Norway men's national ice hockey team
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| Nickname(s) | Isbjørnene (The Polar Bears) |
|---|---|
| Association | NIHF |
| General Manager | Bjørn Mathisrud |
| Head coach | Petter Thoresen |
| Assistants | Sjur Robert Nilsen |
| Captain | Ole-Kristian Tollefsen |
| Most games | Tommy Jakobsen (135) |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | NOR |
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| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 11 
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| Highest IIHF | 8 (2012) |
| Lowest IIHF | 21 (2004) |
| First international | |
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Norway  (London, England; 17 February 1937) |
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| Biggest win | |
Norway 24–0 Belgium  (Sofia, Bulgaria; 5 March 1975) Norway 25–1 China  (Debrecen, Hungary; 22 April 2005) |
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| Biggest defeat | |
 Finland 20–1 Norway (Hämeenlinna, Finland; 12 March 1947) |
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| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 60 (first in 1937) |
| Best result | 4th (1951) |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 12 (first in 1952) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 352–634–112 | |
The Norwegian men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team from Norway that participates at the IIHF World Championships. The team is governed by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association and is coached by Petter Thoresen.
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association was founded in 1934 and, adopting the international rules and regulations of ice hockey, became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1935. Poor finances delayed the formation of a national team until 1937, and continued to hamper its development in the years prior to World War II. After missing out on the 1935 World Championships and 1936 Winter Olympics, the NIHF managed to raise enough funds to send a team to London for the 1937 World Championships. The national ice hockey team thus played its first game on 17 February 1937, losing 0–7 to Czechoslovakia, and was eliminated from the competition following a 2–13 loss to Switzerland. Norway also took part in the next tournament in 1938, but was unable to participate in 1939. Results remained meagre throughout the pre-war years; of the nine international fixtures contested between 1937 and 1940, the closest Norway came to winning was 3–4 in the first game against Sweden, on 20 January 1939.
After the war, the growth of Norwegian ice hockey accelerated as new teams formed and improvements in infrastructure were made. The opening of the state of the art Jordal Amfi in Oslo meant that for a time Norway was at the forefront in terms of facilities. Results began to improve on the international stage, though not before Norway had endured its worst defeat ever at the hands of Finland in 1947.
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