Södertälje SK
| Södertälje SK | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Södertälje, Sweden |
| League | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Home arena | AXA Sports Center |
| Colors | Navy, white, yellow |
| General manager | Mats Waltin |
| Head coach | Mats Waltin |
| Captain | - |
| Franchise history | |
| 1902-present | Södertälje Sportklubb |
| Championships | |
| Playoff championships | 1925 |
| Le Mat Trophy | 1931, 1941, 1944, 1953, 1956, 1985 |
Södertälje Sportklubb, also known as Södertälje SK and often referred to as SSK, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan. The second highest level of pro hockey in Sweden. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league (1975–1978, 1980–1981, 1983–1992, 1996–1998, 2001–2006, 2007–2011). Södertälje SK's fan club is known as the "SSK Support".
Södertälje SK was founded in 1902 and have played hockey since 1925. The club has also competed in association football, bandy, and ice skating, amongst others. They have played more seasons (74) in the highest Swedish ice hockey league than any other club, though Djurgården will match that feat in the 2014–15 SHL season. They have won the Swedish championship seven times (1925, 1931, 1941, 1944, 1953, 1956, and 1985). The team has played in the Swedish Hockey League for a combined total of 24 seasons while it was referred to by its previous name, Elitserien.
Södertälje finished the 2004–05 Elitserien season in 8th place and, in the following playoffs that season, advanced to the semifinals. This was the team's best performance in Elitserien since 1989. In the 2005–06 season, however, they were relegated to Allsvenskan (now known as HockeyAllsvenskan). In 2007 the team qualified for Elitserien again. In the 2007–08 season the team finished ninth in Elitserien and thus missed the playoffs but were automatically qualified for the following Elitserien season.
From 2009 to 2011, during Södertälje's three latest seasons in the Elitserien, the team appeared in the Kvalserien three years in a row. In the respective Elitserien seasons they finished 12th and 11th. In both 2009 and 2010 the team survived Kvalserien and thus managed to stay in Elitserien. However, in 2011, things went worse. Prior to the last round, both Södertälje and Modo had 17 points. In the final round of the 2011 Kvalserien, both teams met each other in Fjällräven Center for a game that directly decided which team would be relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan. Södertälje lost the game 0–2 and thus were relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan. After Södertälje's failure to stay in Elitserien, Södertälje's then head coach Peter Popovic was forced to leave the club. Johan Strömwall became Södertälje's new head coach.
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