Greece men's national junior ice hockey team explained

Greece
Badge:Greek hockey.jpg
Badge Size:140px
Association:Greek Ice Hockey
Iihf Code:GRE
First Game: 33 - 1
(Belgrade, Yugoslavia; December 27, 1990)
Largest Loss: 47 - 1
(Riga, Latvia; November 10, 1992)
World Champ2 Name:IIHF World U20 Championship
World Champ2 Apps:2
World Champ2 First:1991
World Champ2 Best:24th (1991)
Record:0-11-0

The Greek men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Greece. They played in two World Junior Championships in 1991 and 1992, as well as the qualification tournament for 1993. They have not officially participated since 1993 then.

History

The junior national team of Greece was formed in 1990 and played its first international competition in the World Junior Championships held in Yugoslavia.[1] They lost their first game 33 - 1 against Yugoslavia on December 27, 1990.[2] They continued their losing streak with a 22 - 1 loss to Bulgaria. Throughout the rest of the 1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, the Greeks lost five more games including a 22 - 0 shutout against Great Britain by a combined score of 103 - 2.[3]

The opening of the 1992 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was much more promising. Their first game was a 7-0 loss to South Korea. However, following their second loss of the tournament it was discovered that they had used an ineligible player, and they were forced to forfeit.[4]

Their worst defeat came in the qualification tournament, for Pool C, of the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Against Latvia, in their first game, they lost 47 - 1. The 46 goal difference was the largest in their history. Greece went on to be outscored 85 - 3 in their final three games of the tournament.[5]

Following the Greek national team's bronze medal at the World Championships in the 1992 Pool C2 in South Africa, the sport suffered a decline in support from the people of Greece. Despite this, they fielded an under-18 junior team that ended up winning one game and losing four at the European Championships in Bulgaria, in 1996. This team is not officially recognized as participating at that tournament because they did not have the required minimum number of players.[6]

As of 2010, there are currently 76 players playing junior hockey in Greece.[7] In IIHF competitions, Greece has a current record of 0 - 11 - 0.

International competitions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of Ice hockey in Greece. icehockey.gr. 6 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20090612075415/http://www.icehockey.gr/historyEN.htm. 12 June 2009. dead.
  2. Web site: Junior U20 . www.nationalteamsoficehockey.com . 7 January 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100531081333/http://www.nationalteamsoficehockey.com/Junior.html . May 31, 2010 .
  3. Web site: IIHF U20 1991. www.passionhockey.com. 11 May 2011.
  4. Web site: IIHF U20 1992. www.passionhockey.com. 11 May 2011.
  5. Web site: IIHF U20 1993. www.passionhockey.com. 11 May 2011.
  6. Web site: IIHF U18 1996. www.passionhockey.com. 11 May 2011.
  7. Web site: Greece. International Ice Hockey Federation. 6 January 2010.