The Norway men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team from Norway that participates at the IIHF World Championships. The team is governed by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association and is coached by Petter Thoresen.
History
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association (NIHA) was founded in 1934 and, adopting the international rules and regulations of ice hockey, became a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1935. Poor finances delayed the formation of a national team until 1937, and continued to hamper its development in the years prior to World War II. After missing out on the 1935 World Championships and 1936 Winter Olympics, the NIHF managed to raise enough funds to send a team to London for the 1937 World Championships. The national ice hockey team thus played its first game on 17 February 1937, losing 0–7 to Czechoslovakia, and was eliminated from the competition following a 2–13 loss to Switzerland. Norway also took part in the next tournament in 1938, but was unable to participate in 1939. Results remained meagre throughout the pre-war years; of the nine international fixtures contested between 1937 and 1940, the closest Norway came to winning was 3–4 in the first game against Sweden, on 20 January 1939.
After the war, ice hockey in Norway accelerated as new teams formed and improvements in infrastructure were made. The opening of the Jordal Amfi in Oslo made Norway's facilities state of the art. Results began to improve on the international stage, though not before Norway had endured its worst defeat ever at the hands of Finland in 1947.
The period from 1949 to 1953 has been viewed as a "golden age" in the history of the national team, beginning with the maiden victory, a 2–0 win over Belgium at the 1949 World Championships. In 1951, the NIHF appointed Canadian Bud McEachern as head coach. McEachern brought a physical style which suited the players of the generation well, and at the 1951 World Championships, Norway defeated the United States and Great Britain to finish fourth overall. Norway's inaugural Olympic tournament, was as host nation of the 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1953, Norway was the first Western nation to play the Soviet Union, overshadowed by the death of Joseph Stalin shortly after the team's arrival in Moscow.
Norway would continue during the 1950s to challenge the strongest national hockey teams. From the 1960s, the sport became more popular in the nation but national team achievements would decline as mild winters did not result in government support to construct artificial ice rinks to replace what had traditionally been relied on in the past due to weather conditions. NIHA president Tore Johannessen managed Norway at the 1962 Ice Hockey World Championships. After the 1965 World Championships, Norway was no longer allowed to compete at the highest level, and the NIHF resigned itself to competing at the top of Pool B instead. Qualifying for the Winter Olympics was still within reach, however, and Norway managed to do so in both 1964 and 1968.
Norway would be relegated to Pool C after finishing in last place in Pool B of the 1972 World Championships. The NIHF was forced to revise its objectives; not to return to Pool A, but merely to survive in Pool B. The goal of qualifying for the Winter Olympics remained throughout this period, but after another stint in Pool C in 1975, the ice hockey tournament at the 1976 Winter Olympics went ahead without Norway's participation.
In the 1970s, the unwillingness of the government to support the sport with improved training facilities encouraged a growing reluctance among players to represent Norway internationally. This trend was finally reversed under the leadership of Georg Smefjell and Olav Dalsøren from 1978 to 1980. Smefjell and Dalsøren succeeded in reestablishing Norway competing internationally. At the 1979 World Championships, Norway finished fourth in Pool B and qualified for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. There, the team showed encouraging signs for the future, despite losing heavily against the top tier nations and eventually coming away from the tournament with only a single point.
The appointment of Ronald Pettersson as head coach in 1980 heralded an era of Swedish influence on Norway's international ice hockey. For the next nine years, four Swedish coaches in a row took charge of a team that proved to be highly unstable. For Pettersson, the 1981 World Championships were a disappointment. Wins against Yugoslavia and Japan were barely enough to avoid relegation from Pool B. His successor, Arne Strömberg, experienced similar difficulties. At the 1982 World Championships, an otherwise strong performance was blighted by losses against newly promoted China and Austria.
The next Swedish import was Hans Westberg in 1982, whose unorthodox methods lead Norway to the 1984 Winter Olympics. Expectations ahead of the Olympic tournament were only partially met, the 3–3 draw against the United States being the most notable result. The following season, while initially promising, ended in catastrophe at the 1985 World Championships as Norway dropped out of Pool B for the third time.
Norway stabilized itself in the lower half of Pool A in the 1990s, but the team was relegated again in 1997. After a spell with Swedish coach Leif Boork, Roy Johansen was hired in 2001. A new era of slow, but steady, growth began and Norway climbed thirteen places in the IIHF World Ranking during Johansen's reign, from a 21st place in 2004, to an 8th place in 2012. Johansen stepped down as head coach in 2016 and was replaced by Petter Thoresen.
In 2026, Petter Thoresen led Norway to historic wins against Sweden, Czechia, and Denmark, to finished 2nd in group A and advance to the quarter finals. Norway would beat Latvia 2–0 already securing Norway's best ever finish. Following a 6–0 loss to the Swiss, Norway would earn the country's first medal, a bronze, with an overtime win against Canada.
