ICE Hockey League facts for kids

This page is about the Austrian league. For other leagues, see List of ice hockey leagues.

Quick facts for kids
ICE Hockey League

Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1923; 102 years ago (1923)
CEO	Karl Safron
No. of teams	13
Country	Austria (8 teams) Italy (3 teams) Hungary (1 team) Slovenia (1 team)
Most recent champion(s)	Red Bull Salzburg (9th title)
Most titles	EC KAC (31)
TV partner(s)	Puls 24

The ICE Hockey League is a top ice hockey league in Central Europe. It's also the main ice hockey league in Austria. This league includes teams from other countries too, like Hungary, Italy, and Slovenia.

For a long time, the league was known as the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (or EBEL) from 2003 to 2020. It changed its name to ICE Hockey League in 2020. The "ICE" stands for "International Central European." This name shows that teams from different countries play in it.

Only Austrian teams can win the "Austrian Champion" title. But all teams, including those from other countries, can compete for the "League Champion" title. The league also sends its best teams to play in the Champions Hockey League (CHL). This is a big tournament where top teams from all over Europe compete.

History of the ICE Hockey League
Teams in the ICE Hockey League
Playoffs and Champions
Winter Classics: Outdoor Games
Austrian Champions List
See also

History of the ICE Hockey League

How the League Started

A game between HDD Olimpija and EC KAC in 2013.

The history of this league goes way back to 1923. That's when the first official Austrian Ice Hockey Championships were held. The winners of these early championships are recognized as Austrian Champions.

During World War II (from 1939 to 1945), there were no Austrian championships. Some Austrian teams even played in the German Ice Hockey Championship during that time.

The Bundesliga Years (1965–1990)

In the 1965-66 season, the league was officially called the Bundesliga. Four main teams started it: EC KAC, IEV, WEVg, and KEC. The EC KAC team was very strong in the 1970s, winning the championship 8 times.

As the Austrian national hockey team got better, more people came to watch the games. Teams were allowed to have three foreign players. However, some teams started having money problems. For example, SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt.

Becoming More International (1990–2003)

The league started to become more international in the 1990s. Austrian clubs began playing in the Alpenliga. This league included teams from Italy and Slovenia.

VEU Feldkirch became a very successful team during this time. They won five championships in a row from 1994 to 1998. But rising costs meant more clubs struggled. In 1997, SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt during the season. By 2000, VEU Feldkirch also went bankrupt.

The EBEL Era (2003–2020)

In 2003, a bank called Erste Bank became the main sponsor. So, the league was renamed the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL).

A big moment happened in the 2013–14 season. Bolzano Foxes from Italy became the first non-Austrian team to win the EBEL title. They beat the Salzburg Red Bulls in the finals. This showed that teams from other countries could truly compete and win the league title.

The ICE Hockey League Today (2020–present)

In 2020, the league changed its name again to the ICE Hockey League. The name "ICE" highlights that it's an "International Central European" league. It also refers to the ice surface where hockey is played.

The league has continued to grow. For the 2021-22 season, it expanded to 14 teams. New teams joined from the Alps Hockey League, and some former teams returned. In 2022, win2day.at became the league's new main sponsor.

Teams in the ICE Hockey League

Here are the teams that currently play in the ICE Hockey League, along with some information about them:

Team	City	Arena	Capacity	Founded	Joined ICEHL	Left ICEHL
Current teams
EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV	Villach	Villacher Stadthalle	4,800	1923	1977–78
EC KAC	Klagenfurt	Stadthalle Klagenfurt	5,500	1909	1923–24
EC Red Bull Salzburg	Salzburg	Eisarena Salzburg	3,600	1977	2004–05
Fehérvár AV19	Székesfehérvár	Alba Aréna	6,000	1960	2007–08
Graz 99ers	Graz	Eisstadion Liebenau	4,050	1999	2000–01
HC Bozen–Bolzano	Bolzano	Sparkasse Arena	7,220	1933	2013–14
HC Pustertal Wölfe	Bruneck	Intercable Arena	3,100	1954	2021–22
Asiago Hockey 1935	Asiago	Pala Hodegart	3,000	1935	2022–23
HC TWK Innsbruck	Innsbruck	TIWAG Arena	3.200	1994	2012–13
HK Olimpija Ljubljana	Ljubljana	Tivoli Hall	7,000	2004	2021–22
Steinbach Black Wings Linz	Linz	Linz AG Eisarena	3,800	1992	2000–01
Vienna Capitals	Vienna	Erste Bank Arena	7,022	2000	2001–02
Pioneers Vorarlberg	Feldkirch	Vorarlberghalle	5,200	2022	2022–23
Former teams (since introduction of current league format)
Bratislava Capitals	Bratislava	Ondrej Nepela Arena	10,055	2015	2020–21	2021–22
VEU Feldkirch	Feldkirch	Vorarlberghalle	5,200	1945	1967–68	2003–04
HK Jesenice	Jesenice	Podmežakla Hall	4,500	1948	2006–07	2011–12
HDD Olimpija Ljubljana	Ljubljana	Tivoli Hall	7,000	1928	2007–08	2016–17
Medveščak Zagreb	Zagreb	Dom Sportova, Arena Zagreb	5,000 15,000	1961	2009–10 2017–18	2012–13 2018–19
Orli Znojmo	Znojmo	Nevoga Arena	5,500	1933	2011– 12 2021–22	2019–20 2021-22
Dornbirn Bulldogs	Dornbirn	Messestadion	4,270	1992	2012–13 2021–22

Playoffs and Champions

The playoffs are exciting games at the end of the season. Teams compete to win the league title. In the 2013–14 season, HC Bolzano from Italy made history. They were the first non-Austrian team to win the league championship! Before that, HDD Olimpija Ljubljana from Slovenia reached the finals in 2007–08, but they lost to EC Red Bull Salzburg.

