Ionite Hockey League
Current season, competition or edition: 2019-20 IHL Season | |
 | |
| Sport | Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1912 |
| Inaugural season | 1912-13 IHL Season |
| Owner(s) | Bożydar Bosko |
| CEO | Patryk Stanek |
| Director | Sung-Hyun Cho |
| President | Patryk Stanek |
| No. of teams | 30 |
| Country |  Ionland |
| Most recent champion(s) | Taebaeksan Blizzard (2nd Title) |
| Most titles | Sobieski Rangers (28) |
| Official website | ilh.in |
The Ionite Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league that is comprised of 30 member clubs all based in Ionland. It is regarded as the premier hockey league in . It was founded in 1912 when the original five clubs' owners formed an official league for competing with each other. Since then it has grown exponentially to thirty teams by 1996 and by 2018 four more clubs are planned. The league championship is named the Duke Zielinski Cup, which is named after Mieczysław Zielinski, the Duke of Seoldansk, whom originally funded the new league in 1912.
The league is separated into two sub-leagues, the King's League and the Queen's League. Both sub-leagues contain 15 teams and hold their own championships. The King's League teams compete for the Korona Króla, a golden crown that was owned by Krol Tadeusz and the Queen's League teams compete for the Królowej Korony, a golden crown that was owned by Krol Tadeusz's wife, Królowa Kinga. The winner of both crowns face each other for the Zielinski Cup.
Rivalries
- Sobieski Rangers - Dmow City Air Lions: The Rangers-Air Lions rivalry has been around since the founding of the league, both teams have been in numerous finals against each other and numerous violent clashes between the fans have led to increase security during games between the two.
- The Derbies: Sobieski, Dmow City, and Pyongsan are the only cities to have two hockey teams in the league despite the fact that they are separated between the King and Queen Sub-Leagues, every January the league hosts three special outdoor events where the local teams play each other in football stadiums. The only violent derby series is the Dmow City Air Lions vs Dmow City Monarchs, a brawl broke out between the two rival fans in the 2007 outdoor games and since then both fans have grown a strong hatred for each other.
- The River Rivals: The River Rivals are the local four sports teams that are in proximity to the capital, the Sobieski Rangers, Sobieski HKS, the Wilna Scouts, and the Volovec Engineers. In 2002 for the first time the four teams were the final four remaining in the playoffs. The Sobieski Rangers beat the Wilna Scouts 4-2 and would later face the Volovec Engineers who beat Sobieski HKS 4-3. The Rangers won 4-0 over the Engineers and since then the Rangers have been declared the River Champions.
- Pyongsan Rockets - Palgongsan Admirals: The two teams have faced numerous times in the playoffs which has planted a deep seated hatred for each other. It is regarded as one of the more tamer rivalries compared to the other rivalries but it has had its famous stories.
- Odaesan HKS - Gubalowka Whales: The rivalry is based in both organizations' relocation history, Odaesan HKS was formerly the Gubalowka Flyers and in 1988 the team moved to Odaesan and rebranded to Odaesan HKS. In 1997, Gubalowka was granted another team and branded themselves as the Whales. Odaesan fans often call the Whales the "Gubalowka Cry Babies".
- Kozi City Giants - Taebaeksan Blizzard: This rivalry is a relatively newer rivalry that has been based out of the recent back to back to back Duke Zielinski Cup finals between both clubs. The Blizzards have won twice out of the past three finals. The clubs also met in the 2000-01 Duke Zielinski Cup finals with the Giants coming out on top.
- Sobieski Rangers - Kozi City Giants: Just like the Giants-Blizzards rivalry, this rivalry is much newer. Both clubs have met in back to back to back to back Korona Króla cups finals in the the past four years. Three of which have been won by the Giants and one by the Rangers. The 2017-18 series ended in severe controversy with the Game 7 going into triple overtime and the Giants winning over the Rangers on a very controversial goaltender interference goal. This caused various changes in league rules and the introduction of a better video assisting system. Games are sometimes played in empty arenas to avoid fan violence. This rivalry has also created a friendship between the Rangers and the Blizzards aswell as the Giants and Sobieski HKS.
King's League Teams
- Sobieski Rangers
- Dmow City Monarchs
- Pyongsan Rockets
- Deogyusan Twins
- Wilna Scouts
- Minahski Stars
- Seoraksan Avalanche
- Jirisan Monks
- Kasprowy HKS
- Giewont Unicorns
- Kozi City Giants
- Palgongsan Admirals
- Chiaksan Brewers
- Pilsko HKS
- Namhansan Bombers
Queen's League Teams
- Dmow City Air Lions
- Sobieski HKS
- Pyongsan Diamondcutters
- Deogyusan Generals
- Odaesan HKS
- Asukulova Bears
- Taebaeksan Blizzard
- Seoldansk Royals
- Rysy Bishops
- Gubalowka Whales
- Hallasan Oracles
- Namsan Ligers
- Volovec Engineers
- Skrzyczne Grinders
- Szrenica Matriarchs
Planned Teams
The Board of Directors has indicated that Wolchulsan, Lwow, Dobongsan, and Tokarnia will be receiving clubs in 2020. They have also indicated that they are looking to acquire and to create clubs non-Ionite teams in nearby countries.