Spain

Spain is a country in southwestern Europe. Madrid is the capital and largest city.

History of hockey in Spain
The first ice hockey games in Spain were played in the early 1900's, when a series of exhibition games with Canadian and British players were held. Four teams created an ice hockey association as part of the Spanish Field Hockey Association in the early 1920's. The first indoor ice rink opened in Madrid during the 1930's. After Spain participated in some international competitions in the 1920's, hockey was rarely played. It was revived in the 1950's, but did not become a regular sport until the 1970's.

The Spanish Ice Sports Federation is the governing body of ice hockey and other winter sports in Spain. The country joined the IIHF on March 10, 1923

The Spanish Superliga was first contested in the 1972-73 season, which had six teams participating, and saw Real Sociedad capture the championship. CH Jaca has won the most league titles, with 11. The Copa del Rey was first held in 1973, and has been held annually since. In the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons, the Superliga and Copa del Rey were contested as junior competitions (U20 in 1986-87 and U21 in 1987-88), due to financial difficulties in the country.

The men's national team made its international debut on January 31, 1923, playing a friendly game against Belgium, which they lost 6-4. They participated in the European Championships in 1924 and 1926, tying Italy 2-2 at the 1926 tournament. The national team did not appear on the international scene again until 1977, when they participated in Pool C of the World Championships. In 2010, they won the Division II Group A tournament, and were promoted to Division I for 2011.

The women's women's national team first appeared on the international scene in 2009, playing in the Cergy Tournament. They first appeared at the Women's World Championships in 2011, finishing second in Division V. In 2012, they finished second in the Division IIB tournament.

The junior national team first participated in the World Junior Championships in 1984, finishing fourth in Pool C. They have always participated in the lower pools of the world juniors.