Turkish Ice Hockey Federation
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| Association name | Turkish Ice Hockey Federation |
|---|---|
| IIHF Code | TUR |
| IIHF membership | May 1, 1991 |
| President | Bülent AKAY |
| IIHF men's ranking | 39th (October 2012) |
| IIHF women's ranking | 35th (October 2012) |
| http://www.tbhf.org.tr | |
Turkish Ice Hockey Federation (Turkish: Türkiye Buz Hokeyi Federasyonu, TBHF) is the governing body of the ice hockey sport in Turkey. It was established in 1991 as the Turkish Ice Sports Federation (Turkish: Türkiye Buz Sporları Federasyonu, TBSF). It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since May 1, 1991. The TBHF is based in Ankara and its current chairman is Orhan Duman.
TBHF conducts seven ice hockey leagues for men's and women's. The federation organizes also the national teams for men's, men's junior, men's U-18 and women's. As of October 2012, Turkey men's national team ranks 39th and the women's 35th in the world.
Ice hockey playing started in Turkey in the beginning of the 1980s at Atatürk ice rink and on the frozen pool of Youth Park in Ankara and Korukent ice rink in Istanbul. The first ice hockey match dates back to January 9, 1988 played at Atatürk ice rink in Ankara between the teams of Ankara and Istanbul, which were coached by an American Glenn Brown and Sinisha Tomic from Yugoslavia respectively.
By February 1989, the "Buz Pateni Sarayı" (literally "Ice Skating Palace"), country's first Olympic size hockey rink was opened in Ankara, which initiated the ice hockey in Turkey. Founding of an ice hockey school the same year by Cüneyt Kozan and Fahri Paslı was one of the most basic and important steps in the development of this sport branch in Turkey. Some of the sportspeople, who learnt playing ice hockey at this school, are still members of the national team.
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