The Belgian Hockey League, also known as the Belgian Elite League, was the highest level of competition organized by the
Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation
The Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation (RBIHF) is the Belgian ice hockey federation, known in Dutch as the ''Koninklijke Belgische IJshockey Federatie'' (KBIJF) and in French as the ''Fédération Royale Belge de Hockey sur Glace'' (FRBHG). It is ...
. The league winner was crowned the Belgian Champion. The league had been in existence since 1912. The Brussels Royal IHSC were the most decorated team with 23 titles. In 2015, the league merged with the Dutch
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
to form the
BeNe League
The BeNe League was the highest women's football league in Belgium and the Netherlands. To increase competitiveness in their national leagues, the BeNe League was a joint cooperation between the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Royal Du ...
.
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 . 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.
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 ''North Sea Cup'' was a short-lived hockey league that temporarily succeeded the Dutch Eredivisie from 2010-2012. It was the only professional ice hockey league in the Netherlands and the highest level of competition sanctioned by the Nederla ...
. 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.
IIHF
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. For the 2012–2013 season, the teams of the Belgian National League
The Belgian National League was the second level of ice hockey in Belgium. The league was one rank below the Belgian Hockey League, but for the 2012-2013 season it was merged with two teams of the defunct North Sea Cup to become the "Belgian Elite ...
joined Leuven and Turnhout to form the Belgian Elite League, the winner of which becomes the Belgian national champion.
As of 2012–2013, the teams of the Belgian Elite League, plus HYC Herentals, compete for the Belgian Cup
The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...
, which is played before and during the Elite League season.
Teams
Belgian Hockey League Champions
Total titles won
References
External links
Belgian Ice Hockey Federation
Defunct ice hockey leagues in Europe
1
Sports leagues established in 1912
1912 establishments in Belgium
Professional sports leagues in Belgium
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