Belfast Giants
| Belfast Giants | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Home arena | SSE Arena Belfast |
| Colours |
White, red & teal |
| Owner(s) | Odyssey Trust |
| Head coach | N/A |
| Captain | Adam Keefe |
| Website | www |
| Franchise history | |
| 2000–present | Belfast Giants |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2001–02, 2005–06, 2011–12, 2013-14 |
| Playoff championships | 2003, 2010 |
| Knockout Cups | 2008–09 |
| Challenge Cups | 2008–09 |
White, red & teal
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 9,000-capacity SSE Arena Belfast.
They have a dedicated 'Boomerang Corner' which sits a large group of fans who generate noise and start most of the chants. It is named in memory of long time Giants fan Stewart Boone.
The Giants had originated in 2000 and played their first match against ayr on the 1st December. 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. Running up debts of £600,000 and facing the threat of liquidation creditors voted to accept 20p in the pound allowing the club to continue. One company was believed to be owed nearly £65,000.
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 NHL All-Star and Olympic Gold Medal winner, Theo Fleury who made his debut against the Edinburgh Capitals. The Giants won 11–2, with Fleury scoring a hat-trick. With 4 additional assists and a fight, 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. Kevin Westgarth is the latest incumbent from the NHL to don the Giants jersey, arriving from the Calgary Flames after several seasons in North America's top league.
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Wikipedia