Belfast Giants is a professional hockey club from Belfast , Northern Ireland , UK . It was founded in 2000 . Since 2003, playing in the British Elite Hockey League .
| Belfast Giants | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A country |  Great Britain |
| City | Belfast |
| Based | 2000 |
| Home arena | Odyssey Complex (at 10,800) |
| Colors | |
| Hockey league | British Elite Hockey League |
| Main coach |  Adam Kif |
| Captain | Blair riley |
| Official site | belfastgiants.com |
Content
Club History
The first match in club history took place on December 1, 2000 against the Air Scottish Eagles . Since 2001, the Giants began playing in the British Hockey Super League . In their debut season 2001/02, the team won the regular season. The leading three players in the club were Canadians Jason Ruff , Kevin Riel and Sean Behrens. The most popular player was also Canadian - tough guy Paxton Schulte [1] .
In the 2002/03 season, the club also made its debut in European competitions. In the games of the second group round of the Giants Continental Cup , they won over the Black Wings Linz , Volerenga and Dragon de Rouen . In the final round with ten teams, Belfast won one victory - over the Swiss champion Davos with a score of 4: 2 [2] . In the regular season 2002/03 season, the Giants took second place and beat Sheffield Steelers in the semifinals of the shootout playoffs. In the final, Belfast replayed the London Knights with a score of 5: 3 [1] .
After the end of the 2002/03 season, the Super League was disbanded and the Giants faced financial problems. The total debt of the club was 1,400,000 pounds . The team was sold and the new owner paid off part of the debt, the rest was restructured [3] . The Giants joined the newly created Elite Hockey League . Despite the departure of a number of leading Canadian players and coach Dave Whistle, the team continued to be one of the strongest in the UK. In the 2003/04 season, Belfast took fourth place in the regular season, and Jason Ruff was voted Best Player of the Year. The 2004/05 season, the Giants finished second [1] .
The most successful after entering the new league was the 2005/06 season, when the club won the championship and reached the semifinals of the playoffs. The playing coach of the club was appointed Ed Courtenay . In mid-October 2005, Theo Fleury signed a contract with the club, immediately becoming the club leader and recognized the Most Valuable Player by the end of the season [1] .
In the fall of 2008, Courtenay resigned as head coach and was replaced by former club player Steve Thornton . In the 2008/09 season, under his leadership, the team won the Challenge Cup for the first time in its history [1] .
Achievements
- British Hockey Super League :
- Regular season: 2001/02
- Playoffs: 2002/03
- British Elite Hockey League :
- Regular season: 2005/06, 2011/12, 2013,14
- Playoffs: 2009/10
Current squad
| No. | Player | A country | Grab | Date of Birth | Growth | Weight | Place of Birth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| 31 | Stephen Murphy | Left | December 11 1981 (37 years old) | 178 cm | 72 kg | Dundee , UK | |
| 33 | Chris Trull | Left | October 27 1993 (25 years old) | 191 cm | 93 kg | Stoughton , USA | |
| 35 | Andrew Dixon | Left | November 2 1987 (31 years old) | 183 cm | 82 kg | Ballymoney , UK | |
| Defenders | |||||||
| 2 | Cole Jarrett | Left | January 4 1983 (36 years old) | 180 cm | 91 kg | Sault Ste Marie , Canada | |
| 3 | Jeff Mason | Right | August 11 1981 (38 years old) | 178 cm | 82 kg | Eastampton , USA | |
| 6 | Spiro gulacos | Left | February 16 1990 (29 years old) | 188 cm | 88 kg | Montreal Canada | |
| 7 | Mark Garside | Left | March 21 1989 (30 years old) | 178 cm | 77 kg | East Kilbride , UK | |
| 9 | Jim Wondermer | Left | February 21 1980 (39 years old) | 185 cm | 97 kg | Caroline Canada | |
| 22 | Kevin Rain | Right | May 28 1993 (26 years old) | 185 cm | 94 kg | Dryden , Canada | |
| 88 | Ryan Martinelli | Right | September 2 1986 (32 years old) | 195 cm | 97 kg | London canada | |
| Left Wing Forwards | |||||||
| eight | Lewis Hook | Left | August 18 1996 (22 years old) | 183 cm | 80 kg | Peterborough , UK | |
| 12 | Steve Saviano | Left | August 31 1981 (37 years old) | 170 cm | 82 kg | Reading , USA | |
| 15 | Darcy Murphy | Left | August 24 1992 (26 years old) | 178 cm | 84 kg | Tayendinaga , Canada | |
| 25 | Blair riley | Left | January 16 1985 (34 years old) | 183 cm | 95 kg | Kamloops , Canada | |
| 21 | John Kurtz | Left | May 16 1989 (30 years old) | 188 cm | 95 kg | Oakville , Canada | |
| Center Forwards | |||||||
| ten | Sebastian Sylvester | Left | October 7 1993 (25 years old) | 185 cm | 86 kg | Boucherville canada | |
| nineteen | Colin Shields | Right | January 27 1980 (39 years old) | 183 cm | 86 kg | Glasgow , UK | |
| 26 | Brandon benedict | Left | June 10 1982 (37 years old) | 175 cm | 79 kg | Halifax Canada | |
| Right wing forward | |||||||
| 24 | Jonathan Ferland | Right | February 9 1983 (36 years old) | 188 cm | 197 kg | Quebec Canada | |
| 83 | Dustin Joner | Right | March 6 1983 (36 years old) | 180 cm | 82 kg | Estevan , Canada | |
| 91 | David Rutherford | Right | April 30 1987 (32 years old) | 170 cm | 81 kg | Ladner , Canada | |
Head Coaches
- David Whistle (2000-2003)
- Rob Stewart (2003-2004)
- Tony Hand (2004-2005)
- Ed Courtenay (2005-2008)
- Steve Thornton (2008β2010, 2014β2015)
- Doug Christiansen (2010β2013)
- Paul Eday (2013β2014)
- Derrick Walser (2015-2017)
- Adam Kif (2017 -present )
Team Captains
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Notes
- β 1 2 3 4 5 History . belfastgiants.com . Belfast Giants. Date of treatment May 26, 2018. Archived March 17, 2017.
- β Coupe Continentale 2002/03 (fr.) . hockeyarchives.info . Date of treatment May 26, 2018. Archived on October 12, 2016.
- β Giants on the rocks . bbc.co.uk. BBC (June 22, 2003). Date accessed May 26, 2018. Archived May 17, 2017.