Red Bull Salzburg EC
Encyclopedia
EC Red Bull Salzburg are a member of the Erste Bank Hockey League. They play their games in Salzburg
, Austria
, at the Eisarena Salzburg
. They are the current 2011 champions of the Austrian Hockey League.
The finals games in Villach, where VSV were backed by an incredibly enthusiastic crowd, their seventh man, were particularly tough. The secret of their success was consistency, the team having been perfectly prepped by head coach Hardy Nilsson. The 59-year-old Swede subsequently retired from active coaching, celebrating the Red Bulls' title and his tenth championship as a coach.
team, the Los Angeles Kings
, losing in an entertaining 7-6 contest. In his first few months, the 59-year-old Canadian helped set up the International Ice Hockey Development Model (IIDM), laying the foundations for the development of up-and-coming junior players, and also took the unprecedented step of heavily integrating young players into the 1st division squad.
After a regular season full of ups and downs the Red Bulls began the newly introduced intermediate round in third place, then going on to drop another place. But there was no stopping Salzburg in the play-offs: after an exhausting best-of-five series in the quarter final against Villach, they left the Vienna Capitals standing in the semi-final, where they racked up four wins (best of seven). The final against Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana became a real thriller, which ended with the Red Bulls 4:2 ahead on wins after proving better able to hold their nerve. Salzburg therefore managed to bag the title for the second year running, the farm team's second place in the Österreichische Nationalliga also underlining a strong performance.
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, at the Eisarena Salzburg
Eisarena Salzburg
Eisarena Salzburg is an indoor sports arena, located in Salzburg, Austria. The arena was built in 1960 and has a capacity of 3,200 people.It is currently the home arena for the EC Red Bull Salzburg ice hockey team of the Austrian Hockey League, EC Red Bull Salzburg II of the Nationalliga, EC Oilers...
. They are the current 2011 champions of the Austrian Hockey League.
History
The history of ice hockey in Salzburg at the highest level dates back to 1977/1978, when the then HCS took a sensational third place in the first division. Almost 30 years ago, players such as Rick Cunningham and Roger Lamoureux (both Canadians) helped to increase the popularity of Salzburg ice hockey massively, and December 1977 saw the ice rink sold out for the first time. Ten years later in 1988, the Salzburg ice hockey club, now known as SEC, were once again on course for the title. With strong players such as the Russians Viktor Schalimow and Sergej Kapustin or fine-sounding names such as Greg Holst from Canada or Vienna's Peter Znenahlik, an exciting winter in the "Volksgarten" could be expected. After a strong season which included spell at the top in the preliminary round standings, Salzburg failed to take its first Bundesliga championship, and its ailing economic situation eventually saw the relegation of SEC from the first division.2000–2004
The more recent history of the Salzburg ice hockey club began in 2000 with the return of Red Bull as sponsor as well as eponym. Strengthened by players such as Canadian Sheldon Moser and Brian McCarthy of the USA, the Red Bulls became champions of the Oberliga as quickly as the 2000/2001 season (the Oberliga was then the equivalent of the second division), but weren't quite yet ready for the highest level. Until three years later, that is. The Red Bulls fought their way back to the championship in the Nationalliga, ending the Salzburg ice hockey club's 16 years of absence from the Bundesliga.2004–2006
After increasing the squad intensively - in Austria's ice hockey history, the Salzburg ice hockey club first competed in the Nationalliga with a farm team - the Red Bulls had to learn the hard way in the first Bundesliga season of "recent times", although they did show their potential. Following seventh and last place in the preliminary rounds of the season which saw them promoted, team formation enjoyed an ever more professional environment, and in the second year following promotion, the Red Bulls found themselves in the final of the Erste Bank ice hockey league. In the end, however, they lost to VSV, taking the runner-up spot in the sixth game of the best-of-seven series.2006–2007
Salzburg were finally rewarded in their third 1st division season. After a fabulous regular season contested by eight teams, where the Red Bulls conceded just one out of 28 home games, Salzburg went on to put in a sterling performance in the play-offs as well. Following three successive victories over the Vienna Capitals in the semi-final (best of five), the Red Bulls conceded just one game in the final against VSV in Villach, sealing Salzburg's first ever Austrian ice hockey championship with a score of 4:1 on wins (best of seven).The finals games in Villach, where VSV were backed by an incredibly enthusiastic crowd, their seventh man, were particularly tough. The secret of their success was consistency, the team having been perfectly prepped by head coach Hardy Nilsson. The 59-year-old Swede subsequently retired from active coaching, celebrating the Red Bulls' title and his tenth championship as a coach.
2007–2008
For their fourth 1st division season, the Red Bulls were joined in Salzburg by new head coach and sporting director Pierre Pagé as well as a number of new international coaches. On September 25, 2007, in preparation for the new season, Red Bull played an exhibition match against National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
team, the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, losing in an entertaining 7-6 contest. In his first few months, the 59-year-old Canadian helped set up the International Ice Hockey Development Model (IIDM), laying the foundations for the development of up-and-coming junior players, and also took the unprecedented step of heavily integrating young players into the 1st division squad.
