Belfast Giants - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Belfast Giants are an ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

team from Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

that compete in the Elite Ice Hockey League

Elite Ice Hockey League

Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...

. Home games are played at the 7,100-capacity Odyssey Arena in Belfast.

Currently the Belfast Giants are sponsored by Stena Line

Stena Line

Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...

and are known as 'The Stena Line Belfast Giants'. The previous major sponsors were Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...

, LBM, Coors Fine Light Beer

Coors Brewing Company

The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...

and Harp Lager

Harp Lager

Harp Lager, is a pale lager brand created in 1960 by the Guinness Brewery in their Dundalk brewery. It is a leading lager brand in Ireland, and is also popular in Australia, Canada, Africa and the United States...

who sponsored the Belfast Giants in sequence since their inception.

Sectarianism

Sectarianism

Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...

had long been seen as a significant problem in some sports in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

. When the club was established, the Belfast Giants were keen that the club not attach itself to a particular faith or community, instead wanting to represent Belfast as a whole. A number of policies was subsequently introduced to try to ensure this. Particular clothing (such as association football or gaelic games replica shirts), which might have displayed a person's political or religious affiliation, were banned and flags were not permitted to be brought into the arena. The national anthem of the United Kingdom

God Save the Queen

"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...

, traditionally played before games at other arenas around the country, is not played before Giants games. These policies have been successful and the Giants have quickly built a large and enthusiastic fanbase who did not have to fear the sectarianism that marred other sports in the province

Ulster

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...

.

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.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/3010778.stm

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

Coventry Blaze

Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

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

Edinburgh Capitals

The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh...

. The Giants won 11-2, with Fleury scoring a hat-trick. With 4 additional assists and a fight under his belt, 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

Paul Kruse

Paul Johannes Kruse is a former National Hockey League left wing.He is married to Laurie-Anne. He is the father of Mckinley and Sierra...

, Jason Ruff

Jason Ruff

Jason C. Ruff is a professional ice hockey player.Ruff was the third choice, 96th overall selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft...

, Paxton Schulte

Paxton Schulte

Paxton James Schulte is a retired professional ice hockey player.Schulte was drafted 124th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques and played one game for the team during the 1993–94 NHL season, spending much of his tenure in the American Hockey League with the Cornwall Aces...

, and Jason Bowen, Bowen and Kruse having played almost 600 games between them.

The Belfast Giants currently have one supporters' club: the Official Belfast Giants Supporters' Club (OSC). There are also several popular fan websites and forums that support the Belfast Giants in their own way.

Facts

Sponsors: Stena Line

Stena Line

(Main Sponsor 2011-present)

Founded: 2000 into the British Ice Hockey Superleague

Primary Arena: Odyssey Arena, (capacity 5,800 - 7,100)

Training Arena: Dundonald International Ice Bowl

Uniform Colours: White, Red, Teal, Black

Logo Design: shows Finn McCool with a hockey stick.

Mascot: Finn McCool and Subman (Sponsorship Deal with Subway

Subway (restaurant)

Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...

)

Motto: "In the land of the Giants, everyone is equal".

2011-2012 Roster

{|
!colspan=6 |Goaltenders
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|Number
!width=5%|
!!width=15%|Player
!width=16%|Catches
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth
|-
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
| align=center|31
| align=center|

United Kingdom
| Stephen Murphy

Stephen James Murphy

Stephen James Murphy is a professional ice hockey goaltender born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.Murphy began playing ice hockey at the very young age of 5. He made his first professional appearances at the age of 16 with the Paisley Pirates, a team then icing in the BNL...

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

Ballymoney

Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council....

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
{| width=100%
!colspan=7 |Defencemen
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|Number
!width=5%|
!!width=15%|Player
!width=16%|Shoots
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth
|-
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|3
|align=center|

United States
|Jeff Mason

Jeff Mason

Jeff Mason is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League.After four years in Providence College, Mason began his professional hockey career with the ECHL's Augusta Lynx in 2005...

Easthampton, Massachusetts

Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...

Mississauga, Ontario

Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Reading, Massachusetts

Reading is an affluent town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston. The population was 24,747 at the 2010 census.-Settlement and Independence:...

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...

, Canada

Canada

|Graeme Walton

Graeme Walton

Graeme Walton is a British professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League....

Belfast

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

Tynemouth

Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

Canada
|Nick Kuiper

Nick Kuiper

Nick Kuiper is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League.-Playing career:...

