Belgian Hockey League

Royal Belgian
Ice Hockey Federation
Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation
Sport	Ice Hockey
Inaugural season	1912
Country	Belgium
Most recent champion(s)	IHC Leuven
Most titles	Brussels Royal IHSC (23)
Official website	kbijf.be

The Belgian Hockey League, also known as the Belgian Elite League, is the highest level of competition organized by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation. The league winner is crowned the Belgian Champion. The league has been in existence since 1912. The Brussels Royal IHSC the most decorated team with 23 titles.

History

Early History

The Belgian Hockey League played first in 1912. The play was interrupted several times in its history. The first game suspension happened 1914-1920 due to World War I. The next break was from 1929-1934 due to the world economic crisis. The 3rd and last break was in the 1994/95 season, which was cancelled after the regular season due to issues over playoff participation.

Recent History

In 2009, there were 5 clubs competing in the Elite league for the Belgian Championship, all from the Flemish Community part of the country (listed below).

During the 2010-2011 season, the two top Belgian teams competed in a joint tournament with the teams of the Dutch Eredivisie called the North Sea Cup. The other three teams dropped out of the Belgian elite league to join the Belgian National League, leaving only Herentals and Turnhout to decide the Belgian Championship.^[1] Leuven Chiefs played in the North Sea Cup for the 2011-2012 season, but Turnhout dropped out of the league midway through the season and Leuven dropped out at the end [of the season.

In 2012, the North Sea Cup was discontinued and HYC Herentals joined the Dutch "Eredivisie" league. For the 2012-2013 season, the teams of the Belgian National League joined Leuven and Turnhout to form the "Belgian Elite League", the winner of which becomes the Belgian national champions.

As of 2012-2013, the Belgian Elite League teams, plus HYC Herentals of the Dutch Eredivisie, compete for the Belgian Cup, which is played before and during the Elite League season.

Teams

Team	City/Area
Current Teams
Antwerp Phantoms	Deurne
Leuven Chiefs	Leuven
Liege Bulldogs Ice Hockey Club	Liege
Olympia Heist op den Berg	Heist-op-den-Berg
Eeklo Yeti Bears	Eeklo
Haskey Hasselt	Hasselt
HYC Herentals 2	Herentals
White Caps Turnhout	Turnhout
Charleroi Red Roosters	Charleroi
Gullegem Jets	Gullegem

Team	City/Area
Before 2010
HYC Herentals	Herentals
Phantoms Deurne	Deurne
IHC Louvain	Leuven
White Caps Turnhout	Turnhout
Olympia Heist op den Berg	Heist-op-den-Berg

Team	City/Area
Belgian National League before 2010
Liege Bulldogs
Eeklo Yeti Bears
Charleroi Red Roosters
Haskey Hasselt
Atomic Moose
Olympia I.h.c. Vzw
Leuven Ihc
Herentals Hyc
Eindhoven Vikings
Turnhout White Caps
Gullegem Jets
Antwerp Pahntoms
Liederkerke Lions

Belgian Hockey League Champions

1912: Brussels Royal IHSC
1913: Brussels Royal IHSC
1914: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
1915-1919: Not Played
1920: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
1921: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
1922: Saint Sauveur IHC
1923: Brussels Royal IHSC
1924: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
1925: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
1926: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
1927: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
1928: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
1929: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
1930-1933: Not Played
1934: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
1935: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
1936: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
1937: Cercle des Sports d'Hiver Bruxelles
1938: Brussels Royal IHSC
1939: Cercle des Sports d'Hiver Bruxelles
1940: Brussels Royal IHSC
1941: Brussels Royal IHSC
1942: Brussels Royal IHSC
1943: Brussels Royal IHSC
1944: Brussels Royal IHSC
1945: Brussels Royal IHSC
1946: Cercle des Patineurs Unis
1947: Brussels Royal IHSC
1948: Brussels Royal IHSC
1949: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1950: Brabo IHC
1951: Entente Saint-Sauveur Bruxelles
1952: Brabo IHC
1953: Brabo IHC
1954: Brabo IHC
1955: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1956: Antwerp IHC
1957: Antwerp IHC
1958: Antwerp IHC
1959: Antwerp IHC
1960: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1961: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1962: Brussels Royal IHSC
1963: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1964: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois

