The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the

Centrum Arena Centrum Arena may refer to several sports venues: * Centrum Arena (Utah), the home of the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds *Centrum Arena (Prestwick) The Centrum Arena was a 2,733 seat ice arena in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland that ...

. The team competed in the

Ice Hockey Superleague The British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL, also known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague from 1998 to 1999 for sponsorship reasons) was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Devised in 1995, it replaced ...

and the club's main (title) sponsor was Barr Construction. The club folded during the 2002–03 season after a move to

Braehead Arena The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex. The arena was formerly the home of the Scottish Eagles ice hockey club and is now the home to the e ...

History

The Ayr Scottish Eagles were founded in 1996 and played in the

. The team quickly rose to become one of the top teams in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

, due in part to achieving the grand slam in their second season (1997–98) winning all four major UK ice hockey trophies, these were the British Championship, Superleague, the Autumn Cup and Express Cup, the first team ever to do so during the existence of the Ice Hockey Superleague. Also in 1998 they achieved great success (for a British team), when they twice defeated

Ak Bars Kazan Hockey Club Ak Bars (russian: Ак Барс, tt-Cyrl, Ак Барс, en, Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey ...

in the

European Hockey League The European Hockey League was a European ice hockey club competition which ran between the years 1996 and 2000. History It was established in 1996 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and commercial partner CWL Telesport and first con ...

2002–03

In August 2002, it was announced by owner Bill Barr that the team were to permanently relocate to the

in Renfrewshire, outside

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. Bob Zeller,

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cham ...

' founder was announced as managing director and the team changed their name to ''Scottish Eagles'', dropping ''Ayr'' from their name. Bob Zeller remained a shareholder in the Belfast Giants. The reason given for the relocation was due to the Braehead Arena having a larger seating capacity and a larger catchment area, expected to increase the fanbase of the club. The club (with the new name) folded on 14 November 2002, after just six home games, in what was to become the final season of the Ice Hockey Superleague. They were the second team in the league to fold that season; the first being Manchester Storm.

Post demise

Friends of Eagles Hockey, organised an

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

match at the Centrum Arena on 4 February 2003 as a fund raising event to raise funds for players and officials who had been left in financial difficulty due to the bankruptcy of Ice hockey Services Ltd, the Eagles operating company. The Eagles side was an all-star team that played against a UK select all-star team. The match

officials An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...

were

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

Moray Hanson and

linesmen In association football, an assistant referee (previously known as a linesman or lineswoman) is an official empowered with assisting the referee in enforcing the Laws of the Game during a match. Although assistants are not required under the L ...

Alan Craig and Rab Cowan. Friends of Eagles Hockey, campaigned for the return of ice hockey to the Centrum Arena after the Eagles's demise. Ice rink operators

Planet Ice A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a youn ...

showed an interest in running the Centrum as an ice arena; however the arena was demolished in 2009 and the site is now home to a new supermarket.

Braehead Clan

The Braehead Clan ice hockey club are now based at the Braehead Arena and play in the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

. In their first season, there was an effort to recruit former Ayr Scottish Eagles fans to the Clan support. Ayr Scottish Eagles fans who held a season ticket at Braehead in the 2002–03 season that was cut short due to the team folding were offered a season ticket in Braehead's first season. Although the Scottish Eagles and Braehead Clan were both based at the Braehead Arena, this is where the commonalities between the two ice hockey clubs end. The Scottish Eagles were operated by Ice Hockey Services Ltd which underwent a Voluntary Members Liquidation and was wound up on 23 June 2005. Braehead Clan is operated by Clan Entertainment Ltd that was Incorporated on 3 February 2010.

Home arenas

The original home of the Eagles was the

. It was officially opened on 25 August 1996 and was run by Barr Leisure Limited, a subsidiary of Barr Holdings Ltd. The Eagles played their first home game there on 1 September 1996. After an announcement by Bill Barr, the Eagles moved to the

for the 2002–03 season, where they played just six home games before

folding Fold, folding or foldable may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Fold'' (album), the debut release by Australian rock band Epicure *Fold (poker), in the game of poker, to discard one's hand and forfeit interest in the current pot *Above ...

. The Centrum was still used as a training venue throughout this period.

Rosters

Club record

Season-by-season record

Player records

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers, scoring leaders and assists in franchise history. ''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game''

Team captains

* Angelo Catenaro, 1996–99 * Shawn Byram, 1999–2001 * Alan Schuler, 2001–02 * Sean Selmser, 2002–03

NHL alumni

Many of Ayr's players were NHL draft picks and played in the NHL before signing for the Ayr Eagles.

