Nikkō Kobe IceBucks

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Nikkō Kobe Icebucks
Nikko Kobe Icebucks
Founded 1999
Home ice Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena (capacity 2,000) and Kobe Port Island Sports Center
Based in Nikkō, Tochigi and
Kobe, Hyogo in Japan
Colours Orange, black and white
League Asia League Ice Hockey
Head coach Hideyuki Ueno
President Osamu Tsukamoto
Owner Publicly Owned

The Nikkō Kobe Icebucks (日光神戸アイスバックス Nikkō Kōbe Aisubakkusu?) are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nikkō, Tochigi and Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.

Logo design: The word IceBucks in italicized English in black with white trim, with the words "NIKKO KOBE" in bold italics in orange trimmed with white
Japan League championships: none
Asia League championships: none
Mascot: An orange and white furred male deer wearing a hockey helmet.

Contents

[edit] Franchise history

The Nikkō area has a long history of ice hockey, with the Furukawa Denko professional team (one of the oldest in Japan) having been established in 1925, and becoming a founding member of the Japanese Ice Hockey League in 1966. In 1999, however, the team was forced to disband due to financial difficulties.

A ouflow of support from the city and local financing allowed the team to be recreated as a club team, supported locally. It was renamed the HC Nikkō IceBucks and joined the league in time for the next season's start. The team, despite fervent local support, was never one of the successes of the JIHL even when they were supported as Furukawa Denko, and had a rocky start as the HC Nikkō IceBucks, having to relaunch their business model in 2001. The team has consistently placed near or at the bottom of the league.

When the league expanded into the Asia League Ice Hockey, Nikkō was one of the teams that was part of the new league. In the summer of 2005, the team arranged to play a number of its home games in Kobe, Hyogo, and changed its name to the Nikkō Kobe IceBucks to reflect its new two-city home.

[edit] Year-By-Year Record

[edit] HC Nikkō IceBucks (JIHL 1999-2004)

Year GP W W(OT) W(PS) T L(PS) L(OT) L GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs
1999-00 30 3 5 22 45 106 11 6th/6 Out of playoffs
2000-01 40 10 1 29 91 164 21 6th/6 Out of playoffs
2001-02 40 6 2 2 2 2 26 103 163 23.0 6th/6 Out of playoffs
2002-03 32 7 0 4 1 2 18 68 114 23.0 5th/5 Out of playoffs
2002-03 24 1 0 1 0 1 21 33 112 4.5 4th/4  ?
2003-04 12 0 0 0 0 0 12 19 56 0.0 4th/4  ?

[edit] HC Nikkō IceBucks (ALIH 2003-2005)

Year GP W W(OT) T L(OT) L GF GA PTS Finish Playoffs
2003-04 16 2 0 2 0 12 38 67 6 5th/5 Out of playoffs
2004-05 42 13 1 2 2 24 110 125 45 6th/8 Out of playoffs

[edit] External links


Asia League Ice Hockey

Anyang Halla (KOR)| Changchun Fuao (CHN)| Hosa (CHN)| Kangwon Land (KOR)
Nikkō Kobe IceBucks (JPN)| Nippon Paper Cranes (JPN)
Oji Ice Hockey Team (JPN)| Seibu Prince Rabbits (JPN)

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