Ayr Scottish Eagles
Encyclopedia
The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr
, Scotland
. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena
. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague
and the club's main (title) sponsor was Barr Construction
. The club folded during the 2002-03 season after a move to Braehead Arena
.
. The team quickly rose to become one of the top teams in the United Kingdom
, due in part to achieving the grand slam in their second season (1997-98) winning all four major UK ice hockey trophies, these were the British Championship, Superleague, the Autumn Cup and Express Cup. Also in 1998 they achieved great success (for a British team), when they twice defeated Ak Bars Kazan in the European Hockey League.
in Renfrewshire
, outside Glasgow
.
Bob Zeller, Belfast Giants
founder was announced as managing director and the team changed their name to Scottish Eagles, dropping Ayr from their name. Bob Zeller remained a shareholder in the Belfast Giants. The reason given for the relocation was due to the Braehead Arena having a larger seating capacity and a larger catchment area, expected to increase the fanbase of the club.
The club (with the new name) folded on 14 November 2002, after just six home games, in what was to become the final season of the British Ice Hockey Superleague.
Friends of Eagles Hockey, campaigned for the return of ice hockey to the Centrum Arena after the Eagles's demise. Ice rink operators Planet Ice showed an interest in running the Centrum as an ice arena; however the arena was demolished in 2009 and the site is now home to a new supermarket.
ice hockey club are now based at the Braehead Arena and play in the Elite Ice Hockey League
. In their first season, there was an effort to recruit former Ayr Scottish Eagles fans to the Clan support. Ayr Scottish Eagles fans who held a season ticket at Braehead in the 2002-03 season that was cut short due to the team folding were offered a season ticket in Braehead's first season.
. It was officially opened on 25 August 1996 and was run by Barr Leisure Limited, a subsidiary of Barr Holdings Ltd. The Eagles played their first home game there on 1 September 1996.
After an announcement by Bill Barr, the Eagles moved to the Braehead Arena
for the 2002-03 season, where they played just six home games before folding. The Centrum was still used as a training venue.
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena
Centrum Arena (Prestwick)
The Centrum Arena was a 2,733 seat ice arena in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland that opened on 25th August 1996. The arena was used during the winter months for recreational ice skating and ice hockey matches. In the summer months, the arena was used for various events such as the Chinese State...
. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
and the club's main (title) sponsor was Barr Construction
Barr Construction Ltd
Barr Construction is a major Scottish contracting organisation operating throughout the United Kingdom.- History :The Company began life at the end of the nineteenth century as a joinery firm known as W & J Barr & Sons and gradually expanded into civil engineering projects...
. The club folded during the 2002-03 season after a move to Braehead Arena
Braehead Arena
The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the western part of the Glasgow conurbation. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex....
.
History
The Ayr Scottish Eagles were founded in 1996 and played in the Ice Hockey SuperleagueIce Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
. The team quickly rose to become one of the top teams in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, due in part to achieving the grand slam in their second season (1997-98) winning all four major UK ice hockey trophies, these were the British Championship, Superleague, the Autumn Cup and Express Cup. Also in 1998 they achieved great success (for a British team), when they twice defeated Ak Bars Kazan in the European Hockey League.
2002-03
In August 2002, it was announced by owner Bill Barr that the team were to permanently relocate to the Braehead ArenaBraehead Arena
The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the western part of the Glasgow conurbation. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex....
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, outside Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
Bob Zeller, Belfast Giants
Belfast Giants
The Belfast Giants are an ice hockey team from Belfast, Northern Ireland that compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Home games are played at the 7,100-capacity Odyssey Arena in Belfast....
founder was announced as managing director and the team changed their name to Scottish Eagles, dropping Ayr from their name. Bob Zeller remained a shareholder in the Belfast Giants. The reason given for the relocation was due to the Braehead Arena having a larger seating capacity and a larger catchment area, expected to increase the fanbase of the club.
The club (with the new name) folded on 14 November 2002, after just six home games, in what was to become the final season of the British Ice Hockey Superleague.
Post demise
Friends of Eagles Hockey, organised an exhibition match at the Centrum Arena on 4 February 2003 as a fund raising event to raise funds for players and officials who had been left in financial difficulty due to the bankruptcy of Ice hockey services Ltd, the Eagles operating company.Friends of Eagles Hockey, campaigned for the return of ice hockey to the Centrum Arena after the Eagles's demise. Ice rink operators Planet Ice showed an interest in running the Centrum as an ice arena; however the arena was demolished in 2009 and the site is now home to a new supermarket.
Braehead Clan
The Braehead ClanBraehead Clan
Braehead Clan are a Scottish professional ice hockey team. They were formed in 2010 as the UK Elite Ice Hockey League expanded into the Glasgow and West of Scotland market, and are based at the 4,000 capacity Braehead Arena in Renfrewshire, around two miles outside the Glasgow City limits...
ice hockey club are now based at the Braehead Arena and play in the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
. In their first season, there was an effort to recruit former Ayr Scottish Eagles fans to the Clan support. Ayr Scottish Eagles fans who held a season ticket at Braehead in the 2002-03 season that was cut short due to the team folding were offered a season ticket in Braehead's first season.
