The
Hinodejin Hockey Championship is the top professional ice hockey league, overseen by the Hinodejin Ice Hockey Federation, with the winner being granted the respected Countess Mina Trophy. The league's origins come from the establishment of the Countess Mina Trophy that was disputed between several amateur leagues, although emphasis laid on the Ainushima Hockey League and the Kurosawa Territorial League with two teams from both leagues (the Ainushima Ainus and Taishinami Shamrocks from the earlier, the Kurosawa Natives and Kurosawa Wanderers from the latter) as ice hockey was very popular in the early northern regions of the country.
After efforts from "the Lady of Ice" Nina Mairi, these four teams agreed to play in a professional league, being joined afterwards by a third Kurosawa-based team (Bashi-Kumenikono Cobalts), two teams from recently conquered territories (Akira Comets out of Kaigane-sho and the Giishiga Kings out of Shiga) and a team owned by the court (Hokuto Courtmen) for the first-ever Hinodejin Hockey Championship. As time went on, however, the league saw teams drop almost regularly, while entrants were few and between. In 2094, the Taishinami Shamrocks bowed down, citing a lack of finances in the main league, returning to amateurism before closing down by the end of the century. The five teams that survived that period were the Kanshiro Tigers (the former Hokuto Courtmen, having moved to Kanshiro with the court), the Ainubyu Ainus, the Giishiga Snowflakes (the former Giishiga Kings) and the two Kurosawa teams (Wanderers and Natives).
Mairi would step down in 2097, leaving the president spot with Kurei Beriimon, a shrewd businessman that chose to use the old franchise system for the Northern Sunrisian days. At first, it came off as a success and the league saw their numbers rise once again, bringing up finances from sponsors as well. The wheels of that machine fell off as early as 2105 when, in a bid to corner the markets, two of the teams that had barely arrived (Kuresento Magic and Hinode Metropolitans) got their walking papers. The decision was universally panned, but Beriimon stuck to his choice, causing the league to suffer in the long run. He would repeat this strategy by killing off the Saishu Stallions and Nukutaki Tribe not too long after, as so as to guarantee dominance by the Kanshiro Blue Dragons (the former Tigers, renamed for flashiness) and the Kurosawa Natives (who had long since merged with the Wanderers, another decision influenced by Beriimon), causing the remaining teams to turn against him and have him flat out banned from the sport in 2113.
Nina Mairi was once again brought to the presidential position and thus loosened regulations, putting the league in a good light with the medium and lower classes of Hinodejin society as several teams returned (including the Shamrocks, who now revived under the name of the Taishinami Painters, while making a point of establishing one team for each state of the Mainland Island. This aim would be reached in 2124, although she had once again left the presidency of the league in 2120. The new president, one Kihito Saito, continued her work and eventually brought in teams from the Mido-Hinodejin Hockey League, thus truly creating a nation-wide league.
The current set-up was established in 2129, as the Mayako Flyers and the Tentai Capitals joined the league. All forty-two teams in the league are divided into two conferences, the Hinodejin Conference and the Imperial Conference. Each of these has three divisions: the Hinodejin Conference features the Continental, the Border and the Metropolitan Divisions, while the Imperial Conference features the Eastern, the Oceanic and the Western Divisions. Lower levels are not regulated, however, it isn't rare for teams to invest in their regional leagues as a sort of youth setup. Teams are extremely forbidden from moving out of their regions, a result of twenty years where, even for the weakest teams, fan support has been regularly massive. Divisions would be scraped by 2142.
HINODEJIN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
HINODEJIN CONFERENCE
Furiki Hearts
Honeyame Stingers
Mayako Flyers
Neka Wildcats
Shoge Bolts
Soshi Oilers
Tsuki Jets
Ainubyu Ainus
Giishiga Bears
Kurosawa Natives
Omorogawa Chiefs
Riku Silver Wings
Sora Blades
Usagi Stars
Hinode Guardians
Hokuto Flames
Kanshiro Blue Dragons
Saishu Stallions
Seijinmura Fighting Saints
Sudachi Knights
Utsukushima Lions
IMPERIAL CONFERENCE
Akira Comets
Atene Legion
Himegono Nationals
Hotaru Fireflies
Jugishiga Whalers
Kitsunemachi Foxes
Nukutaki Penguins
Kari Aeros
Kawasuki Sharks
Kyoso-Zensho Racers
Maniwa Suns
Misashima Islanders
Taishinami Painters
Tentai Capitals
Hapurane Jesters
Mereti Colts
Munikawa Eagles
Nishi Gears
Sega Blues
Shira-Hinode Musketeers
Shiva Raiders
LIST OF CHAMPIONS
Year Team [number of titles]
2090 Ainubyu Ainus [1]
2091 Ainubyu Ainus [2]
2092 Ainubyu Ainus [3]
2093 Ainubyu Ainus [4]
2094 Kanshiro Tigers [1] (current day Kanshiro Blue Dragons)
2095 Kurosawa Natives [1]
2096 Ainubyu Ainus [5]
2097 Kurosawa Natives [1]
2098 Kurosawa Natives [2]
2099 Kurosawa Natives [3]
2100 Giishiga Bears [1]
2101 Giishiga Bears [2]
2102 Kurosawa Natives [4]
2103 Kurosawa Natives [5]
2104 Riku Silver Wings [1]
2105 Giishiga Bears [3]
2106 Giishiga Bears [4]
2107 Riku Silver Wings [2]
2108 Kanshiro Tigers [2] (current day Kanshiro Blue Dragons)
2109 Riku Silver Wings [3]
2110 Hinode Guardians [1]
2111 Kanshiro Blue Dragons [3]
2112 Ainubyu Ainus [6]
2113 Kawasuki Sharks [1]
2114 Misashima Islanders [1]
2115 Misashima Islanders [2]
2116 Kurosawa Natives [6]
2117 Giishiga Bears [1]
2118 Kurosawa Natives [6]
2119 Ainubyu Ainus [7]
2120 Giishiga Bears [2]
2121 Giishiga Bears [3]
2122 Sora Blades [1]
2123 Nukutaki Penguins [1]
2124 Nukutaki Penguins [2]
2125 Sora Blades [2]
2126 Kawasuki Sharks [2]
2127 Soshi Oilers [1]
2128 Kurosawa Natives [7]
2129 Hokuto Flames [1]
2130 Taishinami Painters [1]
2131 Nukutaki Penguins [3]
2132 Sora Blades [3]
2133 Mayako Flyers [1]
2134 Riku Silver Wings [4]
2135 Honeyame Stingers [1]
2136 Nukutaki Penguins [4]
2137 Kitsunemachi Foxes [1]
2138 Shira-Hinode Musketeers [1]
2139 Soshi Oilers [2]
2140 Shira-Hinode Musketeers [2]
2141 Soshi Oilers [3]
2142 Nukutaki Penguins [5]