The Emirates Hockey League (EHL) is the national

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. The league is governed by the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...

. Founded in 2009 by the country’s Winter Sports Federation and the Emirates Olympic Committee, and licensed by the International Hockey Federation, the league now (2019) consists of six teams: the Abu Dhabi Scorpions, the Dubai Vipers/White Bears (previously Al Ain Vipers and Dubai Oilers), the Dubai Mighty Camels, the Abu Dhabi Storms, the Al Ain Theebs and the Abu Dhabi Shaheen Falcons. The Scorpions and Mighty Camels are composed of expatriate players, including Canadians, working in the

U.A.E. The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, while the other clubs consist of mostly Emirati players who form the United Arab Emirates national team. The first game of the league was on October 7, 2009 between the Dubai Mighty Camels and the Abu Dhabi Scorpions, held at the

Zayed Sports City Zayed Sports City Stadium ( ar, ستاد مدينة زايد الرياضية) is a multi-purpose stadium located in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The largest stadium in the UAE with 45,000 seats, it has iconic status and ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

. In November 2018, Vladimir Burdun, a former karate champion who had lived in Dubai since the mid-1990s, was appointed as the new president of the League. He planned to eventually field at least one Emirates team in the international, professional

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

by 2021. "The main goal of the EHL management is to improve the quality of the league and bring new exposure to the level of play and create bridges with one of the best leagues in Europe, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)", he said. At about the same time, Dmitry Butenko was appointed as Managing Director of EHL. A new ice arena was expected to open in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, possibly before the end of 2019, with a seating capacity of 17,000, and that venue would meet all the requirements of the KHL. (Preliminary plans for a major arena in Abu Dhabi were also underway in 2018.) In April 2018, the Dubai Mighty Camels won the fourth title of Emirates Hockey League, becoming the major winner of the competition while in 2019, the champions were the Abu Dhabi Storms.

2021 season

Current teams

Former teams

Annual champions

*The Al Ain Vipers became the Dubai Vipers in 2013, and changed their name to the Dubai Oilers in 2014. The team changed back to Dubai Vipers for the 2016-2017 season.

References

External links

IIHF article on foundation of EIHL
*2015/2016 Season Preview http://www.thenational.ae/sport/other/its-heating-up-in-the-uaes-ice-rinks-this-201516-season *2010 Season Preview http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/other/all-set-for-emirates-hockey-league-cup *2009 Season Preview http://www.thenational.ae/sport/uae-sport/a-guide-to-the-teams-in-emirates-hockey-league *NHL.com Hockey Finds an unlikely home in the Arabian Gulf https://www.nhl.com/news/hockey-finds-an-unlikely-home-in-arabian-gulf/c-615662 {{Ice Hockey Leagues Ice hockey leagues in the United Arab Emirates Sports leagues established in 2009 2009 establishments in the United Arab Emirates