The Blackhawks Ice Hockey Club was formed in 1947 and has a storied history as one of Victoria’s oldest clubs. Our players have become household names of the sport, including State, National and International and Olympic representatives. Moritz rink, the club relocated in 1977 to the newly opened Dandenong Coliseum. Forced to re-locate in 1987 to the Olympic Ice Skating Centre in South Oakleigh, t
hen again in 1994 to the remodelled Iceland Ringwood. A growth surge withing the junior ranks of the sport saw a great crop of young players dominate the competition in all grades and led to the clubs first “A” Grade championship win for 18 years in 2002. The Ringwood rink also went the way of others and closed in 2003, forcing another relocation to the short-lived Eastern Ice Skating Centre in Bayswater for the 2004 season, then in 2005 a return to Oakleigh. While this period saw stunted development of the league, our club experienced sustained success through the different grades. In 2009, the long-awaited Icehouse opened at Docklands (now known as (O'Brien Icehouse) and saw huge growth in numbers within the sport. A major re-structure also occurred with IHV re-formatting the junior level competition however the senior competition grew to the current structure of four Senior competition grades. Ice hockey in Australia is an amateur sport, with all costs born by the players. Clubs raise money to help cover the costs of registration and ice time, to give as much opportunity to players – male and female – from all demographics. Originally named after a World War II, B17 bomber, the club blends a fighting, never give up spirit with a framework built around team ethic, camaraderie and family. In the 2023 season, the Blackhawks will feature four teams in the IHV competition - Premier A, Senior B, Senior C and Senior D. The Premier A is a full contact Men's league (open to female goalies), while the other senior grades are non-checking leagues open to both men & women. Players are assigned to clubs via a draft administered by IHV. The Blackhawks are the current Premier A, Senior B and Senior C grade champions.
