ICE Hockey League

The ICE Hockey League (International Central European Hockey League) known as the bet-at-home ICE Hockey League for sponsorship reasons) is a Central European hockey league that also serves as the top-tier ice hockey league in Austria, it currently features additional teams from Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia. The league was known as the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL) from 2003 until 2020.
Until 2005–06, the league consisted solely of Austrian teams. Since then, the league has added teams from Slovenia (from 2006 to 2017 and from 2021 onwards), Hungary (starting 2007–08), Croatia (from 2009–10 through 2012–13, and again from 2017–18 through 2018–19), the Czech Republic (starting in 2011–12 through 2019–20 and again from 2021-22 onwards), Italy (starting in 2013–14) and Slovakia (starting in 2020–21).
The non-Austrian teams are competing for the "League Champion" title. Only Austrian teams in this league are additionally eligible for the "Austrian Champion" title. The league has had different sponsors, and the current naming rights have been held by bet-at-home.com since 2020.
==History==
=== Foundation ===
The roots of the league go back to 1923 and various Championships, whose winner is officially recognized as the Austrian Champion. There was no Austrian competition between 1939 and 1945. During World War II, a number of Austrian teams competed in the German Ice Hockey Championship, which is why the EK Engelmann Wien and Vienna EV list German Championships in their history.
=== 1965–1990 ===
The Bundesliga, as it was called, was incepted for the 1965-66 season by EC KAC from Klagenfurt, IEV from Innsbruck, WEVg from Vienna, and KEC from Kitzbühel. EC KAC won the championship 8 times in the 1970s.
When the Austrian national hockey team earned promotion into the Group B of the IIHF, it led to a boom in spectators. Three foreign players were allowed and first signs of financial hiccups came. SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt, and WAT Stadlau abstained from participating in the Bundesliga for financial reasons.
=== 1990–2003 ===
A first step in internationalization was undertaken as the clubs, in addition to the national championship, participated in the Alpenliga. The Alpenliga was formed with clubs from Italy and Slovenia. After making Ralph Krueger their manager in 1991 VEU Feldkirch won five championships from 1994 to 1998. Rising budgets caused more and more clubs to abstain from participation. In 1997 SV Kapfenberg went bankrupt during the season, and the championship was down to only four clubs. In 2000 VEU Feldkirch went bankrupt. The league was named after its sponsor, Uniqua.
=== 2003–2020 ===
In 2003 Erste Bank became sponsor and the league was named Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. In 2013–14, Italy's Bolzano Foxes became the first non-Austrian team to win the EBEL title when they beat the Salzburg Red Bulls 3 games to 2 in their best-of-five final series. Such success is not unheard of for an Italian outfit, but previous similar results took place in the Alpenliga and the Cup of the European Leagues, standalone competitions whose postseason tournaments were distinct from the Austrian playoffs. One year after rejoining the league from the Kontinental Hockey League, KHL Medveščak Zagreb once again withdrew from the EBEL, this time citing the difficult economic situation of the club.
=== 2020–present ===
In 2020, the league was renamed to ICE Hockey League. "ICE" refers to the league's locale – International Central European – and the surface of an ice hockey rink. At the same time, bet-at-home.com became the title sponsor of the league. From the 2021-22 season onwards the league will expand to 14 teams, with reigning champions Olimpija Ljubljana and Pustertal Wölfe joining from the Alps Hockey League and Orli Znojmo returning after one-year absence.
==Teams==
Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity 	Founded 	Joined ICEHL 	Left ICEHL
Current teams 	Current teams 	Current teams 	Current teams 	Current teams 	Current teams 	Current teams
Bratislava Capitals 	Bratislava 	Ondrej Nepela Arena 	10,055 	2015 	2020–21 	
Dornbirn Bulldogs 	Dornbirn 	Messestadion 	4,270 	1992 	2012–13 	
EC GRAND Immo 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 	Ifjabb Ocskay Gábor 	3,600 	1960 	2007–08 	
Graz 99ers 	Graz 	Eisstadion Liebenau 	4,050 	1999 	2000–01 	
HC Bozen–Bolzano 	Bolzano 	PalaOnda 	7,220 	1933 	2013–14 	
HC Pustertal Wölfe 	Bruneck 	Rienzstadion 	2,050 	1954 	2021–22 	
HC TWK Innsbruck 	Innsbruck 	OlympiaWorld Innsbruck 	7,212 	1994 	2012–13 	
HK Olimpija Ljubljana 	Ljubljana 	Tivoli Hall 	7,000 	2004 	2021–22 	
Orli Znojmo 	Znojmo 	Nevoga Arena 	5,500 	1933 	2011-122021–22 	2019-20
Steinbach Black Wings 1992 	Linz 	Donauhalle 	3,800 	1992 	2000–01 	
Vienna Capitals 	Vienna 	Albert Schultz Eishalle 	7,022 	2000 	2001–02 	
Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)	Former teams (since introduction of current league format)
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 	5,00015,000 	1961 	2009–102017–18 	2012–132018–19
==Playoffs==
With their victory in the finals of the 2013–14 season, HC Bolzano became the first non-Austrian team to claim the league title. Formerly the best non-Austrian team result was when HDD Olimpija Ljubljana managed to get into the finals in the 2007–08 season, losing the championship to EC Red Bull Salzburg.
==Winter Classics==
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 	2010-01-31Šalata Winter Classic 2010., Croatian Wikipedia.	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
== Austrian Champions ==
* 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 Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
* 2021 EC KAC
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
VEU Feldkirch 	9 	1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Red Bull Salzburg 	8 	2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014[*], 2015, 2016, 2018[*]
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
==See also==
* Austrian champions (ice hockey)
* Austrian National League, () 2nd league in Austria
* Inter-National League
* Alps Hockey League
* Players in the Austrian Hockey League
* Erste Bank Eishockey Liga Playoffs
* Hockey Europe
* List of Österreichische Eishockey Liga seasons
==References==
==External links==
*Ice Hockey League Official
*Austrian Hockey Association (ÖEHV)
*Information about Ice-hockey in Austria (German)
 
1
Austria
Category:Multi-national ice hockey leagues in Europe