Australian Ice Hockey League
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Current season | 2019 |
sport | ice Hockey |
abbreviation | AIHL |
Association | Ice Hockey Australia |
League foundation | 2000 |
Teams | 8th |
Country countries | Australia |
Title holder |
CBR Brave (1st title) |
Record champions |
Newcastle Northstars (6th title) |
TV partner | Fox Sports, YouTube |
Website | theAIHL.com |
The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is the top ice hockey league in Australia and is subordinate to Ice Hockey Australia , a member of the IIHF . The league was founded in 2000 by the Canberra Knights , Sydney Bears and Adelaide Avalanche . Two years later three more teams were added.
The AIHL players are semi-professionals. During the summer break in the 2005 NHL , Steve McKenna , former NHL player with the Los Angeles Kings , Minnesota Wild , New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins , played for the Adelaide Avalanche . He returned to Australia as a coach in 2007. Rob Zamuner , also a former NHL player, was under contract with the Gold Coast Blue Tongues in the 2006 season .
Teams 2019
team | Location | Venue | capacity | Founded | Joined | Former names |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adelaide Adrenaline | Adelaide | IceArenA | 1,500 | 2008 | Adelaide A's (2008) | |
CBR Brave | Canberra | Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Center | 1,000 | 2014 | ||
Melbourne Ice | Melbourne | O'Brien Icehouse | 6,500 | 2002 | ||
Melbourne Mustangs | Melbourne | O'Brien Icehouse | 6,500 | 2010 | 2011 | Mustangs IHC (2010-2012) |
Newcastle Northstars | Newcastle | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium | 1,000 | 1981 | 2002 | Newcastle North Stars (2002-2016) |
Perth Thunder | Perth | Perth Ice Arena | 400+ | 2010 | 2012 | |
Sydney Bears | Sydney | Macquarie Ice Rink | 2,000 | 1982 | 2000 | AIHL Bears (2007-2009) |
Sydney Ice Dogs | Sydney | Macquarie Ice Rink | 2,000 | 2002 | West Sydney Ice Dogs (2002-2009) |
Former teams
- Adelaide Avalanche (2000–2008) ceased operations in June 2008. Player redesigned to play as Adelaide A (now known as Adelaide Adrenaline)
- Canberra Knights (2000-2013) business interruption in February 2014. The players were later redesigned to the CBR Brave
- Central Coast Rhinos (2005–2008) declined to sign the 2009 license
- Gold Coast Blue Tongues (2005–2014) suspended in 2012, license expired in 2014. Formerly known as Brisbane Blue Tongues.
Timeline
trophies
Goodall Cup
The Goodall Cup was awarded for the first time in 1909, but only since 2002 to the master of the AIHL. Before that, he was the winner of the United States Championship in Australia. In a few years (1914–1920, 1940–1946, 1955–1960, 1993) the cup was not played.
After the Stanley Cup (1892), the Queens Cup (1903), the Boyle Cup (1904) and the Allan Cup (1908), the Goodall Cup is the fifth oldest ice hockey trophy.
The previous Goodall Cup winners (from 1909 to 1999):
- New South Wales 35 times
- Victoria 24 times
- South Australia 6 times
- Queensland 1 time
- Australian Capital Territory 1 time
Regular Season Winner
From 2000 to 2003 the national champions did not receive a trophy from the AIHL. It was only in 2004 that the league introduced the VIP Cup for the championship winner. The trophy was named after the sponsor VIP Home Services. The VIP Cup was played four seasons before it was discontinued in 2007. In 2010, the league introduced a new cup, the H. Newman Reid Cup, for the championship winner. The trophy is named after Henry Newman Reid, who opened the first ice rinks in Australia between 1904 and 1907. The championships have been backdated to include the AIHL Bears and Newcastle North Stars as title holders for 2008 and 2009.
