The Belgian Hockey League was the highest level of competition sanctioned by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation until 2011 (when the top Belgian teams began to play in the North Sea Cup

North Sea Cup

The North Sea Cup is the only professional ice hockey league in the Netherlands and Belgium and the highest level of competition organized by the Nederlandse IJshockey Bond and sanctioned by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation...

 with the top Dutch teams). The league winner was the Belgian Champion. It is played since 1912. The Brussels Royal IHSC the most decorated team with 23 titles.

History

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

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The next break was from 1929-1934 due to the world economic crisis. The 3rd and last break was in the 1994/95 season.

Belgian Championship

In 2009, there were 5 clubs competing in an Elite league for the Belgian Championship, all from the Flemish Community

Flemish Community

The term Flemish Community has two distinct, though related, meanings:...

 part of the country (listed below). In 2010, HYC Herentals and Turnhout White Caps joined with six Dutch teams to play in a new league called the North Sea Cup. The other three teams dropped out of the Belgian elite league, leaving only Herentals and Turnhout to decide the Belgian Championship. Leuven Chiefs have announced that they will be leaving the Belgian National League and playing in the North Sea Cup for the 2011-2012 season, which will make them eligible to compete for the Belgian Championship.

Team	City/Area
Current Teams
HYC Herentals HYC Herentals HYC Herentals is an ice hockey team in Herentals, Belgium. They play in the North Sea Cup, the highest-level league in the Netherlands and Belgium. They also participate in the national cup and national championship tournaments of the Belgian Hockey League, the elite level of ice hockey in...	Herentals Herentals Herentals is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and Noorderwijk. On January 1, 2006 Herentals had a total population of 26,071...
White Caps Turnhout White Caps Turnhout The White Caps Turnhout are an ice hockey team in Turnhout, Belgium. The White Caps play in the Belgian Hockey League and North Sea Cup. They play their home games in Kempisch Ijsstadion.-History:...	Turnhout
Leuven Chiefs	Leuven Leuven Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

Team	City/Area
Before 2010
HYC Herentals HYC Herentals HYC Herentals is an ice hockey team in Herentals, Belgium. They play in the North Sea Cup, the highest-level league in the Netherlands and Belgium. They also participate in the national cup and national championship tournaments of the Belgian Hockey League, the elite level of ice hockey in...	Herentals Herentals Herentals is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and Noorderwijk. On January 1, 2006 Herentals had a total population of 26,071...
Phantoms Deurne Phantoms Deurne The Phantoms Deurne are an ice hockey team in Deurne, Belgium. The Phantoms participate in the Belgian Hockey League.-History:The club was founded in 1972, and won the Belgian Cup in 1988. From 1996-1998, they won three consecutive Belgian Cup titles. From 2001-2003, the club won three straight...	Deurne Deurne Deurne may refer to two towns:* Deurne, North Brabant, a municipality in North Brabant * Deurne, Belgium, a district of the city of Antwerp...
IHC Louvain	Leuven Leuven Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
White Caps Turnhout White Caps Turnhout The White Caps Turnhout are an ice hockey team in Turnhout, Belgium. The White Caps play in the Belgian Hockey League and North Sea Cup. They play their home games in Kempisch Ijsstadion.-History:...	Turnhout
Olympia Heist op den Berg Olympia Heist op den Berg Olympia Heist op den Berg is a Belgian ice hockey team in the city of Heist-op-den-Berg. They play in the Belgian Hockey League, which is the elite ice hockey league in Belgium.-History:...	Heist-op-den-Berg Heist-op-den-Berg Heist-op-den-Berg is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Booischot , Hallaar, Heist-op-den-Berg proper , Itegem, Schriek and Wiekevorst.-History:The 48-meter-high hill on which Heist would...

Belgian National League

Team	City/Area
Current Teams
Liege 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

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 Anversoises 1930-1933: Not Played 1934: Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises 1935: Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises 1936: Cercle des Patineurs Anversoises 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 Liègois 1950: Brabo IHC 1951: Entente Saint-Sauveur Bruxelles 1952: Brabo IHC 1953: Brabo IHC 1954: Brabo IHC 1955: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 1956: Antwerp IHC 1957: Antwerp IHC 1958: Antwerp IHC 1959: Antwerp IHC 1960: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 1961: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 1962: Brussels Royal IHSC 1963: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 1964: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois

1965: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 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 Liègois 1973: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 1974: Cercle des Patineurs Liègois 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: Herentals IJC 1982: Brussels Royal IHSC 1983: Olympia Heist op den Berg 1984: Herentals IJC 1985: Herentals IJC 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: Herentals IJC 1994: Herentals IJC 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: HYC Herentals 2011: White Caps Turnhout}

Titles by team

Titles	Team	Year
23	Brussels Royal IHSC Brussels Royal IHSC Brussels Royal IHSC was an ice hockey team in Brussels, Belgium. The team played in the Belgian Hockey League.-History:The club was founded in 1912 as Brussels IHSC, and quickly won the 1912 and 1913 Belgian championships.... 1911–1948 Brussels IHSC 1948–1954 Enente St`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
11	Olympia Heist op den Berg Olympia Heist op den Berg Olympia Heist op den Berg is a Belgian ice hockey team in the city of Heist-op-den-Berg. They play in the Belgian Hockey League, which is the elite ice hockey league in Belgium.-History:...	1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2004
10	Cercle des Patineurs Liègois Cercle des Patineurs Liègois Cercle des Patineurs Liegois was an ice hockey team in Liege, Belgium. They played in the Belgian Hockey League-History:The club was founded in 1939, and won their first league title in 1949. Patineurs won the league in 1955, and eight times in the 1960s and 1970s...	1949, 1955, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1974
5	Herentals IJC	1981, 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994
5	Le Puck d’Anvers	1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928
4	HYC Herentals HYC Herentals HYC Herentals is an ice hockey team in Herentals, Belgium. They play in the North Sea Cup, the highest-level league in the Netherlands and Belgium. They also participate in the national cup and national championship tournaments of the Belgian Hockey League, the elite level of ice hockey in...	1998, 1997, 2002, 2009
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 White Caps Turnhout The White Caps Turnhout are an ice hockey team in Turnhout, Belgium. The White Caps play in the Belgian Hockey League and North Sea Cup. They play their home games in Kempisch Ijsstadion.-History:...	2006, 2007, 2008, 2011
3	Cercle des Patineurs de Bruxelles	1914, 1920, 1921
3	Olympia IHC	1966, 1967, 1969
3	Phantoms Deurne Phantoms Deurne The Phantoms Deurne are an ice hockey team in Deurne, Belgium. The Phantoms participate in the Belgian Hockey League.-History:The club was founded in 1972, and won the Belgian Cup in 1988. From 1996-1998, they won three consecutive Belgian Cup titles. From 2001-2003, the club won three straight...	2000, 2001, 2003
2	Cercle des Sports d’Hiver de Bruxelles	1937, 1939
2	Chiefs Leuven	2005, 2010
1	Cercle des Patineurs Unis	1946
1	Griffoens Geel	1996

External links

• Belgian Ice Hockey Federation