Home Arenas
The original home of the Eagles was the Centrum ArenaCentrum Arena (Prestwick)
The Centrum Arena was a 2,733 seat ice arena in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland that opened on 25th August 1996. The arena was used during the winter months for recreational ice skating and ice hockey matches. In the summer months, the arena was used for various events such as the Chinese State...
. It was officially opened on 25 August 1996 and was run by Barr Leisure Limited, a subsidiary of Barr Holdings Ltd. The Eagles played their first home game there on 1 September 1996.
After an announcement by Bill Barr, the Eagles moved to the Braehead Arena
Braehead Arena
The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the western part of the Glasgow conurbation. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex....
for the 2002-03 season, where they played just six home games before folding. The Centrum was still used as a training venue.
Honoured Members
Coach of the Grand Slam winning team, Jim Lynch was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.Grand Slam Roster
The Ayr Scottish Eagles won all four major trophies in the 1997-98 season, known as the Grand Slam, the first team ever to do so during the existance of the British Super League. The roster of the Grand Slam team was as follows:| Staff | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |Player | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| -- |  Canada |
Jim Lynch | Head Coach | 1996 | Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... , Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
| -- |  Czech Republic |
Milan Figala | Assistant Coach | 1996 | Brno Brno Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District... , South Moravian Region South Moravian Region South Moravian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia, with exception of Jobova Lhota, that belongs to Bohemia. Its capital is Brno the 2nd largest city of the Czech Republic. The region is famous for its wine... |
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| -- | |
Rob Dopson Rob Dopson Robert James Dopson is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins.-External links:... |
L | 1997 | Smiths Falls, Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
| 34 | |
Colum Cavilla | L | 1996 | Lethbridge, Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces... |
| Defencemen | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| -- | |
Joey Mittelsteadt | L | 1997 | Scarborough, Ontario |
| 3 | |
Angelo Catenaro - C Captain (ice hockey) In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey... |
L | 1996 | Toronto, Ontario |
| 24 | |
Ryan Kummu | L | 1996 | Kitchener, Ontario |
| 5 | |
Alan Schuler | R | 1996 | 100 Mile House, British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858... |
| 6 | |
Vince Boe | L | 1996 | Calgary, Alberta |
| 4 | |
Scott Young | L | 1996 | Oakville, Ontario |
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | |Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 17 | |
David St. Pierre | R | C | 1996 | Montreal, Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
| 23 | |
Jeff Hoad | R | C | 1997 | Brandon, Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other... |
| -- | |
Karry Biette | R | C | 1997 | Estevan, Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.... |
| 12 |  |
Matt Hoffman | R | C | 1996 | Saginaw, Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
| -- | |
John Parco - A | L | C | 1997 | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario |
| 27 | |
Samuel Groleau | R | C | 1996 | Longueuil, Quebec |
| -- | |
Shawn Byram | L | LW | 1997 | Neepawa, Manitoba |
| -- | |
Darren Colbourne | L | RW | 1997 | Cornerbrook, Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400... Labrador |
| 19 | |
Dennis Purdie | R | RW | 1997 | Amherstburg, Ontario |
| 8 | |
Mark Woolf - A | R | RW | 1996 | Brandon, Manitoba |
| 30 |  |
Dino Bauba | R | F | 1997 | Kaunasc, Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... |
| 9 | |
Jamie Steer | R | F | 1996 | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| 10 | |
Mark Montanari | L | F | 1997 | Toronto, Ontario |
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
| 1996–97 1996–97 ISL season The 1996–97 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the inaugrual season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .The league was formed by the owners of the Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers... |
Ice Hockey Superleague Ice Hockey Superleague The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom... |
42 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 171 | 157 |
| 1997–98 1997–98 ISL season The 1997–98 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the second season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .There were no changes in the teams taking part during the season – Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers and... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 45 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 73 | 200 | 113 |
| 1998–99 1998–99 ISL season The 1998–99 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the third season of the Ice Hockey Superleague . Having reached a sponsorship deal with Sekonda, the league was now formally known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague.... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 42 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 42 | 136 | 140 |
| 1999–00 1999–2000 ISL season The 1999–00 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fourth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague .There were no changes in the teams from the 1998–99 season. However the league introduced a wage cap of £500,000 for this season.... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 42 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 43 | 144 | 147 |
| 2000–01 2000–01 ISL season The 2000–01 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fifth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague .Belfast Giants, a new team formed in Northern Ireland, were granted a franchise, although they did not take part in the Benson & Hedges Cup... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 48 | 25 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 161 | 158 |
| 2001–02 2001–02 ISL season The 2001–02 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the sixth season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .Although the league started the season as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague, Sekonda withdrew their sponsorship of the league in December 2001 and the league reverted to being known simply as the... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 48 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 49 | 136 | 130 |
| 2002–03 2002–03 ISL season The 2002–03 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the seventh and final season of the Ice Hockey Superleague .The Ayr Scottish Eagles, under new management, moved from the Centrum Arena in Ayr to the Braehead Arena just outside Glasgow and shortened their name to simply the Scottish Eagles.The... |
Ice Hockey Superleague | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4† | 20 | 34 |
- †Club folded six games into the 2002-03 season.