Sweden

Sweden is a country in the Nordic region of Northern Europe. Stockholm is the capital and largest city.

History of hockey in Sweden
Sweden became a member of the Ligue International de Hockey Sur Glace (the present day IIHF) on March 23, 1912. In 1922, seven clubs based in Stockholm founded the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. The country's first indoor ice rink opened in 1931.

The Elitserien is the top level league, the HockeyAllsvenskan is the second level league, and Swedish Divisions 1-4 are the 3rd through 6th level Swedish leagues. From 1922-1952, there was a Swedish Championship played alongside the national league to crown the Swedish champion. In the year 1922 the Traningsserien was the top level league, from 1923-1927, it was the Klass I, from 1928-1935 it was the Elitserien, and from 1935-1944 it was the Svenska Serien. The Swedish Division 1 was the top level league from 1944-1975, until it was replaced by the Elitserien for the 1975-76 season. Djurgardens IF has won the most Swedish championships, with 16.

The men's national team made its international debut in 1920, playing in the Olympics held in Antwerp, Belgium. They have participated in the Olympics every year except 1932 and 1976. In total, they've won the gold medal twice, the silver medal twice, and the bronze medal four times at the Olympics. They participated at the European Championships five times between 1921 and 1932, winning three gold medals and two silver medals. In total, Sweden won 47 medals at the European Championships, including independent and combined events. They first played in the World Championships in 1931, finishing in sixth place. At the World Championships, they have won eight gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals. They played in all five Canada Cups between 1976 and 1991, winning the silver medal once and the bronze medal twice. They lost in the semifinals at the World Cup of Hockey in 1996, and in the quarterfinals in 2004. The nickname "Tre Konor" was born in 1938 when Sweden played for the first time with jerseys that had three crowns on the chest.

The women's national team first appeared on the international scene in 1987, playing in the World Women's Hockey Tournament, in which they finished in fourth place. They played in all five Women's European Championships between 1989 and 1996, winning the gold medal once and the silver medal four times. They have participated in the Women's World Championships since 1990, winning the bronze medal in 2005 and 2007. The women's national team has participated in the Olympics four times, winning the bronze medal in 2002 and the silver medal in 2006. Since 2000, they have been a regular at the 4 Nations Cup, winning the bronze medal six times. The women's U18 national team has played in the Women's World U18 Championships since 2008, winning the bronze medal three times.

The junior national team first participated in the World Junior Championships in 1974, finishing in fourth place. In total, they've won the gold medal twice, the silver medal eight times, and the bronze medal six times at the world juniors.