[2][3] 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.

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.

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.

[citation needed] 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.

McEachern brought a physical style which suited the players of the generation well,[7] and at the 1951 World Championships, Norway defeated the United States and Great Britain to finish fourth overall.

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.

[8] 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.

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.

[10] The appointment of Ronald Pettersson as head coach in 1980 heralded an era of Swedish influence on Norway's international ice hockey.