In 1988 after the second rink opened in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, the Israel Ice Hockey and Figure Skating Association was founded in 1988 by immigrants from Canada , America, Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Boris Mindel, one of these immigrants, established a junior program at the Canada Centre in Metulla, in northern Israel.

[7] The national team, in the 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group B, won the gold medal.

[9] In 1997, during the 15th Maccabiah Games Ice Hockey was included for the first time, with Team Canada winning the inaugural gold medal.

Owners of 6 NHL teams (Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning) funded the sports, enabling it to officially join for the first time.

For the sake of the tournament, a temporary full-size rink was established at the Pais Arena basketball hall in Jerusalem.

The capacity of the arena (10000 for hockey) and its proximity to population centers in Israel made the tournament an attraction for thousands of fans, with the final game of the open tournament, in which Canada beat the United States 7:2, attracting an attendance of 7000 and becoming the highest attended hockey game in history on Israeli soil.

The Canadian Friends of the Israel Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1991 by David Lisbona and Larry Markowitz.