Tournament record Olympic record Games GP W OW T OL L GF GA Coach Captain Finish Rank 1952 Oslo 8 0 0 0 0 8 15 46 Bud McEachern Round-robin 9th 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzodid not participate 1960 Squaw Valleydid not participate 1964 Innsbruck 7 5 0 0 0 2 40 19 Rolf Kirkvaag Consolation round (group B) 10th 1968 Grenoble 6 3 0 0 0 3 16 18 Egil Bjerklund Consolation round (group B) 11th 1972 Sapporo 5 3 0 0 0 2 17 27 Ake Brask Consolation round 8th 1976 Innsbruckdid not participate 1980 Lake Placid 5 0 0 1 0 4 9 36 Ronald Pettersson, Olav Dalsøren First round 11th 1984 Sarajevo 7 1 0 1 0 5 15 43 Hans Westberg First round 12th 1988 Calgary 6 0 0 1 0 5 18 38 Lenhart Åhlberg, Tore Jobs 11th place game 12th 1992 Albertville 6 1 0 0 0 5 12 40 Bengt Olsson, Tore Jobs 9th place match 9th 1994 Lillehammer 7 1 0 0 0 6 11 26 Bengt Olsson, Tore Jobs 11th place match 11th1998 Naganodid not qualify 2002 Salt Lake Citydid not qualify 2006 Turindid not qualify 2010 Vancouver 4 0 0 – 1 3 8 23 Roy Johansen Tommy Jakobsen Qualification playoffs 10th 2014 Sochi 4 0 0 – 0 4 3 16 Ole-Kristian Tollefsen Qualification playoffs 12th 2018 Pyeongchang 5 0 1 – 1 3 5 18 Petter Thoresen Jonas Holøs Quarter-finals 8th 2022 Beijingdid not qualify 2026 Milan and Cortina 2030 French Alps Future event
World Championship
Team Current roster Roster for the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
Head coach: Petter Thoresen
No.Pos.NameHeightWeightBirthdateTeam 4 D Lahti Pelicans 6 D Mora IK 8 F IK Oskarshamn 12 F Örebro HK 13 F Malmö Redhawks 17 F Iserlohn Roosters 18 F Jukurit 19 F Djurgårdens IF 20 F Texas Stars 21 F Färjestad BK 22 F Storhamar Hockey 24 F Storhamar Hockey 26 F Stavanger Oilers 27 F – C Storhamar Hockey 28 F Detroit Red Wings 29 D Stavanger Oilers 30 G Frölunda HC 32 G Vålerenga Ishockey 37 F Eisbären Berlin 40 G Straubing Tigers 43 D – A Skellefteå AIK 44 F Leksands IF 47 D Storhamar Hockey 49 D – A Frisk Asker Ishockey 54 D Storhamar Hockey 71 F Linköping HC 72 D Anaheim Ducks
Individual all-time records
Most matches played Player Time Matches Club on debutTommy Jakobsen (D)1992–2010139FurusetMats Trygg (D)1999–2022122Manglerud StarJim Marthinsen (G)1980–1995114VålerengaThor Martinsen (D)1964–1980113Frisk TigersPer-Åge Skrøder (F)1999–2017113LillehammerMads Hansen (F)2000–2015110StorhamarErik Kristiansen (F)1983–199497StorhamarOle Eskild Dahlstrøm (F)1989–200596FurusetPetter Thoresen (F)1980–199596VålerengaPetter Salsten (D)1987–199592FurusetTore Vikingstad (F)1995–201088StjernenTrond Magnussen (F)1992–200488StjernenØrjan Løvdal (F)1983–199583StjernenMarius Trygg (F)1999–201682Manglerud StarRobert Schistad (G)1991–200082VikingMorten Ask (F)2000–201982Vålerenga Last updated: 8 June 2025Source: hockey.no
Other notable players Geir Hoff Ron 'Ole' Bakerson Martin Knold Åge Ellingsen Roy Johansen Jenson Stott Bjørn "Botta" Skaare Espen "Shampo" Knutsen Morten Ask Anders Myrvold Ole-Kristian Tollefsen Patrick Thoresen Mats Zuccarello Aasen Note: Still active players are bolded
All-time record Updated as of 31 May 2026. Defunct teams are listed in italics.
Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD 55 32 5 18 200 141 +59 39 12 4 23 91 114 −23 5 5 0 0 58 7 +51 5 4 1 0 31 11 +20 86 6 4 76 150 495 −345 11 9 1 1 93 20 +73 4 4 0 0 36 5 +31 33 2 2 29 38 124 −86 18 0 0 18 23 141 −118 101 49 9 43 325 258 +63 68 12 4 52 200 363 −163 2 1 0 1 4 2 +2 97 8 5 84 147 494 −347 101 60 14 27 341 234 +107 50 14 2 34 147 243 −96 21 16 1 4 113 55 +58 31 18 3 10 110 73 +37 47 27 3 17 171 132 +39 38 16 8 14 159 131 +28 8 3 1 4 22 20 +2 45 18 0 27 113 141 −28 3 2 0 1 15 8 +7 42 25 6 11 200 130 +70 77 31 7 39 243 316 −73 31 15 3 13 134 112 +22 18 1 1 16 25 75 −50 1 1 0 0 21 0 +21 38 7 2 29 67 145 −78 17 9 1 7 54 44 +10 6 6 0 0 31 6 +25 13 0 0 13 14 115 −101 1 1 0 0 18 3 +15 97 3 11 83 142 529 −387 77 26 5 46 221 292 −71 9 3 1 5 26 27 −1 45 5 3 37 111 252 −141 28 18 5 5 155 97 +58Total 1 352 460 112 786 4 021 5 335 −1 314
Uniform evolution
References
External links
IIHF profile National Teams of Ice Hockey