| Ayr Scottish Eagles | |
|---|---|
| City | Ayr, Scotland |
| League | Ice Hockey Superleague |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Operated | Ice Hockey Services Limited |
| Home arena | Centrum Arena |
| Colors |
Green and Orange |
| Owner(s) | William J. Barr OBE |
| Head coach | Jim Lynch |
| Captain | Angelo Catenaro |
| Franchise history | |
| 1996-02 | Ayr Scottish Eagles |
| 2002-03 | Scottish Eagles |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1997-98 |
| Autumn Cups | 1997-98 |
| Challenge Cups | 1997-98, 2001-02 |
| Playoff championships | 1997-98 |
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.
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The Ayr Scottish Eagles were founded in 1996 and played in the Ice Hockey Superleague. 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.[1]
In August 2002, it was announced by owner Bill Barr that the team were to permanently relocate to the Braehead Arena in Renfrewshire, outside Glasgow.[2]
Bob Zeller, Belfast Giants founder was announced as managing director and the team changed their name to Scottish Eagles, dropping Ayr from their name.[3] Bob Zeller remained a shareholder in the Belfast Giants.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6][7]
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.[8]
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.[9]
The Braehead Clan 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.[10]
The original home of the Eagles was the Centrum Arena. 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.[11]
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.[12] The Centrum was still used as a training venue.
Coach of the Grand Slam winning team, Jim Lynch was inducted into the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.[13]
All Star First Team[16]
All Star Second Team[17]
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.[18] The roster of the Grand Slam team was as follows:[19]
| Staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| -- | Jim Lynch | Head Coach | 1996 | Toronto, Ontario | ||
| -- | Milan Figala | Assistant Coach | 1996 | Brno, South Moravian Region | ||
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| -- | Rob Dopson | L | 1997 | Smiths Falls, Ontario | |
| 34 | Colum Cavilla | L | 1996 | Lethbridge, Alberta | |
| Defencemen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| -- | Joey Mittelsteadt | L | 1997 | Scarborough, Ontario | ||
| 3 | Angelo Catenaro - C | L | 1996 | Toronto, Ontario | ||
| 24 | Ryan Kummu | L | 1996 | Kitchener, Ontario | ||
| 5 | Alan Schuler | R | 1996 | 100 Mile House, British Columbia | ||
| 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 | |
| 23 | Jeff Hoad | R | C | 1997 | Brandon, Manitoba | |
| -- | Karry Biette | R | C | 1997 | Estevan, Saskatchewan | |
| 12 | Matt Hoffman | R | C | 1996 | Saginaw, Michigan | |
| -- | 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 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 | |
| 9 | Jamie Steer | R | F | 1996 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
| 10 | Mark Montanari | L | F | 1997 | Toronto, Ontario | |
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| Preceded by Cardiff Devils |
Superleague Champions 1997-98 |
Succeeded by Manchester Storm |
| Preceded by Sheffield Steelers |
Playoff Champions 1997-98 |
Succeeded by Cardiff Devils |
| Preceded by Nottingham Panthers |
Autumn Cup Winners 1997-98 |
Succeeded by Nottingham Panthers |
| Preceded by Inaugural Champions |
Challenge Cup Winners 1997-98 |
Succeeded by Sheffield Steelers |
| Preceded by Sheffield Steelers |
Challenge Cup Winners 2001-02 |
Succeeded by Sheffield Steelers |