The Belgian Hockey League, also known as the Belgian Elite League, was the highest level of competition organized by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation. The league winner was crowned the Belgian Champion. The league had been in existence since 1912. The Brussels Royal IHSC were the most decorated team with 23 titles. In 2015, the league merged with the Dutch Eredivisie to form the BeNe League.

Royal Belgian
Ice Hockey Federation
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2020-2021
SportIce Hockey
No. of teams15
Country Belgium
Most recent
champion(s)
Era Renomar HYC
Official websitehttps://www.rbihf.be/

History

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Early history

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The Belgian Hockey League played first in 1912. The play was interrupted several times in its history. The first game suspension happened 1914-1920 due to World War I. The next break was from 1929 to 1934 due to the world economic crisis. The 3rd and last break was in the 1994/95 season, which was cancelled after the regular season due to issues over playoff participation.

Recent history

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In 2009, there were 5 clubs competing in the Elite league for the Belgian Championship.

During the 2010–2011 season, the two top Belgian teams competed in a joint tournament with the teams of the Dutch Eredivisie called the North Sea Cup. The other three teams dropped out of the Belgian elite league to join the Belgian National League, leaving only Herentals and Turnhout to decide the Belgian Championship.[1] Leuven Chiefs played in the North Sea Cup for the 2011–2012 season, but Turnhout dropped out of the league midway through the season and Leuven dropped out at the end of the season.

In 2012, the North Sea Cup was discontinued and HYC Herentals joined the Dutch Eredivisie. For the 2012–2013 season, the teams of the Belgian National League joined Leuven and Turnhout to form the Belgian Elite League, the winner of which becomes the Belgian national champion.

As of 2012–2013, the teams of the Belgian Elite League, plus HYC Herentals, compete for the Belgian Cup, which is played before and during the Elite League season.

Former teams

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Team City
Antwerp Phantoms Deurne
Leuven Chiefs Leuven
Bulldogs Liège Liège
Olympia Heist op den Berg Heist-op-den-Berg
Eeklo Yeti Bears Eeklo
Haskey Hasselt Hasselt
HYC Herentals 2 Herentals
White Caps Turnhout Turnhout
Charleroi Red Roosters Charleroi
Gullegem Jets Gullegem
HYC Herentals Herentals
Phantoms Deurne Deurne
IHC Louvain Leuven
White Caps Turnhout Turnhout
Olympia Heist op den Berg Heist-op-den-Berg
Liège Bulldogs
Eeklo Yeti Bears
Charleroi Red Roosters
Haskey Hasselt
Atomic Moose
Olympia I.h.c. Vzw
Leuven Ihc
Herentals Hyc
Eindhoven Vikings
Turnhout White Caps
Gullegem Jets
Antwerp Pahntoms
Liederkerke Lions

Belgian Hockey League champions

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  • 1912: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1913: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1914: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
  • 1915-1919: Not Played
  • 1920: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
  • 1921: Cercle des Patineurs Bruxelles
  • 1922: Saint Sauveur IHC
  • 1923: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1924: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
  • 1925: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
  • 1926: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
  • 1927: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
  • 1928: Le Puck d'Anvers Antwerp
  • 1929: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
  • 1930-1933: Not Played
  • 1934: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
  • 1935: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
  • 1936: Cercle des Patineurs Anversois
  • 1937: Cercle des Sports d'Hiver Bruxelles
  • 1938: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1939: Cercle des Sports d'Hiver Bruxelles
  • 1940: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1941: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1942: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1943: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1944: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1945: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1946: Cercle des Patineurs Unis
  • 1947: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1948: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1949: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1950: Brabo IHC
  • 1951: Entente Saint-Sauveur Bruxelles
  • 1952: Brabo IHC
  • 1953: Brabo IHC
  • 1954: Brabo IHC
  • 1955: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1956: Antwerp IHC
  • 1957: Antwerp IHC
  • 1958: Antwerp IHC
  • 1959: Antwerp IHC
  • 1960: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1961: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1962: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1963: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1964: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
 
  • 1965: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1966: Olympia IHC
  • 1967: Olympia IHC
  • 1968: Brussels IHSC Poseidon
  • 1969: Olympia IHC
  • 1970: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1971: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1972: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1973: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1974: Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois
  • 1975: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1976: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1977: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1978: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1979: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1980: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1981: HYC Herentals
  • 1982: Brussels Royal IHSC
  • 1983: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1984: HYC Herentals
  • 1985: HYC Herentals
  • 1986: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1987: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1988: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1989: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1990: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1991: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1992: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 1993: HYC Herentals
  • 1994: HYC Herentals
  • 1995: Not played
  • 1996: Griffoens Geel
  • 1997: HYC Herentals
  • 1998: HYC Herentals
  • 1999: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 2000: Phantoms Deurne
  • 2001: Phantoms Deurne
  • 2002: HYC Herentals
  • 2003: Phantoms Deurne
  • 2004: Olympia Heist op den Berg
  • 2005: Chiefs Leuven
  • 2006: White Caps Turnhout
  • 2007: White Caps Turnhout
  • 2008: White Caps Turnhout
  • 2009: HYC Herentals
  • 2010: Chiefs Leuven
 
  • 2011: White Caps Turnhout
  • 2012: HYC Herentals
  • 2013: Chiefs Leuven
  • 2014: Bulldogs Liège
  • 2015: Antwerp Phantoms
  • 2016: HYC Herentals
  • 2017: HYC Herentals
  • 2018: HYC Herentals
  • 2019: HYC Herentals
  • 2020: HYC Herentals

Total titles won

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Titles Team Year
23 Brussels Royal IHSC
1911–1948 Brussels IHSC
1948–1954 Entente Saint-Sauveur
1954–1966 Brussels IHSC
1966–1970 Brussels IHSC Poseidon
1912, 1913, 1923, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1962, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982
15 HYC Herentals 1981, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
11 Olympia Heist op den Berg 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004
10 Cercle des Patineurs Liégeois 1949, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974
5 Le Puck d'Anvers 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928
4 Antwerp Phantoms 2000, 2001, 2003, 2015
4 Antwerp Ice Hockey Club 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959
4 Brabo IHC 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954
4 Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936
4 White Caps Turnhout 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011
3 Cercle des Patineurs de Bruxelles 1914, 1920, 1921
3 Olympia IHC 1966, 1967, 1969
3 Chiefs Leuven 2005, 2010, 2013
2 Cercle des Sports d'Hiver de Bruxelles 1937, 1939
1 Saint Sauveur IHC 1922
1 Cercle des Patineurs Unis 1946
1 Griffoens Geel 1996
1 Bulldogs Liège 2014

References

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  1. ^ IIHF Archived 2012-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
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