After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, the Latvian Hockey Federation was established in 1991 and re-admitted to the IIHF during its congress in Prague on May 6, 1992. However, the Latvian national men's team was not restored back to the top division and had to play in Group C in its first World Championships since 1939. The team returned to the top flight in 1997. The women's national team played its first game in 1992.