Beaconsfield, Quebec

Beaconsfield , 2006 Population 19,194) is a municipality on the Island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of Lake Saint-Louis and is bordered on the west by Baie-D'Urfé, on the north by Kirkland and on the east by Pointe-Claire...

, Canada

Canada

|}

{|
!colspan=7 |Forwards
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|Number
!width=5%|
!!width=15%|Player
!width=8%|Shoots
!width=8%|Position
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth
|-
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|7
|align=center|

United Kingdom
|Mark Garside

Mark Garside

Mark Garside is a Scottish professional ice hockey player. He currently plays forward for the Belfast Giants in the EIHL.-References:...

|align=center|L
|align=center|C
|align=center|2010
|Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The town lies on a shallow bay on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth; SSE of Glenrothes, ENE of Dunfermline, WSW of Dundee and NNE of Edinburgh...

, Scotland

Scotland

Longueuil, Quebec

Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...

, Canada

Canada

Cornwall, Ontario

Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...

, Canada

Canada

Brandon, Manitoba

Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

, Canada

Canada

Belfast

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

West Islip, New York

West Islip is a hamlet and CDP, located in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Situated on the south shore of Long Island, the population of the CDP was 29,907 at the time of the 2000 census.-Geography:West Islip is located at ....

Brampton, Ontario

Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...

, Canada

Canada

Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

, England

England

Pickering, Ontario

Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...

, Canada

Canada

Billingham

Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...

, England

England

|}

{| width=100%
!colspan=7 |Staff
|- bgcolor="#dddddd"
!width=5%|Number
!width=5%|
!!width=15%|Player
!width=16%|Position
!width=9%|Acquired
!width=37%|Place of Birth
|-
|-bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|align=center|--
|align=center|

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Brandon, Manitoba

, Canada

Canada

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

Retired Jersey Numbers

11 Canada Colin Ward
Colin Ward (ice hockey)
Colin Ward is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.After spells in the IHL, ECHL and Italy, Ward moved to the United Kingdom in 1997, signing for the Bracknell Bees and guided the team to the British Ice Hockey Superleague title in 2000...
27 Canada Paxton Schulte
Paxton Schulte
Paxton James Schulte is a retired professional ice hockey player.Schulte was drafted 124th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques and played one game for the team during the 1993–94 NHL season, spending much of his tenure in the American Hockey League with the Cornwall Aces...

Notable Former Players

14 Canada Theoren Fleury
Theoren Fleury
Theoren Wallace "Theo" Fleury is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League , Tappara of Finland's SM-liiga, and the Belfast Giants of the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League...

, Former Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

-winning NHL player

Captains

2000-02 Jeff Hoad
2002-03 Paul Kruse
Paul Kruse
Paul Johannes Kruse is a former National Hockey League left wing.He is married to Laurie-Anne. He is the father of Mckinley and Sierra...
2003-04 Jason Ruff
Jason Ruff
Jason C. Ruff is a professional ice hockey player.Ruff was the third choice, 96th overall selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft...
2004-05 Shane Johnson
Shane Johnson (ice hockey)
Shane Johnson is a retired Canadian-born British ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:Johnson spent four seasons at Boston University before spending a year with the Canadian National Ice Hockey Team. In 1998, Johnson moved to the United Kingdom's British Ice Hockey Superleague with the London...
2005-09 George Awada
George Awada
George Awada is an American former professional ice hockey player.Awada's career began at junior level in the USHL, icing for the St. Paul Vulcans. Awada started well and in his first season as a Vulcan managed 38 points in 47 games...
2009-2011 Colin Shields
Colin Shields
Colin Shields is a Scottish ice hockey player currently playing for Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz of the Ligue Magnus in France.-Early career:...
2011-2012 Jeremy Rebek
Jeremy Rebek
Jeremy Rebek is a Canadian-born Austrian ice hockey defenceman. He is currently playing for the Belfast Giants in the Elite Ice Hockey League ....

