Federal Ice Hockey League (Alsland)

Federal Ice Hockey League
Federaal iishockey kompetysje (Dellish)
Eishockey-Bundesliga (Weranian)
Föderaalne jäähokiliiga (Kirenian)

Current season, competition or edition: 2021–22 FIHK season
Formerly	Alslandic Ice Hockey Championship
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	1939
President	Sotirian Atkinson
No. of teams	26
Most recent champion(s)	Súdwâl Wottested (4th title)
Most titles	Ilfracombe (16)
TV partner(s)	List ANS Sport ANS Ostiche Sport ANS East Sport ANS Martimaa Sport
Related competitions	Super Ice Hockey League (SIHK) Under-18 Federal Ice Hockey League (Û-18 FIHK) Women's Federal Ice Hockey League (FFIHK)
Official website	FIHK.as

The Federal Ice Hockey League (Dellish: Federaal iishockey kompetysje FIHK, Weranian: Eishockey-Bundesliga EHBL, Kirenian: Föderaalne jäähokiliiga FJHL), more commonly known as FIHK is a national professional ice hockey league in Alsland founded in 1939. It comprises of 26 teams from across Alsland. The FIHK is the most popular sporting league in Alsland attracting a record 3.2 Million viewers in Alsland for the 2021 Final between Súdwâl Wottested and Ilfracombe. The winner of each annual tournament is given the Federaasjetrofee.

The FIHK was founded in 1939 to succeed the Alslandic Ice Hockey Championship which ceased operations during the Great War. The first season began on 11 October 1939 and lasted until 1 June 1940. The result was a victory for Ilfracombe over their main rival Rahu. The first season had one team from each province of Alsland. This rule was dropped in 1952 and since the League has expanded to 26 teams across Alsland.

The league's headquarters are in Wottested, Delland where they have been headquartered since 1955. The league is also funded by the Department of Culture and Sport. The Department helps fund the league and in return the FIHK provides free international advertisements for Alsland and tourism. The FIHK is symbolic of Alsland's federal structure and pillarisation in the country.

History

Early years

The 1939-40 Rahu team are considered one of the greatest in FIHK history

FIHK was founded on 17 March 1939 as the successor of the Alslandic Ice Hockey Championship (AKIH) which was suspended and then closed during the Great War. Originally FIHK was a fixed league between the best teams from each province as had been the case with AKIH, the teams were usually the team of the provincial capital or largest city in the province. The League's first President was Loadewyk Molenaar, a former manager of Inerlik Yndyk. Molenaar held the role of President until a corruption scandal in 1945. The first season ended with Rahu defeating Inerlik Yndyk 2-1. Ensuing anti-Kirenian riots broke out in Yndyk led to 11 injuries and 1 death, however the league was deemed a major success and was allowed to continue.

Shortly before the 1940-41 season the Rahu home stadium was burned in an act of arson forcing the team to move to Kuresuu for the next two seasons. Following seasons saw an increase in interest and spectators. 13,000 watched the 1947 finals between Interlik and Ilfracombe which was a record at the time. The league's crisis with anti-Kirenian racism came to a head during the 1949-50 season as it was held during the Kirenian-Weranian War. Weranian fans would bring signs with anti-Kirenian slurs and Kirenian fans brought the Kirenian flag. The 1950 Rahu riots left 13 mainly Kirenian fans dead after rioting broke out during a match between Glauchau and Rahu. The remainder of the season was cancelled after this and the league invested in security to protect fans and prevent riots.

In 1952, FIHK President Wytze Vonk announced that the FIHK would allow more teams to participate allowing other high performing teas to compete in the league. The rule of one team per province was also lifted and saw a sharp rise in participation. Between 1952 and 1980 the FIHK went from 8 teams to 16 teams participating. A record amount of 28 teams participated in the 2008-09 season.

Martiland crisis and activism

In 1966 after the Martish provincial government declared a state of emergency related to strikes and instability the FIHK voted to suspend all matches being played in Martiland for the foreseeable future. Martish teams would instead have to travel to other stadiums to play which led to a decline in the performance of Martish teams. The 1975 general strike and ensuing crackdown saw the Martish teams withdraw from the FIHK in protest. The withdrawal of the teams forced the FIHK board to announce a fund to help those injured in the protests. The move faced widespread backlash especially in Delland, Garz and Zittau however the fund remained and raised far more than expected. The Martiland crisis was the informal beginning of the FIHK's activism which was spearheaded by individual players and teams.

