it was first introduced by Canadian soldiers serving in Northern Ireland during World War II. This page provides a link to the Final Standings and Results of various Leagues in Ireland since then. The greatest Irish Ice Hockey League of all time was the Irish Ice Hockey League of 2007 to 2010, when the Dundalk Ice Dome was open, and the league featured teams which could compete in Europe.

Underage Ice Hockey

Irish Ice Hockey Teams

From the first teams in the Balmoral Ice Rink in the 1940s and 1950s to the present day.

Irish Ice Hockey Officials

The most senior Ice Hockey Official ever to come from Ireland was Terry Kelly, born in Toronto to Irish immigrant parents, but brought up in Belfast from the age of three. Kelly had a storied career in Administration, which included spells as a Director in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Celtic Ice Hockey Leagues

As well as the Elite Ice Hockey League (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland – Pro Level 4 (A) in the National Hockey League (North America) system), there are also Celtic or Scottish Leagues which Irish teams have participated in since the 1980s, forming a bridge between the Pro Levels (EIHL) and the purely recreational or amateur Irish Leagues.

In the 1980s and 1990s teams from Castlereagh, based at Dundonald Ice Bowl entered Scottish or Northern English / Scottish Leagues, and then from 2008 to 2010 teams from both Dundonald and Dundalk Ice Bowls entered the Celtic League, which was more evenly distributed between Irish and Scottish sides.

Elite Ice Hockey Leagues

As well as playing in the Elite Ice Hockey League (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), the Belfast Giants can compete in the Champions Hockey League (European Champions League)