Nottingham Panthers



The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The team is officially known as the GMB Nottingham Panthers due to a sponsorship agreement with the GMB union.

The Panthers have won three league championships (two English National League titles and one British National League title), two Championships, six Autumn Cups and two Challenge Cups during their history. They are the only team to have played in every season where a British league championship has been contested and are the only founding member of the Premier Division in 1983 who continue to participate in the top flight league. The Panthers have 16 members enshrined in the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and have had 34 players represent Great Britain at the World Championships and in Olympic qualifying.

The club was founded in 1946 after earlier attempts to establish a team were postponed due to World War II. During their first eight seasons the Panthers played in the English National League. They joined the newly-formed British National League in 1954, which they competed in until its disbandment in 1960. With no league to play in the club also ceased operations. In 1980, players and officials from the Sheffield Lancers relocated to Nottingham and reformed the Panthers. Both the original and modern Nottingham Panthers played their home games at the Ice Stadium until 2000 when the team moved into the National Ice Centre.

The Panthers have one of the largest fanbases in British ice hockey. Their supporters have shared a number of rivalries with other teams during their history. Currently the Panthers have a fierce rivalry with the Sheffield Steelers. The two sides have played over 150 games, including ten major finals, since 1992.

Honours and awards
League Championships
 * 1950–51, 1953–54, 1955–56

Playoff Championships
 * 1988–89, 2006–07

Autumn Cups
 * 1955–56, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1998–99

Challenge Cups
 * 2003–04, 2007–08

Player of the Year Trophy
 * Dan Dorion : 1991–92

Coach of the Year Trophy
 * Alex Dampier : 1986–87, 1988–89
 * Mike Blaisdell : 1994–95

Alan Weeks Trophy (Best British Defenceman)
 * Graham Waghorn : 1994–95
 * Stephen Cooper : 1999–00

First Team All Star
 * 1948–49 : Chick Zamick
 * 1950–51 : Les Strongman
 * 1950–51 : Chick Zamick
 * 1951–52 : Les Strongman
 * 1951–52 : Chick Zamick
 * 1952–53 : Lorne Smith
 * 1952–53 : Chick Zamick
 * 1953–54 : Gerry Watson
 * 1954–55 : Les Strongman
 * 1954–55 : Chick Zamick
 * 1955–56 : Chick Zamick
 * 1955–56 : Gerry Watson
 * 1957–58 : Chick Zamick
 * 1958–59 : Verne Pachal
 * 1958–59 : Jack Siemon
 * 1959–60 : Jack Siemon
 * 1988–89 : Dave Graham
 * 1988–89 : Darren Durdle
 * 1991–92 : Dan Dorion
 * 1994–95 : Rick Brebant
 * 1994–95 : Garth Premak
 * 1994–95 : Chuck Taylor
 * 1995–96 : Darren Durdle
 * 1995–96 : Garth Premak
 * 1996–97 : Paul Adey
 * 1996–97 : Garth Premak
 * 1998–99 : Paul Adey
 * 1998–99 : Greg Hadden
 * 2000–01 : PC Drouin
 * 2000–01 : Jim Paek
 * 2002–03 : Lee Jinman
 * 2003–04 : John Craighead
 * 2006–07 : Jan Krajicek
 * 2007–08 : Sean McAslan

Second Team All Star
 * 1949–50 : Wally Black
 * 1949–50 : Chick Zamick
 * 1951–52 : Bill Ringer
 * 1953–54 : Jack Siemon
 * 1953–54 : Les Strongman
 * 1953–54 : Chick Zamick
 * 1954–55 : Jack Siemon
 * 1954–55 : Gerry Watson
 * 1955–56 : Jack Siemon
 * 1956–57 : Tom Lemon
 * 1956–57 : Gerry Watson
 * 1957–58 : Lorne Smith
 * 1958–59 : Lorne Smith
 * 1958–59 : Les Strongman
 * 1959–60 : Art Hodgins
 * 1959–60 : Lorne Smith
 * 1982–83 : Terry Gudziunas
 * 1998–99 : Trevor Robins
 * 2001–02 : PC Drouin
 * 2002–03 : Greg Hadden
 * 2002–03 : Jim Paek
 * 2003–04 : Mark Cadotte
 * 2004–05 : Calle Carlsson
 * 2006–07 : Rastislav Rovnianek
 * 2006–07 : Sean McAslan
 * 2007–08 : Tom Askey
 * 2007–08 : Corey Neilson
 * 2008–09 : Corey Neilson

Records and statistics
Randall Weber holds the record for Nottingham Panthers appearances, having played for the club 845 times between 1985 and 2002. Centre Chick Zamick comes second, having appeared 624 times between 1947 and 1958.

Canadian forward Paul Adey is the club's all time leader in goals, assists and points. He scored 828 goals and 781 assists for a total of 1609 points in 609 appearance between 1988 and 1999. Zamick is in second place having scored 774 goals and 638 assists for 1412 points. He is the only other player to have amassed more than 1000 points for the Panthers. Adey also holds the record for the most goals scored by a Panthers player in a single season with 120 during the 1994–95 season. During the same season Rick Brebant set club records for the most assists and most points in a single season with 156 and 241 respectively.

British forward Simon Hunt holds the club record for the most penalty minutes, serving 1226 minutes in 524 appearances between 1988 and 1999. During 2000–01 Barry Nieckar earned 352 penalty minutes, the highest number for a player in a single season.

The club's record win came on 31 October 1981 when the Panthers defeated the Southampton Vikings 31–2 at the Ice Stadium. A few weeks earlier, on 4 October, the Panthers had recorded their record away victory with a 23–1 win over the same opposition. The team's heaviest defeat came on 20 March 1988 with a 23–1 away defeat at the Whitley Warriors. Nottingham's largest home defeat was a 14–2 loss to the Dundee Rockets on 25 February 1984.

The Nottingham Panthers have held continuous membership of British ice hockey's highest division since the foundation of the Premier League in 1983 and are the only team to have this distinction. The club are the oldest member of the Elite League having been founded forty years before and having played twenty seasons more than the Cardiff Devils, the next oldest team.

Current roster
As of 22 July 2009, 2009–10 EIHL season

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