Skellefteå AIK Hockey | |
---|---|
City | Skellefteå, Sweden |
League | SHL |
Founded | 1921 |
Home arena | Skellefteå Kraft Arena (cap. 5,800) |
Colors | Black, yellow |
General manager | Mikael Lindgren |
Head coach |
Stefan Klockare Bert Robertsson Fredrik Öberg |
Captain | Jimmie Ericsson |
Le Mat Trophy | 1978, 2013, 2014 |
Skellefteå AIK is a Swedish professional ice hockey (SHL) club from Skellefteå, Sweden. The SHL is the highest level of ice hockey in Sweden. They play their games in Skellefteå Kraft Arena, which seats 6,001 spectators. The team has won the Swedish Championship three times – in 1978, 2013, and 2014.
Skellefteå AIK was founded in 1921, although hockey was not played until 1943, with only training matches being played the first season. In the 1943–44 season, the club played in the local league Skellefteserien, which could not be finished due to unsuitable hockey weather as the games were played outdoors.
In 1955 Skellefteå qualified for the highest league in Sweden. Around this time the team was led by the so-called "Mosquito Line", which consisted of Anders "Akka" Andersson, "Garvis" Määttä and Kalle Hedlund. In the 1957–58 season they won the Allsvenskan's northern group and later finished second in SM-serien, only one point behind the winner Djurgårdens IF. Skellefteå AIK then played in Division 1 North until 1967. The club had difficulties qualifying for continued play in the Division 1 series but in 1975 the series was won and Skellefteå later finished in fourth place in SM-serien.
When the Swedish Elite League under the name Elitserien was formed in 1975, Skellefteå AIK was one of the teams participating.
In the 1977–78 regular season Martin Karlsson led the league in goals and points while Hardy Nilsson was the league's most penalized player. Skellefteå went on to win the playoffs led by a strong performance by Göran Lindblom (five goals and four assists in five games), becoming Swedish champions in 1978, and in 1981 Skellefteå won the regular season series.