Turkish Ice Hockey Federation

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 president is Bulent Akay.

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.

History
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.

Ankara Buz Pateni Sarayı hosted the first match ever played in compliance with the international rules and regulations end of 1989 between Ankara Tarım Kredi Spor and Istanbul Paten Kulübü teams.

By January 1990, ice hockey sport was subordinated to the Turkish Ski Federation, and the first official championship ever was organized among two teams from Ankara and two from Istanbul.

With the foundation of the Turkish Ice Sports Federation in 1991, ice hockey sport separated from the Turkish Ski Federation and came along with figure skating sport under the authority of the new organization. Turkey became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF the same year, and formed the national team to participate at the 1992 World championships Group C tournaments.

The rising interest in ice hockey effected the increasing number of players and then the teams. Rino Ouellette, a Canadian diplomat in Ankara, who coached two teams consecutively, contributed much to the development of ice hockey sport in Turkey. A tournament, organized in 1992, laid the ground stone for the establishment of Turkey's first ice hockey league in 1993.

Under increasing competition pressure, the teams were forced to transfer valuable players from countries with ice hockey tradition like Canada, Russia, Ukraine etc. The presence of the foreign sportspeople contributed considerable to the enhancement of this sport resulting in Turkey's first international win in 1997 against New Zealand.

In the end of 2006, ice hockey sport detached on International Skating Union's recommendation from the Turkish Ice Sports Federation establishing its own organization.