The Martish teams rejoined the league in 1979 as part of the nationwide reconciliation effort. In 1979, Rahu and Sachsenscheid played off in the finals and despite riots being expected no violence was reported after the game. In 1988 the Department of Culture and Sport began funding the league to help it out of financial trouble it had incurred over the past decade. The Department commands a controlling stake within the FIKH which features heavily in tourism campaigns for Alsland and is a source of income for the country.

Modern era

Thiadrik De Jager became the first player to win the Bêstespilerpriis twice in a row

In the final of the 2002-03 season the game had the most one sided result in the history of the league when Rahu defeated Newick 6-1. Viewership in this season was also the highest in the league's history. The Under-18 Federal Ice Hockey league (Û-18 FIHK) was started in 2004 as a nationwide competition between High School Ice Hockey teams and as a means of recruitment for the FIHK. In this year the FIHK also bought the Women's Ice Hockey Championship and incorporated the championship into the FIHK. Women's Ice Hockey is now one of the most watched sports in Alsland after seeing a rise in popularity following the purchase.

In 2017, Noardwâl Wottested player Thiadrik De Jager became the first player to win the Bêstespilerpriis twice in a row and after the season he had the second most scores in FIHK history after Ardo Eskola. De Jager announced his intention to retire from professional Ice Hockey after the 2022-23 season. The 2021 final between Súdwâl Wottested and Ilfracombe attracted a record 3.2 Million viewers on TV. The final also had a record of 30,000 spectators in Ilfracombe.

Teams

2021-22 Season teams

Division	Team	City	Arena	Capacity	Joined	Manager	Head coach	Captain
Delland	Leens	Leens	Deltestadion	TBD	1952	Joosep Levandi	Lekke Kuperus	Rinnelt Boomsma
	Rikertsted	Rikertsted	Sintrale Arena	TBD	1974	Reink Faber	Eljer Baarda	Tetman Tichelaar
	Noardwâl Wottested	Wottested	Kei Holwerda stadion	TBD	1939	Loof Hannema	Michael Green	Karim Fathi
	Súdwâl Wottested	Wottested	Súd Wottested fertrouwen stadion	TBD	1953	Upke Bottema	Haiko Feitsma	Josua Tugendhat
Fawkhamshire	Newick	Newick	2X Arena	TBD	1967	Stephen Jones	Carter Bradley	Tom Ball
	Oakford	Oakford	Oakford Town Stadium	TBD	2018	Luke Shaw	Erik Newman	Jude Edwards
	Ilfracombe	Ilfracombe	Ilfracombe David Park	TBD	1939	Thomas Carter	Jonathan Bennett	Eden Johnston
	Sydenham	Sydenham	Sydenham 'James the First' Stadium	TBD	1954	Sidney Hall	Ernest Taylor	Myles Martin
	Norton	Norton	Norton-Rosewood Stadium	TBD	1963	Frank Robertson	Chester Bradley	Steven May
Garz	Sachsenscheid	Sachsenscheid	Sachsenscheid Eishockey-Arena	TBD	1957	Nils Schünemann	Erik Grünberg	Alexander Hartlieb
	Werdau	Werdau	Ernst Lutz Stadion	TBD	1939	Bastian Adorf	Falko Holthusen	Bruno Heidler
	Lahnbeuren	Lahnbeuren	Lahnbeuren Stadion	TBD	1988	Arthur Enzensberger	Jochen Weinberg	Thorsten Siegel
Hamptonshire	Kirchester	Kirchester	Kirchester Ilhurst Arena	TBD	1939	Alistair Atkinson	David Edwards	Harris Foster
	Kirchester-Redwike	Kirchester	Dillon Burton Park	TBD	2013	Connor Harris	Ashton Pearson	Keegan Walsh
	Merrow Lake	Merrow	Merrow Wells Arena	TBD	1989	Stefan Mitchell	Miller Lewis	Alex Porter
	Millhurst	Millhurst	Guildwood Greens Arena	TBD	2001	Victor Wilson	Cameron Jones	David Richardson
Martiland	Paiski	Paiski	Rahu Staadion	TBD	1984	Asko Rummo	Vaiko Lohmus	Vidrik Klavan
	Rahu	Rahu	Rahu Iseseisvus Staadion	TBD	1939	Janek Kukk	Ott Vesik	Erko Sibul
Middewald	Boalsert	Boalsert	Boalsert Griene bakstien Staadion	TBD	2009	Wupke Van Der Velde	Jolling Yntema	Wekke Schotanus
	Hurdegaryp	Hurdegaryp	Hurdegaryp Arena	TBD	1939 (originally)	Haye Bloemsma	Walig Joustra	Floris Van Dijk
	Kuresuu	Kuresuu	Läänekirik Arena	TBD	1977	Aleksander Rebane	Edgar Peebo	Siimeon Mitt
Yndyk	Achlum	Yndyk	Achlum Staadion	TBD	1983	Thije De Leeuw	Reamer Oosterbaan	Aam Buma
	Inerlik	Yndyk	Yndyk Federaasje Staadion	TBD	1939	Narsete Pierotti	Hidzer Zijlstra	Migiel Schuurmans
	Krikkested	Krikkested	Krikkested Arena	TBD	1954	Rein Wynia	Rypke Wieringa	Habe Vlietstra
Zittau	Allkau	Allkau	Allkau Arena	TBD	1989	Jens Glasser	Sam Preiszner	Stefan Ratzinger
	Glauchau	Glauchau	Glauchau Zentral Arena	TBD	1939 (originally)	Gabriel Köler	Leonhard Hegewald	Armin Hölderlin

