Israel Ice Hockey Federation The Israel Ice Hockey Federation is recognized as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in Israel and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation . It is often called the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel in order to differentiate it from the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) . History . Ice hockey began in Israel when the first ice rink opened in Qiryat Motzkin in 1986 . The Israel Ice Hockey and Figure Skating Association was formed in 1988 and was admitted to the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1991 . Israel first competed in the IIHF Pool C world championships in South Africa in 1992 , finishing 5th out of the six participating teams ( South Africa , Spain , Greece , Luxembourg , Turkey and Israel ) . The hockey and figure skating associations split when the sports became large enough to be independent , and the hockey association was renamed to the Ice Hockey Federation of Israel . Ice hockey in Israel began to grow when several Russian Jewish émigrés , who had played professionally in the Soviet Union , began coaching in Metula , the site of Israel ' s first and currently only full - size rink . Most notable among these Russian coaches was Boris Mindel , a former defenseman on the Red Army Team , who established a junior program at the Canada Center rink in Metula . Ice hockey in Israel received an additional boost of momentum when the late Roger Neilson , coach of several NHL teams including the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs , opened a branch of his summer ice hockey camp in Metula and attracted young North American players to train and compete with young Israelis interested in the sport . As of 2005 there are three ice skating rinks in Israel . An Olympic facility and smaller practice rink at the Canada Center in Metula , and a small rink in the northern town of Ma ' alot . The Canadian Friends of the Israeli Ice Hockey Association was founded in Montreal in 1991 by David Lisbona and Larry Markowitz . Since its inception , the organization has sent hundreds of pounds of ice hockey equipment to Israel and in the early nineties , published a newsletter entitled " The Hockey Shtick " . The association continues to collect equipment for hockey programs in Israel through its collection box situated at the Samuel Moskovitch Arena in Cote Saint - Luc , a predominantly Jewish district in Montreal . International competition . In the summer of 1997 , the Maccabiah Games included ice hockey for the first time and attracted Jewish teams from the United States , Canada and Ukraine to compete along with the Israel National Team . The U . S . and Canadian team was composed of mostly NCAA players and several who had played in the NHL , including U . S . player coach Mike Hartman of the New York Rangers . At the same time , a team of Jewish teenagers from New York City traveled to Israel to face Boris Mindel ' s Metula team , and later invited the Israeli juniors to tour the Northeastern United States and Canada with them , giving the Israeli juniors their first exposure to North American competition . The New Yorkers , including many of the same players who had visited in 1997 , visited again in 2004 to skate against the Israelis in a spirited series for the " Maccabi Cup " . In 2005 , Israel , with the benefit of a number of players who were Israeli - Canadian dual citizens , won the gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation Division II Group B world championships and were them promoted to Division I for the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation world championships . In 2006 , after being outscored 47 - 3 in the Ice Hockey Division I World Championships , Israel was relegated to the 2007 Ice Hockey Division II World Championships . In the summer of 2007 , with outside temperatures reaching ninety degrees Fahrenheit , the first World Jewish Ice Hockey Tournament was held in Metulla , with competing teams from Israel , Canada , France , and the winner , the United States .