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Medal record
IIHF Asia and Oceania Championship

India
Association	Ice Hockey Association of India
General manager	Samarth Sharma
Head coach	Abdul Hakim
Assistants	Alexandre Touzel
Captain	Tsewang Gyaltson
Most games	Stanzin Namgyal (34)
Top scorer	Rigzin Norboo (10)
Most points	Rigzin Norboo (14)
Team colors
IIHF code	IND
Ranking
Current IIHF	NR (27 May 2024)
First international
	Thailand 14–0 India ; (Abu Dhabi, UAE; 15 March 2009)
Biggest win
	India 5–1 Macau ; (Dehradun, India; 21 March 2012); India 7–3 Macau ; (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 25 April 2017)
Biggest defeat
	Kuwait 39–2 India ; (Kuwait City, Kuwait; 26 April 2011)
IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia
Appearances	9 (first in 2009)
Best result	6th (2011, 2012)
International record (W–L–T)
	4–37–0

The India national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of India. They are controlled by the Ice Hockey Association of India and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). India is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Ranking and has not entered in any World Championship tournaments or at the Olympic Games, but they have only participated in the Challenge Cup of Asia, a regional tournament for lower-tier hockey nations in Asia.^[4]

History

Background of ice hockey in Ladakh

The history of ice hockey in India dates back almost 100 years, when ice hockey was a favourite pastime for the British Raj in Shimla. The Shimla Ice Skating Club is still very active in promoting ice sports in India. In the early 1970s, the Ladakh Scouts, a battalion of the Indian Army posted in the high border regions, took up the game. The high Changthang Plateau's frozen streams and high altitude lakes make the region an ideal place to play ice hockey, and as a result, the game spread amongst the army. The game gained more widespread popularity exhibition matches began taking place in Leh in the winter. With little to do during the region's harsh winters, locals began to play on a small irrigation pond in Karzoo, Leh.^[5]^[6]

Ice hockey gear was not and is still not available to buy in Ladakh. The few locals who have contacts outside Ladakh have requested friends to get ice hockey skates. The Ladakh Scouts are well equipped as they get their gear through the army. The Jammu & Kashmir department of tourism also had a full set of equipment, but was reluctant to spare any.^[7]^[8] The only place in India where ice sports equipment is readily available is Shimla, a small hill station in the northwestern part of India, where two Chinese brothers began making skates that are still used today.^[9]

Due to the lack of accessible equipment, Ladakhis began to improvise, with the first teams obtaining ice skating blades from Shimla and nailing them to army ammunition boots. Roller skates and ground hockey sticks were also used. To create pucks, locals cut the thick, rubber heels of army boots into a rounded shape. Goalkeepers wore ground hockey pads but lacked helmets; neither helmets nor knee and elbow pads were used by other players. Despite injuries, due to this lack of protective gear, the game has continued to grow in popularity in the region.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

National team

India made its international debut in 2009 at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, finishing eighth and thus last. In their first game, they were shutout by Thailand 14–0. After two more losses, a 10–0 loss to Mongolia and a 10–1 loss to Malaysia, India, bottom of their group with a goal difference of minus 33, in which they again lost both games. First, they lost to Singapore 5–0, and finally lost to Macau 8–0 in the seventh place game. Two years later, they suffered their biggest international defeat to date at 2–39 against Kuwait at the 2011 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. On 21 March 2012, the national team notched its first international victory at the 2012 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia, they defeated Macau 5–1. India has participated in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia from 2009 to 2018, with the exception of 2010. From 2014 to 2018, they played in Division I of the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. In 2017, India finished second of four teams in Division I tournament (seventh overall). First, they narrowly defeated Oman 3–2, then lost to Kuwait 8–5, and finally won 7–3 over Macau. India has not been active, nor played an official game against other national team, since 2018.^[15]

Tournament record

Challenge Cup of Asia

Year	Host	Result	Pld	W	OTW	OTL	L
2008	Hong Kong	did not participate
2009	Abu Dhabi	8th place	5	0	0	0	5
2010	Taipei City	did not participate
2011	Kuwait City	6th place	5	0	0	0	5
2012	Dehradun	6th place	5	1	0	0	4
2013	Bangkok	10th place	4	0	0	0	4
2014	Bishkek	10th place (4th in Division I)	5	0	0	0	5
2015	Kuwait City	11th place (6th in Division I)	5	0	0	0	5
2016	Bishkek	10th place (5th in Division I)	4	0	0	0	4
2017	Kuwait City	7th place (2nd in Division I)	3	2	0	0	1
2018	Kuala Lumpur	9th place (4th in Division I)	5	1	0	0	4
2019	Kuala Lumpur	did not participate
Total		9/12	41	4	0	0	37

All-time record against other national teams

Last match update: 29 March 2018^[16]

Key
	Positive balance (more Wins)
	Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
	Negative balance (more Losses)

Team	GP	W	L	GF	GA
Hong Kong	2	0	2	0	36
Indonesia	2	0	2	3	8
Kuwait	4	0	4	11	70
Kyrgyzstan	4	0	4	6	44
Macau	10	3	7	27	47
Malaysia	6	0	6	15	78
Mongolia	2	0	2	0	30
Oman	2	1	1	8	8
Qatar	1	0	1	2	5
Singapore	5	0	5	9	42
Thailand	2	0	2	0	43
United Arab Emirates	1	0	1	0	10
Total	41	4	37	81	429