Belfast Giants
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| Belfast Giants | |
 |
|
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Founded | 2000 |
| History | Belfast Giants 2000-Present |
| Arena | Odyssey Arena |
| Capacity | 5,800 - 7,100 |
| City | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Team Colours | White, Red & Teal |
| Head coach | Ed Courtenay |
| General Manager | John Elliot (Until Summer 2007) and Todd Kelman (From Summer 2007) |
| Owners | Albert Masland, Jim Yaworski and Jim Gillespie |
| Team Captain | George Awada |
| League Championships | 2001-02, 2005-06 |
| Championships | 2002-03 |
| Autumn Cups | None |
| Challenge Cups | None |
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.
Currently the Belfast Giants are sponsored by Coors Fine Light Beer and are known as 'The Coors Belfast Giants'. The previous major sponsor was Harp Lager who sponsored the Belfast Giants in their first three seasons.
Sectarianism had long been seen as a significant problem in some sports in Northern Ireland such as football. When the club was established, the Belfast Giants were keen that the club not attach itself to a particular faith or community, instead wanting to represent Belfast as a whole.
A number of policies were subsequently introduced to try and ensure this. Particular clothing (such as football shirts) which might have displayed a person's political or religious affiliation were banned, flags were not permitted to be brought into the arena. The national anthem of the United Kingdom, traditionally played before games at other arenas around the country, is not played before Giants games.
These policies have been successful and the Giants have quickly built a large and enthusiastic fanbase who did not have to fear the sectarianism that marred some other sports in the province.
Initially members of the now defunct Superleague, the Giants won the championship in 2001-02 and were play-off champions in 2002-03. With the Superleague's demise, there were concerns that the Giants would not survive because of major financial problems which had developed.
However, with the creation of the new Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) for the 2003-04 season, the Giants survived. The Giants finished 4th in the league's first season, but failed to reach the post-season play-offs..
The Giants finished runners up in the 2004-05 season behind the Coventry Blaze but were winners of the Cross-over League Cup, which was played with teams from the BNL.
In 2005, The Giants unveiled the biggest signing in the history of British ice hockey;[citation needed] NHL All-Star and Olympic Gold Medal winner, Theo Fleury. He made his debut against the Edinburgh Capitals. The Giants won 11-2, with Fleury scoring a hat-trick. With 4 additional assists, he was named man of the match.
Besides Fleury, several other players who previously played in the NHL have played for the Giants; Paul Kruse, Jason Ruff, Paxton Schulte, and Jason Bowen, Bowen and Kruse having played almost 600 games between them.
The Belfast Giants currently have 2 supporters clubs, one official and one un-official. The supporters clubs are; The Official Belfast Giants Supporters Club (OSC) and the Nixx Giants Supporters Club. Both supporters clubs appeal to different people though they co-operate to better support the Belfast Giants. There are also several popular fan websites and forums that support the Belfast Giants in their own way - Kingdom of the Giants (KOTG) and Fortress Odyssey.
On Sunday 11th February 2007, the Belfast Giants suffered their largest defeat in franchise history by losing 8-0 against the Coventry Blaze. This dealt a huge blow to the hopes of the Belfast Giants lifting the Elite League Chanpionship for the second year running.
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[edit] Facts
- Sponsors: Coors Brewing Company (Primary Sponsor), Charles Hurst Usedirect (Secondary Sponsor), Zoom Airlines, FonaCab, David Lloyd Leisure, Belfast CityBeat 96.7FM, Michelin (Say No To Bullying & Adopt a School campaigns)
- Founded: 2000 into the British Ice Hockey Superleague
- Arena: Odyssey Arena (capacity 5,800 - 7,100)
- Training Grounds: Dundonald International Ice Bowl(capacity 600+) & The Odyssey Arena (capacity 5,800+)
- Uniform Colours: Jersey - Red, Black, White & Teal with 5 sponsor logos. Helmets - Black with Charles Hurst Usedirect logos and yellow tyre print sticker down center. Socks - Michelin patches below knee.
- Logo Design: shows Finn McCool with a hockey stick.
- Mascots: Gordie The Gorilla & Michelin Man (Say No To Bullying & Adopt a School campaigns)
- Motto: In the land of the Giants, everyone is equal.