- Regular Season Winner
- 2000 - Sydney Bears
- 2001 - Adelaide Avalanche
- 2002 - Sydney Bears
- 2003 - Adelaide Avalanche
- VIP Cup winner
- 2004 - Newcastle North Stars
- 2005 - Adelaide Avalanche
- 2006 - Melbourne Ice
- 2007 - Adelaide Avalanche
- H. Newman Reid Trophy winner
- 2008 - AIHL Bears
- 2009 - Newcastle North Stars
- 2010 - Newcastle North Stars
- 2011 - Melbourne Ice
- 2012 - Newcastle North Stars
- 2013 - Sydney Ice Dogs
- 2014 - Melbourne Mustangs
- 2015 - Newcastle North Stars
- 2016 - Melbourne Ice
- 2017 - Melbourne Ice
- 2018 - CBR Brave
- 2019 - CBR Brave
Wilson Cup
The Wilson Cup goes to the team that wins the preseason competition that has been held since the 2008 season.
In 2009 the Central Coast Rhinos won the Wilson Cup, but did not compete in the 2009 AIHL season.
Seasonal structure
Regular season
The AIHL season begins every year in April and lasts a total of five months. Games are played almost exclusively on Saturdays or Sundays, mostly in the afternoon, but there are also some evening games. Each team plays a total of four times against each of the other seven teams, so that each team has 28 games.
Extension and points system
The point system as it currently exists in the AIHL was only introduced in 2006. A team receives three points for a win, no points for a defeat. If a game ends in a draw, a penalty shootout is carried out. The winner of the penalty shootout receives two points, the losing team still receives one point. Until 2005, a five-minute extra time was played instead of a shootout .
Playoffs
In 2000 and 2001 the team was named champions that topped the table in the regular season. A final game for the championship was introduced in 2002. In 2003 the playoffs were expanded from two to four teams, with the semi-finals and the final each going over one game. So far there are no plans in the league that the playoffs will be held in series in the future, such as the "best of seven" known from the NHL.
AIHL master
Master since 2000
year | Location | master | Runner-up | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Macquarie Ice Rink, Sydney | Adelaide Avalanche | Sydney Bears | 6-5 (SO) |
2001 | Thebarton Snowdome, Adelaide | Adelaide Avalanche | Sydney Bears | 10-7 |
2002 | Blacktown Ice Arena, Sydney | Sydney Bears | Adelaide Avalanche | 5-4 (SO) |
2003 | Glaciarium, Sydney | Newcastle North Stars | Sydney Ice Dogs | 4–1 |
2004 | Erina Ice World, Central Coast | Sydney Ice Dogs | Newcastle North Stars | 3–1 |
2005 | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Newcastle | Newcastle North Stars | Adelaide Avalanche | 3–1 |
2006 | Adelaide Ice ArenA, Adelaide | Newcastle North Stars | Adelaide Avalanche | 4-0 |
2007 | Penrith Ice Palace, Penrith | Sydney Bears | Newcastle North Stars | 4–3 (OT) |
2008 | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Newcastle | Newcastle North Stars | Sydney Ice Dogs | 4–1 |
2009 | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Newcastle | Adelaide Adrenaline | Newcastle North Stars | 3–2 (OT) |
2010 | Medibank Icehouse, Melbourne | Melbourne Ice | Adelaide Adrenaline | 6-4 |
2011 | Medibank Icehouse, Melbourne | Melbourne Ice | Newcastle North Stars | 3–2 |
2012 | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Newcastle | Melbourne Ice | Newcastle North Stars | 4-3 |
2013 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | Sydney Ice Dogs | Newcastle North Stars | 6–3 |
2014 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | Melbourne Mustangs | Melbourne Ice | 6-1 |
2015 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | Newcastle North Stars | Melbourne Ice | 3–2 (OT) |
2016 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | Newcastle North Stars | CBR Brave | 2-1 |
2017 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | Melbourne Ice | CBR Brave | 4–1 |
2018 | Melbourne Icehouse, Melbourne | CBR Brave | Sydney Bears | 4–3 (OT) |
2019 | Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Newcastle | - | - | - |
statistics
team | # Trophies | Years |
---|---|---|
Adelaide Adrenaline | 1 | 2009 |
Adelaide Avalanche | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
CBR Brave | 1 | 2018 |
Melbourne Ice | 4th | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017 |
Melbourne Mustangs | 1 | 2014 |
Newcastle Northstars | 6th | 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016 |
Sydney Bears | 2 | 2002, 2007 |
Sydney Ice Dogs | 2 | 2004, 2013 |