1965: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1966: Olympia IHC
1967: Olympia IHC
1968: Brussels IHSC Poseidon
1969: Olympia IHC
1970: Brussels Royal IHSC
1971: Brussels Royal IHSC
1972: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1973: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1974: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
1975: Brussels Royal IHSC
1976: Brussels Royal IHSC
1977: Brussels Royal IHSC
1978: Brussels Royal IHSC
1979: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1980: Brussels Royal IHSC
1981: Herentals IJC
1982: Brussels Royal IHSC
1983: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1984: Herentals IJC
1985: Herentals IJC
1986: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1987: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1988: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1989: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1990: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1991: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1992: Olympia Heist op den Berg
1993: Herentals IJC
1994: Herentals IJC
1995: Not played
1996: Griffoens Geel
1997: HYC Herentals
1998: HYC Herentals
1999: Olympia Heist op den Berg
2000: Phantoms Deurne
2001: Phantoms Deurne
2002: HYC Herentals
2003: Phantoms Deurne
2004: Olympia Heist op den Berg
2005: Chiefs Leuven
2006: White Caps Turnhout
2007: White Caps Turnhout
2008: White Caps Turnhout
2009: HYC Herentals
2010: Chiefs Leuven
2011: White Caps Turnhout
2012: Antwerp Phantoms
2013: Chiefs Leuven
2014: Liège Bulldogs

Titles by team

Titles	Team	Year
23	Brussels Royal IHSC 1911–1948 Brussels IHSC 1948–1954 Enente St`Sauveur 1954–1966 Brussels IHSC 1966–1970 Brussels IHSC Poseidon	1912, 1913, 1923, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1962, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982
11	Olympia Heist op den Berg	1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004
10	Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois	1949, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974
5	Herentals IJC	1981, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994
5	Le Puck d’Anvers	1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928
4	HYC Herentals	1998, 1997, 2002, 2009
4	Antwerp Ice Hockey Club	1956, 1957, 1958, 1959
4	Brabo IHC	1950, 1952, 1953, 1954
4	Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises	1929, 1934, 1935, 1936
4	White Caps Turnhout	2006, 2007, 2008, 2011
3	Cercle des Patineurs de Bruxelles	1914, 1920, 1921
3	Olympia IHC	1966, 1967, 1969
3	Phantoms Deurne	2000, 2001, 2003
3	Chiefs Leuven	2005, 2010, 2013
2	Cercle des Sports d’Hiver de Bruxelles	1937, 1939
1	Saint Sauveur IHC	1922
1	Cercle des Patineurs Unis	1946
1	Griffoens Geel	1996
1	Liege Bulldogs	2014

References

↑ IIHF

External links

Belgian Ice Hockey Federation

Top-level ice hockey leagues

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) IIHF Continental Cup Junior Club World Cup List of KHL vs NHL games Memorial Cup Spengler Cup Stanley Cup

Africa, Middle East, Oceania	Australia New Zealand Israel South Africa United Arab Emirates Qatar

Americas	Brazil Mexico United States & Canada Canada & U.S. minors: AHL

Asia	Asia League Ice Hockey China Hong Kong India Kyrgyzstan Malaysia Mongolia North Korea Singapore Turkmenistan Thailand Taiwan

Europe (International)	Erste Bank Eishockey Liga Champions Hockey League Kontinental Hockey League Supreme Hockey League Junior Hockey League Inter-National League Hockey Europe MOL Liga

Europe (National)	Armenia Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Greece Georgia Germany Hungary Iceland Italy Ireland Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom

Defunct leagues	Soviet Union Russia Czechoslovakia Yugoslavia West Germany East Germany Japan Alpenliga Interliga North Sea Cup Panonian League Eastern European Balkan League Baltic League Carpathian League Slohokej League Champions Hockey League (2008–09) European Trophy

Ice hockey in Belgium

Governing body:	Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation

National teams:	Belgium men's national ice hockey team Belgium women's national ice hockey team

Belgian Eredivisie Teams:	HYC Herentals

Belgian Hockey League:	Antwerp Phantoms Charleroi Red Roosters Eeklo Yeti Bears HYC Herentals 2 Gullegem Jets Haskey Hasselt Olympia Heist op den Berg IHC Leuven Liege Bulldogs White Caps Turnhout

Other articles:	Belgian National League Belgian Cup

Related articles: IIHF IIHF Continental Cup IIHF European Champions Cup

Belgian Hockey League seasons

1911–12
1912–13
1913–14
1919–20
1920–21
1921–22
1922–23
1923–24
1924–25
1925–26
1926–27
1927–28
1928–29
1933–34
1934–35
1935–36
1936–37
1937–38
1938–39
1939–40
1940–41
1941–42
1942–43
1943–44
1944–45
1945–46
1946–47
1947–48
1948–49
1949–50
1950–51
1951–52
1952–53
1953–54
1954–55
1955–56
1956–57
1957–58
1958–59
1959–60
1960–61
1961–62
1962–63
1963–64
1964–65
1965–66
1966–67
1967–68
1968–69
1969–70
1970–71
1971–72
1972–73
1973–74
1974–75
1975–76
1976–77
1977–78
1978–79
1979–80
1980–81
1981–82
1982–83
1983–84
1984–85
1985–86
1986–87
1987–88
1988–89
1989–90
1990–91
1991–92
1992–93
1993–94
1994–95
1995–96
1996–97
1997–98
1998–99
1999–00
2000–01
2001–02
2002–03
2003–04
2004–05
2005–06
2006–07
2007–08
2008–09
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13