[edit] Notable Players
[edit] Current squad
Signings as of 6th March 2007
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 34 |  |
Philippe DeRouville | L | 2007 | Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada |
| 31 |  |
Hugh Smyth | L | 2007 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Defencemen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| 44 | |
Todd Kelman | L | 2000 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |
| 77 |  |
Roman Gavalier | L | 2004, 2006 | Poprad, Slovakia | |
| 6 |  |
Leigh Jamieson | R | 2003 | Milton Keynes, England, U.K. | |
| 2 | |
Jean Philippe (J.P.) Morin | L | 2006 | Gaspe, Quebec, Canada | |
| 18 | |
Graeme Walton | R | 2003 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | |
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 14 | |
Mark Dutiaume | L | C | 2006 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| 17 | |
Jason Ruff | L | LW | 01/03/05/06 | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada |
| 71 | |
Jeff Hutchins | L | C | 2006 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 72 | |
Ed Courtenay | L | LW | 2005 | Verdun, Quebec, Canada |
| 41 |  |
George Awada - C | R | RW | 2004 | St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A. |
| 16 | |
Marc Levers | R | C/RW | 2004 | Derby, England, U.K. |
| 12 | |
Shawn Skiehar - A | L | LW | 2005 | Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| 20 | |
Mark Morrison - A | R | C | 2003 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. |
| 15 | |
Gareth Martin | R | RW | 2003, 2006 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. |
| Staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| -- | |
Ed Courtenay | Player/Head Coach | 2005 | Verdun, Quebec, Canada | |
| -- | |
Jason Ruff | Player/Assistant Coach | 2005 | Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada | |
| -- |  |
Jason Ellery | Equip. Manager | 2004 | Cardiff, Wales, U.K. | |
| Undressed | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| 26 | |
David Morrison - Short Term Contract | D | 2006 | Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K. | |
| 39 | |
Curtis Huppe - Scratched | RW | 2004 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | |
| 34 | |
Mike Minard - Injured | G | 2005 | Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada | |
| 31 |  |
Kevin Kelly - Walked | G | 2007 | Dublin, Ireland | |
[edit] Honoured Jersey Numbers
- 11 Colin Ward
- 27 Paxton Schulte
[edit] Captains
- 2000-02 Jeff Hoad
- 2002-03 Paul Kruse
- 2003-04 Jason Ruff
- 2004-05 Shane Johnson
- 2005-Pres George Awada
[edit] Franchise Scoring Leaders
These are the Top 10 Points Scoring Leaders for the Belfast Giants:
Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
| Player | POS | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Ruff | LW | 115 | 85 | 122 | 207 |
| Todd Kelman | D | 366 | 67 | 122 | 189 |
| Curt Bowen | LW | 219 | 84 | 103 | 187 |
| Paxton Schulte | RW | 233 | 81 | 101 | 182 |
| Colin Ward | LW | 233 | 84 | 93 | 177 |
| Kevin Riehl | C | 177 | 61 | 112 | 173 |
| Curtis Huppe | RW | 121 | 74 | 78 | 152 |
| Shane Johnson | D | 320 | 43 | 110 | 153 |
| George Awada | RW | 109 | 59 | 62 | 121 |
| Rod Stevens | RW | 176 | 67 | 65 | 132 |
Last Updated: 01/12/2006
[edit] Honours
- 2001-02 Superleague Champions
- 2002-03 Superleague Playoff Champions
- 2004-05 British Cross-League: 1st Place
- 2005-06 Elite League Champions
[edit] External links
- Coors Belfast Giants Official Website
- Belfast Giants Official Supporters Club
- Fortress Odyssey Belfast Giants Supporters Community
- Kingdom of the Giants
- Belfast Giants Fan Site
- Offical Elite League Website
| Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Basingstoke Bison | Belfast Giants | Cardiff Devils | Coventry Blaze | Edinburgh Capitals | Hull Stingrays | Manchester Phoenix | Newcastle Vipers | Nottingham Panthers | Sheffield Steelers Inactive teams: London Racers Franchise rights Holders: Milton Keynes Lightning |