Players

Players in the FIHK predominantly come from Alsland. As of 2021, 598 players in the FIHK are Alslandic whilst the remaining 52 players come from foreign countries. The largest nationality of foreign players in the FIHK as of 2021 is TBD, representing TBD players. In total there are TBD nationalities represented in the FIHK.

The FIHK previously only had Alslandic players and in some cases players from neighbouring countries but in recent years this has expanded with more players from different countries being signed on to play in the FIHK. The teams with the most foreign players are Inerlik and Noardwâl Wottested. In 2018 the FIHK launched a program to scout talent from other nations, this prompted backlash particularly in Alsland but the program went ahead and as of 2020 a total of TBD players have been recruited via the program.

FIHK players are represented by the Ice Hockey Federal League Players Union (IHFKPU) of which every player in the league is a member of. The Union has began strike action on several occasions notably in 2007 after controversial new rules regarding the age and weight of players were proposed. The rules were never implemented because of the strike.

Country	Players active
Alsland	598
Azmara	3
Soravia	8
TBD (All foreign players)	41

Trophies

Seasons overview

1936-1959

Season	Teams	Federaasjetrofee Winner	Federaasjetrofee finalist	Final score	Teams with most points	Top scorer
1939-40	8	Rahu	Inerlik Yndyk	4-3	Rahu	Veiko Viiding
1940-41	8	Wottested	Hurdegaryp	2-1	Werdau	Pylgrim Attema
1941-42	8	Werdau	Rahu	2-0	Rahu	Veiko Viiding
1943-44	8	Werdau	Ilfracombe	1-0	Glauchau	Franklin West
1945-46	8	Kirchester	Rahu	2-1	Kirchester	Jaitse Molenaar
1946-47	8	Wottested	Werdau	3-2	Kirchester	Sven Pfitzner
1947-48	8	Inerlik Yndyk	Hurdegaryp	3-0	Ilfracombe	Tsjark Van Der Laan
1948-49	8	Ilfracombe	Inerlik Yndyk	3-2	Werdau	Percy Reynolds
1949-50	8	Season cancelled after 1950 Rahu riots			Glauchau	Theodor Kühne
1950-51	8	Rahu	Glauchau	5-1	Kirchester	Theo Thomson
1951-52	8	Hurdegaryp	Glauchau	1-0	Rahu	Mikk Paasuke
1952-53	9	Leens	Rahu	2-1	Ilfracombe	Eite Smit
1953-54	10	Rahu	Súdwâl Wottested	3-1	Kirchester	Aarnt Rodenhuis
1954-55	12	Ilfracombe	Súdwâl Wottested	4-3	Rahu	Henn Mannik
1955-56	12	Inerlik Yndyk	Rahu	3-2	Werdau	Cäsar Kluck
1956-57	12	Sydenham	Ilfracombe	3-0	Rahu	Cameron Wells
1957-58	12	Kirchester	Werdau	2-1	Inerlik Yndyk	Herbert Wynia
1958-59	12	Súdwâl Wottested	Sydenham	2-1	Súdwâl Wottested	Mink Bleeker

