Lithuania

Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Vilnius is the capital and largest city.

History of hockey in Lithuania
Ice hockey was first played in Lithuania in the 1920s. Kaunas and Memelin were the country's first clubs, and the first national championship was contested in 1926. The Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1932, and it joined the IIHF on February 19, 1938. The Soviet Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1991, and the country re-joined the IIHF the following year.

The Lithuanian Championship was contested in most years from 1926-1942. Spartak Kaunas participated in the Soviet Championship League in the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons. After that, the Lithuanian SSR did not have a team participate in the top level of Soviet hockey. When Lithuania became independent again in 1991, the national championship was held again. SC Energija has won 16 of the 21 national championships since 1991.

The men's national team played its first international game on February 27, 1932, a 3-0 loss to Latvia. In 1938, the national team made its debut at the World Championships held in Prague. They finished tied for 10th place, winning their only game against Romania 1-0. After the country became part of the Soviet Union, the Lithuanian SSR often participated in the Winter Spartakiad tournaments. When Lithuania became independent again, they participated in the C Pool Qualification tournament in 1992, and the C2 Pool Qualification tournament in 1993. In 1995, they made their first appearance in the World Championships since 1938, playing in the C2 Pool held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The country has never qualified for the Olympics, and has participated in the lower pools of the World Championships in all years except 1938.

The junior national team participated in the Group C Qualification tournament in 1992, and first participated in the World Junior Championships in 1995, playing in the C2 Pool. The women's national team has not participated in any international competitions.