After a regular season full of ups and downs the Red Bulls began the newly introduced intermediate round in third place, then going on to drop another place. But there was no stopping Salzburg in the play-offs: after an exhausting best-of-five series in the quarter final against Villach, they left the Vienna Capitals standing in the semi-final, where they racked up four wins (best of seven). The final against Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana became a real thriller, which ended with the Red Bulls 4:2 ahead on wins after proving better able to hold their nerve. Salzburg therefore managed to bag the title for the second year running, the farm team's second place in the Österreichische Nationalliga also underlining a strong performance.
2008–2009
The 2008–09 season saw the Red Bulls narrowly miss out on retaining their title. After an incredibly exciting finals series spanning seven games, they suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat in the final game in Klagenfurt, losing their crown to KAC. The Red Bulls nevertheless end the season with their heads held high, having played some fast-paced and powerful ice hockey with by far the youngest team in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga and impressed an ever increasing number of Salzburg fans, who made sure the play-off games were always a sell-out. In the second year of his tenure as head coach and sporting director, Pierre Pagé made an even bigger impression than last year: his skill for bringing a number of young, talented players from Austria and abroad together with some of Austria's strongest players - captain Thomas Koch was awarded MVP honours this season - produced a force to be reckoned with as the season progressed, the team having started the championship with an average age of just 23.8. In the context of the Red Bull Hockey Model several talented farm team players were also given their chance in the 1st division, some of them even holding their own in the finals series. The Red Bulls fielded a total of 43 players in the 1st division. The farm team, which largely comprised U-20 players this year, was knocked out in the quarter-final of the Österreichische Nationalliga by EK Zell am See.2009–2010
The 2009–10 season puts all others in the shade. In his third year with the Red Bulls, head coach and sporting director Pierre Pagé single-mindedly pursued his objectives and now the Salzburg ice hockey club has picked up no fewer than three championship titles! In September 2009 the Red Bulls won their own invitation tournament, the Red Bulls Salute, for the first time in its five-year history, beating top-flight European clubs such as CSKA Moscow in the process. In November 2009 and January 2010, Salzburg took part in their third Continental Cup, Europe's most prestigious IIHF club tournament of the season, also lifting the cup after two successful rounds in Latvia and France. The Red Bulls made it an incredible hat trick by winning the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, celebrating their most successful season so far in their ten year existence as a club. Thomas Koch, who takes the 2009 MVP award, lifted the cup for the first time as captain. Sterling work with the juniors as part of the Red Bull Hockey Model was rewarded with, among other things, the U-20 and U-17 championships. The Red Bulls' farm team was knocked out in the semi-finals of the Österreichische Nationalliga (2nd division) by Dornbirn, who went on to take championship honours, but continued to provide several young talented players with the ideal platform from which to develop. Record breakers: On January 12, 2010, the Red Bulls took on Jesenice in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, fielding a line-up whose average age was just 21.1 years. Overall, 47 Salzburg players made at least one appearance in Austria's premier division.Achievements
- Red Bull Salute:
- Winners (1) : 2010
- Erste Bank Eishockey Liga:
- Winners (4) : 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
- Finalist (2): 2006, 2009
- Continental Cup:
- Winners (1) : 2010IIHF Continental Cup 2010The Continental Cup 2009–2010 was the 13th edition of the IIHF Continental Cup. The season started on September 25, 2009, and finished on January 15, 2010.The tournament was won by Red Bull Salzburg, who led the final group....
- Winners (1) : 2010
Current roster
| Name | Position | Place of Birth | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Pierre Pagé Pierre Pagé Pierre Pagé, also spelled Pierre Page is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and executive. He currently coaches EC Red Bull Salzburg. He is also a former head coach in the National Hockey League .-Coaching career:... |
Head Coach | Quebec, Canada Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
 |
Reijo Ruotsalainen Reijo Ruotsalainen Reijo Ruotsalainen is a Finnish retired ice hockey defenceman. He was twice named Finland's top defenceman, and won two Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, in 1987 and 1990.-Kärpät :... |
Assistant Coach | Oulu, Finland Oulu Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world.... |
| |
Patrick Dallaire | Goalie Coach | Quebec, Canada Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
 |
Gene Reilly | Assistant Coach | Springfield, MA Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern... , USA |
 |
Andreas Deinhammer | Assistant Coach |
Former players
- Greger ArturssonGreger ArturssonGreger Artursson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey Defenseman who played predominately in the Elitserien with Färjestads BK....
- Josh GreenJosh GreenJoshua Green is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Barons, of the American Hockey League .-Playing career:...
- Martin UlrichMartin UlrichMartin Ulrich is a retired Austrian ice hockey defenceman. He was the captain of the Austrian national ice hockey team....
- Darryl BootlandDarryl BootlandDarryl Bootland is a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing currently with the Odessa Jackalopes of the Central Hockey League.-Playing career:...
- Colton Yellow HornColton Yellow HornColton Yellow Horn is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Allen Americans of the CHL.-Playing career:...
- Jay PandolfoJay PandolfoJay Paul Pandolfo is an American professional ice hockey forward currently a member of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.He spent most of his career with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League...
- Marty ReasonerMarty ReasonerMartin Reasoner, is an American professional ice hockey center for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He has also played for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers...
- Ric Jackman
- Frank BanhamFrank BanhamFrank Banham is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for KHL Medveščak Zagreb.-Playing career:Initially drafted 147th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Banham played 27 regular season games in the NHL for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim scoring 9...