Belarus





Belarus is a nation in eastern Europe.

Its population is about 10,000,000 and its capital and largest city is Minsk.

Until 1991 Belarus was part of the Soviet Union. Its name then was Byelorussian SSR. It borders Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.

In Belarus, hockey became very popular directly after World War II when ice hockey made its first inroads in the Soviet Union. The most successful Belarussian team, Torpedo Minsk (later Dynamo Minsk and now Tivali Minsk) was formed in 1946. It played in the top Soviet division.

The Ice Hockey Federation of Belarus became independent in 1992 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Belarus joined the IIHF on May 6 1992. It has played in the IIHFs Top Divison since 1994. It has also participated in ice hockey at the Olympic Games in 1998,2002, and 2010. In the 2002 olympics it famously upset Sweden 4-3. There are 13 ice rinks and there are 2 leagues, the Belarus Open League and the Belarus 2nd League. Some notable Belorussian born players are Ruslan Salei, Sergei Kositsyn, and Andrei Kostitsyn.

National teams

 * Belarus men's national ice hockey team
 * Belarus men's national junior ice hockey team
 * Belarus men's national U-18 ice hockey team

Leagues

 * Belarus Open League
 * Belarus 2nd League