Association | Hellenic Ice Sports Federation |
---|---|
Head coach | Igor Apostolidis |
Assistants | Panagiotis Efkarpidis |
Captain | Dimitrios Kalyvas |
Most games | Orestis Tilios (30) |
Top scorer | Dimitrios Kalyvas (26) |
Most points | Dimitrios Kalyvas (49) |
Team colors | |
IIHF code | GRE |
Ranking | |
Current IIHF | not ranked |
Highest IIHF | 44 (first in 2011) |
Lowest IIHF | 49 (first in 2015) |
First international | |
Greece 15–3 Turkey (Johannesburg, South Africa; 21 March 1992) |
|
Biggest win | |
Greece 13–0 Georgia (Abu Dhabi, UAE; 15 October 2012) |
|
Biggest defeat | |
Israel 26–2 Greece (Cape Town, South Africa; 15 April 2011) |
|
IIHF World Championships | |
Appearances | 12 (first in 1992) |
Best result | 29th (1992) |
International record (W–L–T) | |
16–30–1 |
The Greek national ice hockey team (Greek: Εθνική Ελλάδος χόκεϊ επί πάγου) is the national ice hockey team of Greece and as an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competed in Division III of the IIHF World Championships. Greece are unable to compete in any IIHF tournaments because they cannot fulfill the minimum standard of having one operational indoor rink.
Ice hockey started in Greece in 1984 by players that returned to Greece from abroad. The first official Greek Championship was held in 1989 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium with five teams taking place. It was the first time that ice hockey games were held in an official-size rink in the country. In 1990, the first junior national team was formed and took part in the World Junior Championship Pool C, held in Yugoslavia. In 1991, the junior national team took part in the World Junior Championship, held in Italy. In 1992, the first ever men's national team was formed and took place in the World Championships Pool C2 held in South Africa. With only two weeks of serious training abroad and the support of the Greeks of South Africa, the men's national team finished ahead of three other new hockey nations, winning the Bronze medal, placing them 29th overall.
Despite the great achievement, the start of the decline of the sport came in 1993. Economic help was discontinued by the Greek Undersecretary of State for Sports and all expenses to keep ice hockey alive were passed over to the players. Practices stopped and many players quit.
Since May 2003, the last ice rink in Greece closed and the national team was left without an ice rink. In the next 4 years, players of the national team traveled at their own expense in the Czech Republic in order to train themselves. Unfortunately, the IIHF determined in 2013 that the team will not be able to participate in any World Championship programs until an Olympic sized ice rink is constructed in the country.