Frusennia



Frusennia is a small country in the northern reaches of Esportiva.

History
Frusennia was founded in 1050 by Nordic explorers led by Bern the Fisher, who established the city of Elvabyen and the Bern Dynasty, which would last until it was interrupted by the House of Hoyrseving in the War of Succession in 1331, where the Berns were defeated.

Sports
Ice hockey is the national sport of Frusennia, and its most popular by far. The first official ice hockey match in Frusennia was played Christmas Day 1932 in Mitenflod to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the treaty signed there by the House of Høyresving and the House of Bern, ending the War of Succession. The Christmas Classic has been contested every year between the National University in Elvabyen and the University of Høyresving, and its audience includes more than half the country.

The Frusennian Elite League is the primary league of Frusennia, consisting of twelve professional teams. Hockey is also played at the junior and collegiate levels throughout Frusennia, with a number of professional clubs supporting youth and junior teams at multiple levels. At the international levels, the Blue Swans enjoy a considerable following from Frusennians of all walks of life.

The Frusennian Elite League was formed in 1987 out of the financially-strapped remnants of the Frusennian Hockey League, which had gone bankrupt two years earlier in 1985 due to inflated player salaries and an inability by the teams' ownership to cooperate. The government bailed twelve of the FHL teams out and allowed them to start a new league, with the caveat that the Elite League would have an elected board with a players' and a spectators' representative, and would be wholly overseen by the Ministry of Culture.

The Elite League has historically been dominated by the triumvirate of Elvabyen Kapital, Elvabyen Kunling, and Dynamo Hoyresving, with those clubs winning more than half of the Elite League trophies between them. In terms of absolute numbers of trophies, Dynamo reigns supreme while Kunling has the most regular-season championships and Kapital has the most playoff wins.