The Champions Trophy has remained International Hockey Federation’s showpiece event since 1978. A brainchild of Air Marshal Nur Khan, former president of Pakistan Hockey Federation, it features world’s top-ranked teams. Pakistan also presented the beautiful trophy.

The tournament remained an annual affair from 1980 to 2012. It became a biennial event in 2012 to accommodate the new FIH World Hockey League (qualifier for the World Cup and Olympics), also held every two years.

The 37th edition this year will be the last. From 2019, FIH’s new high-profile nine-nation Hockey Pro League promises to take the game of hockey to new heights.

Mostly six teams have participated in the Champions Trophy.

Till 1991, only a Round Robin was played. From the 1992 edition onwards, after the Round Robin or Pools, play-off matches have been played.

- Of the 36 editions, Pakistan have hosted the Champions Trophy as many as eleven times. Holland and Australia have held it six times each, Germany on five occasions, India thrice, Malaysia twice, and Spain, New Zealand and England once each.

The countries with most appearances: Australia 35, Netherlands 33, Germany 33, Pakistan 31. France (1992) has made only one appearance.

Only five teams have won the Champions Trophy so far. Each of them has won at least once in Pakistan.

The best run: five victories on the trot: Australia (2008-2012).

The highest number of goals by a team in a one tournament is 32 by Pakistan in 1980.

The least number of goals conceded by a team in a single tournament is two: Germany in 1995.

Six times, the teams had perfect campaigns, winning all the matches: Pakistan in 1978 and 1980, Netherlands in 2000, Germany in 2001, Australia in 2010 and 2011.

The longest winning streak: 15 matches by Australia, which ended with a draw in their second match of 2012.

The biggest win: Australia beat Spain 10-3 in 2009, Australia beat France 9-2 in 1992, Holland beat Pakistan 9-2 in 2006.

Players with most gold medals: Jeroen Delmee, Teun de Nooijer, Sander van der Weide and Guss Vogels (all NED), Carsten Fischer (GER) and Jamie Dwyer (AUS) 6 gold medals

Most Appearances: Teun de Nooijer (NED) 17

Most Medals: Teun de Nooijer (NED) 13

Top scorers: Taeke Taekema (NED) – 47 goals, Teun de Nooijer (NED) – 43 goals, Sohail Abbas (PAK) – 41 goals

Top scorer in a single edition: Paul Litjens (NED), 15 goals in 1980

In a single match, three players have scored five goals, all of them Dutch: Paul Litjens v Britain in 1981, Ties Kruise v Pakistan in 1982, Taco Van Honert vs Pakistan in 1993.

Yet another Dutch player, Floris Jan Bovalander, owns the record for the highest number of hat-tricks. He did it four times.

Fastest hat-trick: Australia’s Colin Batch struck three goals within nine minutes against Holland in 1980.

The highest number of goals in a final match is four, scored by Germany’s Andreas Becker against Australia in 1992.

Pakistan’s Hanif Khan is generally credited with the fastest goal. He put his side ahead after just 11 seconds, against Holland in 1984.

Champions Trophy’s first ever goal was scored by Pakistan’s Shahnaz Sheikh, against New Zealand in 1978.

When Germany performed a hat-trick of victories from 1986-88, they were led by Heins Dopp each time.

Shahbaz Ahmed skippered Pakistan as many as six times, from 1990 to 1995, a record.

Ric Charlesworth of Australia coached his team to four successive titles (2009-12)

PAKISTAN’ S RECORDS:

Pakistan appeared in 31 out of the 36 editions (didn’t figure in 2000, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2016)

*    Three golds: 1978 (1st), 1980 (2nd) and 1994 (16th)

*    Seven silvers: 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998 & 2014

*    Seven bronze: 1986, 1992, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2012

*    Seven times 4th position: 1981, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993 and 2001

*    Thrice 5th position: 1997, 2005 and 2006

*    Once 6th: 1999

*    Thrice 7th: 1987, 2007 and 2011

*    All three Pakistani victories were achieved on home soil.

*    Shahbaz Ahmad with 11 appearances holds the Pakistan record. Next are the two goalkeepers: Shahid Ali Khan and late Mansoor Ahmed with 10.

*    Penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas has been Pakistan’s overall top scorer with 41 goals followed by inside-left Hanif Khan, who scored 21.

*    Sohail Abbas is also Pakistan’s top goal-getter in a single edition. He scored nine goals in 2003.

*    After his appearance in 1995, Shahbaz Ahmad next appeared in 2001, a gap of six years

*    Apart from Shahbaz Ahmed, who won the Player of the Tournament award twice (1991 and 1992), six other Pakistanis have won this coveted award. Shahid Ali Khan (1983), Hanif Khan (1984), late Qazi Mohib (1988), Khawaja Junaid (1994), Dr Atif Bashir (1998) and Shakeel Abbasi (2012).

*    Pakistan’s biggest victories in the Champions Trophy came in 1980 when they defeated both India and Australia by an identical margin of 7-1.

*    Pakistan’s heaviest defeat is 2-9 against Holland in 2006.

*    In 1984, Pakistan team had three real brothers in Manzoor Hussain Jr (captain), Maqsood Hussain and Mahmood Hussain, all forwards, who in one match played at the same time.

*    Seven pairs of brothers have also represented Pakistan: Samiullah and Kaleemullah, Manzoorul Husan and Rasheedul Hasan, Imran Yousuf and Irfan Yousuf, Raheem Khan and Imran Khan, Mohammad Anees and Mohammad Asim, Mohammad Sarwar and Mohammad Zubair, Rehan Butt and Imran Butt.