Head Coaches

2000-03 Dave Whistle
2003-04 Rob Stewart
2004-05 Tony Hand
Tony Hand
Tony Hand MBE is a Scottish ice hockey player who became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986. He is currently player-coach of the Manchester Phoenix...
2005-08 Ed Courtenay
Ed Courtenay
Edward Emmett Courtenay is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger and head coach.-Professional career:...
2008-10 Steve Thornton
Steve Thornton
Steve Thornton is a Canadian ice hockey player.- Career :Apart from playing junior hockey with the Gloucester Rangers, college hockey with Boston University and one season in the International Hockey League with the Peoria Rivermen, Thornton's career has been played in Europe...
2010-Pres Doug Christiansen

Franchise Scoring Leaders

These are the Top 10 Points Scoring Leaders for the Belfast Giants:

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
{| cellpadding=3 border=1 cellspacing=0 class="wikitable"
! Player !! POS !! GP !! G !! A !! Pts
|- align="center"
| align="left" | George Awada

George Awada

George Awada is an American former professional ice hockey player.Awada's career began at junior level in the USHL, icing for the St. Paul Vulcans. Awada started well and in his first season as a Vulcan managed 38 points in 47 games...

|| RW || 298 || 136 || 157 || 293
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Jason Ruff

Jason Ruff

Jason C. Ruff is a professional ice hockey player.Ruff was the third choice, 96th overall selection of the St. Louis Blues in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft...

|| LW || 194 || 100 || 145 || 245
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Todd Kelman

Todd Kelman

Todd Kelman is a retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman who is currently the General Manager of the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League, having been an original member of the first Giants squad that played in the old Ice Hockey Superleague in the 2000–01 season...

|| D || 419 || 73 || 141 || 214
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Shane Johnson

Shane Johnson (ice hockey)

Shane Johnson is a retired Canadian-born British ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:Johnson spent four seasons at Boston University before spending a year with the Canadian National Ice Hockey Team. In 1998, Johnson moved to the United Kingdom's British Ice Hockey Superleague with the London...

|| D || 437 || 52 || 136 || 188
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Ed Courtenay

Ed Courtenay

Edward Emmett Courtenay is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger and head coach.-Professional career:...

|| RW || 125 || 58 || 129 || 187
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Curt Bowen || LW || 219 || 84 || 103 || 187
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Paxton Schulte

Paxton Schulte

|| RW || 233 || 81 || 101 || 182
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Colin Ward

Colin Ward (ice hockey)

Colin Ward is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.After spells in the IHL, ECHL and Italy, Ward moved to the United Kingdom in 1997, signing for the Bracknell Bees and guided the team to the British Ice Hockey Superleague title in 2000...

|| LW || 233 || 84 || 93 || 177
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Curtis Huppe

Curtis Huppe

Curtis Huppe is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the Guildford Flames in the English Premier Ice Hockey League.- Career :...

|| RW || 144 || 82 || 91 || 173
|- align="center"
| align="left" | Kevin Riehl

Kevin Riehl

Kevin Riehl is a retired Canadian ice hockey centre.Riehl was drafted 231st overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, but never managed to play in the NHL. Since 1995, Riehl played in Europe, beginning two years in Germany for Iserlohner EC where he scored 168 points in 93...

|| C || 177 || 61 || 112 || 173
|-
|}

Last Updated: 13 May 2009

Honours

2000-01

ISL Second Team All-Star: Kory Karlander

2001-02

Superleague Champions
ISL First Team All-Star: Mike Bales, Rob Stewart, Kevin Riehl, Sean Berens, Jason Ruff

2002-03

Superleague Playoff Champions
British Championship
The British Championship is the most prestigious ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition. It has been run under various formats and titles since 1930 and contested annually since 1966...
ISL First Team All-Star: Robby Sandrock, Paxton Schulte
ISL Second Team All-Star: Ryan Bach, Kevin Riehl

2003-04

EIHL First Team All-Star: Jason Ruff

2004-05

British Cross-League: 1st Place
EIHL First Team All-Star: Tony Hand
EIHL Second Team All-Star: Martin Klempa and George Awada

2005-06

Elite League Champions
EIHL First Team All-Star: Theo Fleury and Ed Courtenay
EIHL Second Team All-Star: Mike Minard, Todd Kelman and George Awada
Vic Batchelder Memorial Trophy: Nathan Craze
Vic Batchelder Memorial Award
The Vic Batchelder Memorial Award award is an annual British ice hockey award made to the young British player of the year as voted for by members of Ice Hockey Journalists UK. The award was first made in 2004....

2008-09

EIHL Challenge Cup Champions
EIHL Knock Out Cup Champions

2010

EIHL Play Off Champions

External links

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