Ice hockey has only local teams.
The Big Six in men 's international ice hockey are the six national teams that have been dominant in competitive play throughout the history of international hockey and especially since the 1950s . Ice hockey . The International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) is the formal governing body for international ice hockey , with the IIHF managing international tournaments and maintaining the IIHF World Ranking . In international competitions , the national teams of six countries ( the `` Big Six '' ) predominate : Canada , Czech Republic , Finland , Russia , Sweden and the United States .