Japan Ice Hockey League
Encyclopedia
The Japan Ice Hockey League (JIHL) (日本アイスホッケーリーグ) was an annual ice hockey
league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey
. Only Japanese teams competed in the JIHL.
Baseball and football have been the dominant Japanese sports for decades, but ice hockey in Japan started in the 1920s.
Teams have been competing in the All Japan Championships
since 1930, making the tournament one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country.
Professional hockey arrived in 1966 with the Japan Ice Hockey League. Originally a five-team league, the JIHL expanded to six teams in 1974 and stayed that way until tough economic times led to budget cutbacks and eventually the demise of the league in 2004.
Fictional ice hockey player Taro Tsujimoto
was said to have come from the "Tokyo Katanas" of the JIHL; neither the player nor the team existed, but were instead the creation of George Imlach. Imlach, as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres
, legally drafted Tsujimoto with the 183rd pick in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, in protest of the league's secrecy policies. When Imlach revealed Tsujimoto was not a real person, the pick was subsequently invalidated.
Organizers decided the sport could only prosper in Asia if teams in Japan, China and South Korea formed a multinational league, and in 2004 the 38-year-old JIHL was abandoned in favor of Asia League Ice Hockey
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey
Asia League Ice Hockey
Asia League Ice Hockey is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan...
. Only Japanese teams competed in the JIHL.
Baseball and football have been the dominant Japanese sports for decades, but ice hockey in Japan started in the 1920s.
Teams have been competing in the All Japan Championships
All Japan Ice hockey Championship
The All Japan Ice hockey Championship is an annual ice hockey tournament for Japanese teams, that began in 1930, making the tournament one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country....
since 1930, making the tournament one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country.
Professional hockey arrived in 1966 with the Japan Ice Hockey League. Originally a five-team league, the JIHL expanded to six teams in 1974 and stayed that way until tough economic times led to budget cutbacks and eventually the demise of the league in 2004.
Fictional ice hockey player Taro Tsujimoto
Taro Tsujimoto
Taro Tsujimoto is an imaginary ice hockey player who was legally drafted by the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres 183rd overall in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Entry Draft....
was said to have come from the "Tokyo Katanas" of the JIHL; neither the player nor the team existed, but were instead the creation of George Imlach. Imlach, as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, legally drafted Tsujimoto with the 183rd pick in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, in protest of the league's secrecy policies. When Imlach revealed Tsujimoto was not a real person, the pick was subsequently invalidated.
Organizers decided the sport could only prosper in Asia if teams in Japan, China and South Korea formed a multinational league, and in 2004 the 38-year-old JIHL was abandoned in favor of Asia League Ice Hockey
Asia League Ice Hockey
Asia League Ice Hockey is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan...
.
Japan Ice Hockey League champions
| Season | Winner |
| 1966–67 | Iwakura Tomakomai |
| 1967–68 | Iwakura Tomakomai |
| 1968–69 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1969–70 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1970–71 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1971–72 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1972–73 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1973–74 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1974–75 | Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1975–76 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1976–77 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1977–78 | Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1978–79 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1979–80 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1980–81 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1981–82 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1982–83 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1983–84 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1984–85 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1985–86 | Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1986–87 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1987–88 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1988–89 | Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1989–90 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1990–91 | Oji Seishi Tomakomai |
| 1991–92 | Kokudo Keikaku Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1992–93 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1993–94 | Shin Oji Tomakomai |
| 1994–95 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1995–96 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1996–97 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 1997–98 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1998–99 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 1999-00 | Seibu Tetsudo Tokyo |
| 2000–01 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 2001–02 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 2002–03 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 2003–04 | Kokudo Tokyo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
See also
- Asia League Ice HockeyAsia League Ice HockeyAsia League Ice Hockey is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan...
- All Japan Ice hockey ChampionshipAll Japan Ice hockey ChampionshipThe All Japan Ice hockey Championship is an annual ice hockey tournament for Japanese teams, that began in 1930, making the tournament one of the oldest sporting competitions in the country....