1960-1999

Season	Teams	Federaasjetrofee Winner	Federaasjetrofee finalist	Final score	Teams with most points	Top scorer
1959-60	12	Ilfracombe	Leens	2-1	Rahu	Ibert Dam
1960-61	11	Kirchester	Ilfracombe	3-1	Rahu	Agu Kallaste
1961-62	11	Kirchester	Werdau	4-2	Súdwâl Wottested	Laus Hibma
1962-63	11	Súdwâl Wottested	Noardwâl Wottested	3-2	Súdwâl Wottested	Alistair Edwards
1963-64	12	Rahu	Ilfracombe	2-0	Rahu	Ardo Lippmaa
1964-65	12	Rahu	Inerlik	3-1	Rahu	Ardi Oja
1965-66	12	Rahu	Krikkested	5-1	Rahu	Ardo Lippmaa
1966-67	12	Ilfracombe	Inerlik	2-1	Werdau	Roland Wallmann
1967-68	13	Sydenham	Krikkested	1-0	Kirchester	Robbie Evans
1968-69	13	Leens	Noardwâl Wottested	3-1	Ilfracombe	Tieje Cnossen
1969-70	13	Inerlik	Ilfracombe	4-3	Noardwâl Wottested	Gaie Hylkema
1970-71	13	Kirchester	Werdau	2-0	Noardwâl Wottested	Gaie Hylkema
1971-72	13	Ilfracombe	Rahu	3-0	Súdwâl Wottested	Lukas Gill
1972-73	13	Sydenham	Ilfracombe	5-4	Sachsenscheid	Janik Gegenbauer
1973-74	13	Súdwâl Wottested	Ilfracombe	2-1	Werdau	Axel Toman
1974-75	14	Ilfracombe	Leens	5-3	Norton	Edison Gardner
1975-76	13	Inerlik	Noardwâl Wottested	4-1	Kirchester	Aart Meinsma
1976-77	13	Leens	Sydenham	3-2	Leens	Rochus De Wilde
1977-78	15	Newick	Rikertsted	1-0	Ilfracombe	Mark Thompson
1978-79	15	Ilfracombe	Noardwâl Wottested	4-1	Súdwâl Wottested	Dekke Hiemstra
1979-80	16	Ilfracombe	Rahu	5-4	Rahu	Vootele Rummo
1980-81	16	Noardwâl Wottested	Súdwâl Wottested	3-0	Rahu	Juhan Keskkula

2000-Present

Season	Teams	Federaasjetrofee Winner	Federaasjetrofee finalist	Final score	Teams with most points	Top scorer
2000-01	26	Inerlik	Rahu	2-1	Ilfracombe	Kuno Schor
2001-02	27	Ilfracombe	Noardwâl Wottested	4-3	Rikertsted	Sebald Spoelstra
2002-03	27	Rahu	Newick	6-1	Sydenham	Martin Soosaar
2003-04	27	Súdwâl Wottested	Krikkested	4-2	Merrow Lake	Stanley Hopkins
2004-05	27	Lahnbeuren	Leens	1-0	Noardwâl Wottested	Grey Thomson
2005-06	27	Rahu	Ilfracombe	4-3	Inerlik	Josua Haering
2006-07	27	Ilfracombe	Inerlik	5-3	Rahu	Eid Van Der Plaats
2007-08	27	Hurdegaryp	Werdau	3-1	Ilfracombe	Josua Haering
2008-09	28	Paiski	Sydenham	2-0	Norton	Eric Marsh
2009-10	27	Rahu	Noardwâl Wottested	5-1	Rahu	Madis Kaljurand
2010-11	27	Ilfracombe	Rahu	4-3	Kirchester	Yves Édouard
2011-12	27	Sachsenscheid	Ilfracombe	1-0	Achlum	Suwert Nicolai
2012-13	26	Krikkested	Rikertsted	2-1	Rahu	Urmo Paasuke
2013-14	27	Rahu	Súdwâl Wottested	3-0	Súdwâl Wottested	Harris Webb
2014-15	25	Rikertsted	Merrow Lake	3-2	Kirchester	Leighton Marshall
2015-16	25	Súdwâl Wottested	Sachsenscheid	1-0	Ilfracombe	Thiadrik De Jager
2016-17	25	Ilfracombe	Kirchester	2-1	Paiski	Thiadrik De Jager
2017-18	26	Rahu	Inerlik	4-0	Ilfracombe	Ahti Rummo
2018-19	27	Ilfracombe	Sydenham	3-1	Rahu	Paul Cooper
2019-20	26	Rahu	Noardwâl Wottested	1-0	Noardwâl Wottested	Aam Buma
2020-21	26	Súdwâl Wottested	Ilfracombe	5-4	Rahu	Erko Sibul

