Tønsberg Vikings
| Tønsberg og Omegn Ishockeyklubb | |
|---|---|
 |
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| City | Tønsberg, Norway |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Home arena | Tønsberg Ishall |
| Colors | Red and white |
| Website | http://toik.no/ |
Tønsberg og Omegn Ishockeyklubb is an ice hockey club based in Tønsberg, Norway. The team's colours are red and white; and home games are played at Tønsberg Ishall. The club has mostly competed in the two highest tiers of Norwegian hocke. The elite department of the team was formerly known as Tønsberg Vikings, but struggling economy forced that department to withdraw from the league in August 2016. A new senior section will compete on the third tier for the 2016-17 season.
Tønsberg og Omegn Ishockeyklubb was founded on 4 April 1963. For most of its history, the club competed in the lower divisions of Norwegian ice hockey, never reaching beyond the third tier.
In 2002, the club set itself the goal of becoming an established team in the 1. divisjon by 2006. For many years, Tønsberg had focused on developing youth players; with the first team at the time languishing in the 3. divisjon, these players invariably moved elsewhere upon reaching a certain age.
Canadian Dave Flanders was hired as head coach ahead of the 2002–03 season, and would also be playing for the team. It took three games for the Vikings to record their first win, and the campaign was dealt a decisive blow four rounds from the end of the season when they lost 5–6 to Holmen. Tønsberg eventually finished in sixth place with 14 points from as many games. Flanders stepped down after the season; his successor as player-coach, Lars Oddvard Fjeldvang, later maintained that the Canadian had gotten the most out of a mediocre team.
Fjeldvang coached the Vikings during the 2003–04 season. He succeeded where Flanders had not, largely due to a better roster. The team recorded a run of 11–2–2 to finish on 24 points; enough to claim first place and a historic promotion to the 2. divisjon.
During the off-season, the club formed a limited company to manage commercial activities and improve finances. Morten Sandø, a member of the team since 2002, was appointed player-coach and later also head of marketing. Three experienced players were brought in to reinforce the team ahead of its first outing in the 2. divisjon. By mid-season, half that team had been lost to injury, transfer or other, forcing the management to rely on junior team members to fill the roster. At the cost of the junior team's performance, the first team eventually finished fifth.
In the following seasons, the Vikings struggled at the bottom of the standings. Despite having advanced to the third tier of the league system, the club continued to lose its most talented young players. The lack of a regional ice hockey academy meant that national youth team players from Tønsberg were still moving to Bærum or Oslo when they entered high school. From 2006 to 2008, the club did not have enough eligible players for a separate junior team. In his second and final season as head coach, Sandø also criticized the team's inability to adopt a proper training culture. For the 2006–07 season, Sandø handed over the reins to Jimmy Svensson, who failed to make an impact.
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