Ice hockey in Austria

Ice hockey has a long history in Austria, with the sport being organized by the Austrian Ice Hockey Association. The top league in the country, called the Austrian Hockey League, began in 1922 and remains a key part of the sport there. Below this league are two more levels: the Nationalliga and the Oberliga, giving many players chances to compete.

Austria’s national teams, for both men and women, along with younger groups like the junior and women's U-18 teams, take part in big international events such as the IIHF World Championships. The country has been part of the IIHF, the group that organizes ice hockey worldwide, since March 18, 1912, showing its long-standing connection to the sport.

Hockey at the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy

Ice hockey was first reported in 1897. Just three years later, in 1900, the Training Ice Club and the Vienna Athletic Sport Club held the first official game. At that time, teams had seven players, including a special player called a "rover," who was the best skater and acted like an all-around player.

In 1909, the first artificial ice rink opened, which helped improve training and made the sport very popular in Austria, which was still part of the Austro-Hungary monarchy. In 1912, the Austrian Ice Hockey Association was created and joined the International Ice Hockey Federation. However, Austria-Hungary could not join the 1912 European Hockey Championship in time. The next year, they joined the tournament but finished last among the four teams.

International successes after the First World War

The First World War stopped ice hockey in Austria, and after the country changed, the sport started again in 1919. In the 1921–22 season, Austria switched from bandy to ice hockey using the puck we know today.

The late 1920s were very successful for Austrian ice hockey. In 1927, Austria won the European Championship without losing a game. In 1930, the Austrian team beat a team from Canada with a score of 1–0, which was a big achievement. Austria won the European title again in 1931 and got third place at the World Ice Hockey Championships that same year, behind Canada and the United States. After that, Austria won silver medals at the European Championships.

World War II

Before the Second World War, Austria had ice hockey teams for both regular people and workers. Worker teams grew quickly in the 1920s, and in 1928, the first worker ice hockey clubs were created. These clubs were part of a group called the Association of Workers and Soldiers Sports Clubs of Austria, which later changed its name to ASKÖ.

When a political party in Austria was banned in 1934, all the worker hockey clubs were also banned. Some players joined other teams, and new clubs were started. For example, a new club called Hammerbrotwerke began in December 1934. Even with these changes, many people did not notice or care much about the worker hockey teams.

German championship titles by Viennese clubs

In the late 1930s, some Austrian teams joined the German league. Two teams, EK Engelmann and the Viennese EV, won German championship titles during this time. During World War II, ice hockey games stopped completely. After the war, in 1945, the association was restarted, and in 1947, the team won a bronze medal at a World Cup.

Descent into the second division

Austria faced some tough times in their ice hockey journey. In 1962, they dropped down to a lower league but quickly bounced back. It wasn’t until 1992 that the national team returned to compete with the world’s best. Since then, the team has moved between the top and second tiers.

Teams have struggled with money, especially after some big sponsors pulled out. This made it hard for clubs to keep good players. When Red Bull started sponsoring one team, they offered very high salaries, making it hard for other teams to compete. Many teams couldn’t develop their own young players, so they had to bring in players from other countries. This caused some disagreements among the teams. To help fix these issues, efforts began in 2009 to better train young players. By the 2010–11 season, all top teams started their own junior teams and worked more closely with lower league clubs. In 2012, a junior league was created, which all top teams had to join.

The gap between national and national league

In recent years, there has been a big difference in money between the top league teams and the second division teams in Austria. The top teams have much more money, so teams from the second division often choose not to move up because it would be too risky and expensive.

There is also a split between the east and west parts of Austria. Most of the top teams are in the east, while the west, especially in a place called Vorarlberg, has many second division teams. These western teams prefer playing among themselves because traveling to the east for games is far and difficult. This made the second division mostly a western competition for many years. Things changed in 2012 when two western teams joined the top league again. However, this caused problems for the second division, which needed to be reorganised quickly that same year.

National league

Main article: Austrian Hockey League

The top level of ice hockey in Austria has been around since the 1965–66 season, though championship games have happened since 1923. The oldest and most successful team is EC KAC from Klagenfurt, with 30 championship wins.

The Erste Bank Ice Hockey League has grown to include teams from nearby countries. This has led to changes in rules about players from other countries. Despite money problems for some teams, the league keeps growing and is now one of the better leagues in Europe. In the 2009–10 season, over one million fans watched games, putting the league in seventh place among European leagues. The league is also a full member of Hockey Europe.

Previous League

Main article: Austrian Hockey League

For many years, the National League was a strong and well-managed league where many young Austrian players grew up playing. This changed in the summer of 2009 when some clubs could no longer afford to stay in the league. After some uncertainty, the league continued but with fewer teams. Two teams from Styria moved to a lower league, and new teams joined over time.

In 2012, two more teams moved up to a higher league, and some smaller teams left. This made it hard for the National League to stay strong. The league then changed to include teams from other countries. By the 2013/14 season, teams from Italy and Slovenia joined, but after a year, the Italian teams stopped joining. In 2016, a new league called the Alps Hockey League was created by Austria, Slovenia, and Italy.

Austria Oberliga

Main article: Austrian Oberliga

The Austria Oberliga faced challenges for many years as teams moved to other leagues. In the summer of 2009, the league saw unexpected growth because of issues in the National League. It became a strong link between professional and amateur hockey in Austria. Teams like the former national team KSV ice hockey club and EV Aicall Zeltweg joined, raising its status. Though still the third highest league officially, it worked closely with the National League as a second performance level.

In 2018, a new nationwide third division called the Austrian Amateur Hockey League (ÖAHL) was created.

National team

The Austrian men's national ice hockey team has had its ups and downs over the years. In 2009, they reached a high point by competing in the top group at the World Cup in Switzerland. This happened because Germany, who were placed lower, got to host the 2010 World Cup. After this, there were changes in how the team was managed, with a new coach focusing on building a stronger team over time.

The junior teams also had mixed results. The under-20 team reached the top division in 2009 but dropped back the next year. The under-18 team also faced challenges, needing to move down a level in 2010. The women's team showed promise but didn’t quite reach the top level, and the under-18 women's team finished near the bottom in their group. Overall, there is a feeling that more changes are needed to improve the teams.