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

* Joaquin Gage (94–96 & 00–01) * Ian Herbers (93–94) * Jason Bowen (92–97)

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...

* Philippe DeRouville (95–97) * Rob Dopson (93–94)

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

* Geoff Sarjeant (94–95) * Vincent Riendeau (88–92)

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

* Geoff Sarjeant (95–96) * Ed Courtenay (91–93) * Dody Wood (92–93, 94–98)

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce Bo ...

* Frank Caprice (82-88)

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

* Vincent Riendeau (87-88) Detroit Red Wings * Vincent Riendeau (92–94)

Boston Bruins * Vincent Riendeau (94–95) * Shayne Stevenson (90–92)

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

* Ian Herbers (99–00) * Shayne Stevenson (92–93) New York Islanders * Ian Herbers (99–00) * Shawn Byram (90–91)

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...

* Jason Bowen (92–97) * Phil Crowe (95–96) Chicago Blackhawks * Shawn Byram (91–92)

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

* Phil Crowe (93–94)

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...

* Phil Crowe (96–99)

International capped players

Several players were also selected to play for their national team in the

Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual ...

Canada * Mark Cavallin (95–96) * Joaquin Gage (99–00) * Rob Dopson (98–99) * Evan Marble (97–98) * Dan Rutushny (88–92) * Vince Boe (92–93) * Trevor Burgess (94–95) * Xavier Majic (96–97 & 99–00) * Sean Selmer (96–98) * Rhett Gordon (99–00) * Cam Bristow (98–99) * Yves Heroux (89–90) * Jamie Steer (95–96) * Eric Murano (89–90) * David St Pierre (94–95) * Corey Lyons (92–93) * Darren Colbourne (89–90)

Belarus * Yuri Krivokhiza (98–00) Czechoslovakia * Frantisek Prochazka (85–92 & 93–94 Czech Rep.) * Jiri Lala (80-88)

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...

* Sean Selmer (05–06) Italy *

John Parco John Parco (born August 25, 1971) is an Italian-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played most of his professional career with Asiago HC in the Serie A. He is formerly the head coach of the Soo Thunderbirds in the Northern Ontario ...

(02–10) * Mark Cupolo (92–93)

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

* Markus Berwanger (84-89 & 90–91 Germany)

Honours and awards

British Championship
1997–98 Winners Superleague Winners
1997–98 Winners
2001–02 Runners-up

Benson and Hedges Cup The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals. It was the third major one-day competition established in Englan ...

1996–97 Runners-up
1997–98 Winners
1998–99 Runners-up Express Cup
1997–98 Winners
2000–01 Runners-up
2001–02 Winners Coach of the Year Trophy * Jim Lynch - 1996–97 * Jim Lynch - 1997–98 Player of the Year Trophy * Rob Dopson - 1997–98 Sekonda Face to Watch * Tony Hand - December 1999–2000 * Tony Hand - November 2000–01

Ice Hockey Annual Trophy * Tony Hand - 1999–2000 * Tony Hand - 2000–01 * Jonathan Weaver - 2001–02 All Star First Team * Rob Dopson - 1997–98 * Scott Young - 1997–98 * Mark Montanari - 1997–98 * Geoff Sarjeant - 1999–2000 * Tony Hand - 2000–01 * Johan Silfwerplatz - 2001–02 All Star Second Team * Sam Groleau - 1997–98 * Joaquin Gage - 2001–02 * Alan Schuler - 2001–02 * Ed Courtenay - 2001–02 British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame *

Jim Lynch James Robert Lynch (August 28, 1945 – July 21, 2022) was an American football linebacker. Lynch played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he was named an All-American and won the Maxwell Award in 1966. Lynch is a memb ...

- inducted in 2001 Player of the Year Award * Vince Boe - 1999–2000

Jerseys

Image:BISL-Uniform-ASE96-97.png, The inaugural uniform (1996–97 season) Image:BISL-Uniform-ASE97-98.png, The uniform of the "grand slam" winning team (1997–98 season) Image:BISL-Uniform-ASE00-01.png, The uniform of the Express Cup runners-up (2000–01 season) Image:BISL-Uniform-ASE01-02.png, The uniform of the Express Cup winning team and Superleague Runners-up (2001–02 season) Image:BISL-Uniform-ASEExhibition-NoLogo.png, The last uniform to be worn by an Eagles side, in the exhibition match held at the Centrum in 2003 (there was no away jersey of this design)

Notes

{{British ice hockey Ice hockey teams in Scotland Sport in Ayr Ice hockey clubs established in 1996 Sports clubs disestablished in 2002