Ice Hockey Federation of Israel - International Competition

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.