Winter Classics: Outdoor Games

Sometimes, the league holds special outdoor games called "Winter Classics." These games are played in unique places like football stadiums or outdoor arenas. It's a fun way to bring ice hockey to more fans!

Winter Classic	Date	Site	Home team	Away team	Score	Attendance
Klagenfurt 2015	2015-01-03	Wörthersee Stadion (football)	KAC	VSV	1–4	29,700
Šalata 2013	2013-02-01	Šalata (hockey)	Medveščak	Capitals	1–2	5,120
Šalata 2010	2010-01-31	Šalata (hockey)	Medveščak	Capitals	4–3 (OT)	4,600
Šalata 2010	2010-01-29	Šalata (hockey)	Medveščak	VSV	2–3	4,600
Pula 2012	2012-09-16	Pula Arena (amphitheatre)	Medveščak	Capitals	4–1	7,130
Pula 2012	2012-09-14	Pula Arena (amphitheatre)	Medveščak	Olimpija	1–2	7,022
Klagenfurt 2010	2010-01-09	Wörthersee Stadion (football)	KAC	VSV	1–3	30,500

Bolded teams denote winners

Austrian Champions List

This section lists all the teams that have won the title of "Austrian Champion" throughout history. Remember, only Austrian teams can win this specific title, even if non-Austrian teams win the overall league championship.

1923 Wiener EV
1924 Wiener EV
1925 Wiener EV
1926 Wiener EV
1927 Wiener EV
1928 Wiener EV
1929 Wiener EV
1930 Wiener EV
1931 Wiener EV
1932 Pötzleinsdorfer SK
1933 Wiener EV
1934 Klagenfurter
1935 EC KAC Klagenfurter
1936 EK Engelmann
1937 Wiener EV
1938 EK Engelmann
1939 Not played due to World War II
1940 Not played due to World War II
1941 Not played due to World War II
1942 Not played due to World War II
1943 Not played due to World War II
1944 Not played due to World War II
1945 Not played due to World War II
1946 EK Engelmann
1947 Wiener EV
1948 Wiener EV
1949 Wiener EG
1950 Wiener EG
1951 Wiener EG
1952 EC KAC Klagenfurter
1953 Innsbrucker EV
1954 Innsbrucker EV
1955 EC KAC Klagenfurter
1956 EK Engelmann
1957 EK Engelmann
1958 Innsbrucker EV
1959 Innsbrucker EV
1960 EC KAC
1961 Innsbrucker EV
1962 Wiener EV
1963 Innsbrucker EV
1964 EC KAC
1965 EC KAC
1966 EC KAC
1967 EC KAC
1968 EC KAC
1969 EC KAC
1970 EC KAC
1971 EC KAC
1972 EC KAC
1973 EC KAC
1974 EC KAC
1975 ATSE Graz
1976 EC KAC
1977 EC KAC
1978 ATSE Graz
1979 EC KAC
1980 EC KAC
1981 Villacher SV
1982 VEU Feldkirch
1983 VEU Feldkirch
1984 VEU Feldkirch
1985 EC KAC
1986 EC KAC
1987 EC KAC
1988 EC KAC
1989 GEV Innsbruck
1990 VEU Feldkirch
1991 EC KAC
1992 Villacher SV
1993 Villacher SV
1994 VEU Feldkirch
1995 VEU Feldkirch
1996 VEU Feldkirch
1997 VEU Feldkirch
1998 VEU Feldkirch
1999 Villacher SV
2000 EC KAC
2001 EC KAC
2002 Villacher SV
2003 Black Wings Linz
2004 EC KAC
2005 Vienna Capitals
2006 Villacher SV
2007 Red Bull Salzburg
2008 Red Bull Salzburg
2009 EC KAC
2010 Red Bull Salzburg
2011 Red Bull Salzburg
2012 Black Wings Linz
2013 EC KAC
2014 Red Bull Salzburg (EBEL title winner HC Bozen–Bolzano)
2015 Red Bull Salzburg
2016 Red Bull Salzburg
2017 Vienna Capitals
2018 Red Bull Salzburg (EBEL title winner HC Bozen–Bolzano)
2019 EC KAC
2020 N/A
2021 EC KAC
2022 Red Bull Salzburg
2023 Red Bull Salzburg
2024 Red Bull Salzburg

This table shows how many times each club has won the Austrian Championship:

Club	Winners	Winning years
EC KAC	32	1934, 1935, 1952, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2021
Wiener EV / EG	17	1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1962
Red Bull Salzburg	11	2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014^[], 2015, 2016, 2018^[], 2022, 2023, 2024
VEU Feldkirch	9	1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Innsbrucker EV (also known as GEV Innsbruck)	7	1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1989
Villacher SV	6	1981, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2006
EK Engelmann (earlier known as Pötzleinsdorfer SK)	6	1932, 1936, 1938, 1946, 1956, 1957
ATSE Graz	2	1975, 1978
Black Wings Linz	2	2003, 2012
Vienna Capitals	2	2005, 2017

bold – seasons in which league had teams outside Austria

^[*] – seasons in which the Austrian Champion didn't win the ICEHL title