British ice hockey league champions The British ice hockey league champions are the winners of the highest ice hockey league in the United Kingdom , currently the Elite Ice Hockey League . Previously , the highest league has been the British National League ( 1954 – 60 ) , the Premier Division ( 1983 – 96 ) and the Ice Hockey Superleague ( 1996 – 2003 ) . History . Prior to the formation of the British National League , England and Scotland each had their own competitions . The English League was founded in 1931 with the Scottish National League being formed a year later . The majority of English League clubs left to form the English National League in 1935 , leading the disbandment of the English League at the end of the 1935 – 36 season . The Scottish National League and English National League both continued until 1954 . In that year the decision was taken to amalgamate the two leagues into one . The new competition initially fielded 12 sides in its inaugural season , four from England and eight from Scotland . The Dunfermline Vikings withdrew from the league in early 1955 and at the end of the season six of the seven remaining Scottish sides withdrew , leaving the league with five members . This fell to four following the closure of Harringay Arena in 1958 but increased again to five in 1959 following the admission of Streatham . The league was disbanded following the 1959 – 60 season . Following the closure of the British National League , no league competition took place in the United Kingdom for the next six years . Instead clubs , some of which did not have a home rink , participated in rink tournaments . In 1966 the Northern League was formed . This league was made up of teams from Scotland and North East England and was the country ' s only league for four years . The Southern League was established in 1970 and was divided into the English League North and Inter - City League in 1978 . The British Hockey League was formed in 1982 with the Premier Division being launched a season later . There has been a British league continuously since then , although there have been three different organizations and the number of teams taking part has varied from twelve between 1993 and 1995 to five in 2002 – 03 . The current Elite Ice Hockey League was established in 2003 . In the 32 seasons in which a British league competition has been organized , a total of 38 clubs have taken part ( although some clubs , such as the Ice Hockey Superleague ' s Newcastle franchise , have existed under different names ) . Of these 16 have won the league championship . The most successful club is the Sheffield Steelers , who have won the championship on six occasions and the now - defunct Durham Wasps who won the title five times . The Cardiff Devils have been champions four times , while the Coventry Blaze have won the title three times . Of the other teams currently playing in the Elite Ice Hockey League , the Belfast Giants have been champions twice while the Nottingham Panthers , the only club to have played in all 32 seasons , have won the title once . The Murrayfield Racers , a predecessor of the Edinburgh Capitals , won the championship on two occasions . The Durham Wasps , Murrayfield Racers , Cardiff Devils , Sheffield Steelers and Coventry Blaze are the only sides to have successfully defended a title . Total titles won . Teams in bold are current Elite Ice Hockey League members . Teams in " italics " are teams which play outside of the Elite Ice Hockey League . The remaining teams are defunct , although Dundee , Edinburgh ( home of the Murrayfield Racers ) and Manchester still have their own ice hockey teams . Total titles won by Home Nation . Each of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom have had at least one team who have been British champions . Teams from England have been league champions on 20 occasions , Scottish sides five times , while Welsh side Cardiff Devils and the Northern Ireland based Belfast Giants are the only sides from their parts of the United Kingdom to win the league . Multiple title winners . British ice hockey has run numerous other competitions in addition to the league . The following teams have won titles in addition to the league championship in a season .