| Ice hockey in Sweden | |
|---|---|
 Swedish national team in action | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Governing body | Swedish Ice Hockey Association |
| National team(s) | Men's national team; Women's national team |
| First played | January 1921 |
National competitions | |
International competitions | |
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912[1] and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally.[2] The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season,[3] the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983[3] spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.[4][5][6]
The first recorded official ice hockey game on Swedish soil was played at Stockholm Stadium on 30 January 1921 when IFK Uppsala defeated Berliner SC, 4–1.[7]
- ^ David Landes (7 October 2010). "Hockey wasn't always Sweden's pride on ice - The Local". Thelocal.se. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ Kenth Hansen. "THE BIRTH OF SWEDISH ICE HOCKEY - ANTWERP 1920" (PDF). Library.la84.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ a b "SHL: 2013–14: SHL: Attendance". Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
- ^ "Stark publiktrend i svensk idrott - Sport". SVT.se. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ "SHL: 2013–14: SHL: Team statistics: Attendance". Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
- ^ "Kontaktuppgifter och tävlingar 2016 - —". Svenskfotboll.se. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ Gregor von Konow (22 November 2011). "Le Mat tog ishockeyn till Sverige" (in Swedish). SHL. Retrieved 1 April 2018.