Media coverage

National coverage

Ruuben Viiding being interviewed by ANS in 2012

Broadcasting rights in Alsland are typically exclusively given to ANS and it's provincial partners. From 1939 until 1987 ANS and it's predecessors held a monopoly in Alsland FIHK games but since 1987 other private media companies have been granted broadcasting rights. In 1999, A24 was granted broadcasting rights for it's sports channels but this was revoked after dissatisfactory viewership and a lack of revenue from A24 which declared bankruptcy and closed in 2002.

FIHK is the most viewed sports league within Alsland with millions of viewers each year. Compared to Football FIHK typically averages twice the average viewership at peak times during their seasons. The final of the FIHK is typically one of the most viewed sports events in Alsland. As a consequence of this the final of the FIHK is the only time ads are broadcast on ANS.

Since 2002 FIHK matches can be watched online via ANS' website or the official FIHK website. Online viewership has grown exponentially in recent years as internet usage increases. Typically 10-20% of FIHK viewers watch the league online, during the 2020 Final between Rahu and Noardwâl Wottested roughly 1 million people watched the game online, this figure is the highest online viewership for any sporting event in Alslandic history.

International coverage

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Affiliated leagues

Lauren Barrett (left) during the FFIHK finals between Kirchester and Rahu in 2018

The FIHK is affiliated with 3 other leagues that operate within Alsland. The Super Ice Hockey League (SIHK) is the second division league within Alslandic Ice Hockey. SIHK remains popular at local levels but games between teams rarely gain as much coverage as their counterparts in the FIHK. There are a total of 35 teams within the SIHK. The most championships won by a team was 8 for Kirchester-Redwike before it was promoted to the FIHK in 2013. The Women's Federal Ice Hockey League (FFIHK) is the third most watched domestic sport in Alsland after mens Ice Hockey and football. The FFIHK was founded in 2004, originally the league struggled with viewership but has seen a rise in viewers and spectators since 2013.

The Under-18 Federal Ice Hockey League (Û-18 FIHK) was also founded in 2004 as a federal league between secondary school and local youth ice hockey teams in Alsland. Û-18 FIHK has the most teams out of any league with over 200 teams competing each year. It is commonly used by FIHK teams to scout out future talent. Since 2014 the league has been broadcast on television and online but viewership is low compared to the FFIHK and FIHK. Û-18 FIHK is sponsored by the Alslandic Government as a means to promote physical activity among Alsland's youth population.

Popularity

The FIHK is the most popular sporting league within Alsland. It's popularity is highest in the South-East and metropolitan areas whilst it diminishes particularly in provinces such as Middewald and Zittau. According to a survey undertaken in 2007 the FIHK is most popular among educated and middle class and working class sports fans. The FIHK is also popular among families leading to the term 'Iishockeypakket' to describe families at FIHK games. Viewership of the FIHK typically peaks during Finals, New Year's day games and the all-star games which is held at the mid-point of the FIHK season and features the best ranked players facing off against each other. The FIHK finals is the most viewed annual sporting event in Alsland typically drawing millions of viewers via television and online.