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The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of 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 Hocke ...
. Their main team sponsor is the
Nottingham Building Society The Nottingham Building Society is a building society founded in 1849 by a group led by Samuel Fox (1781–1868), a Quaker and prominent local grocer. The purpose of the society was to promote the construction of a better class of dwellings, ...
. The Nottingham Panthers have won four league titles (two
English National League The English National League was an early ice hockey league in England. It was founded in 1935 by most of the teams who had previously competed in the English League. It was suspended during the Second World War, but returned in 1946. In 1954 ...
titles, one British National League title and one Elite Ice Hockey League title), five
Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
, six
Autumn Cup The Autumn Cup was an ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom between 1946 and 2000. The competition was originally divided into English and Scottish competitions, known as the English Autumn Cup and the Scottish Autumn Cup between 1946 and 195 ...
s and eight Challenge Cups during their history. The Panthers are the only British team to win European club honours with one Continental Cup. 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 to have continually participated 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 A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
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 Nottingham Panthers have one of the largest fanbases in British ice hockey, averaging over 5,000 spectators per game during the 2014–15 season. Their supporters have shared a number of rivalries with other teams during their history. Most recently, the Panthers have had a fierce rivalry with the
Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League ...
. The two sides have played over 200 games, including eleven major finals, since 1992.


History


1946–60: Original era

An initial attempt to bring a professional ice hockey team to Nottingham was made in 1939 following the completion of the Ice Stadium in
Nottingham City Centre Nottingham city centre is the cultural, commercial, financial and historical heart of Nottingham, England. Nottingham's city centre represents the central area of the Greater Nottingham conurbation. The centre of the city is usually defi ...
. A team was assembled and brought to the United Kingdom from Canada to compete in the 1939–40
English National League The English National League was an early ice hockey league in England. It was founded in 1935 by most of the teams who had previously competed in the English League. It was suspended during the Second World War, but returned in 1946. In 1954 ...
season but were promptly sent home having not played a single game due to the outbreak of World War II. Seven years later, after the war had ended, a second effort to bring ice hockey to the city was begun. With a team of Canadians largely from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Nottingham Panthers played their first competitive game on 22 November 1946 with a 3–2 home victory over the Wembley Monarchs. The Panthers struggled during their early years and only once during their first four seasons did they finish in the upper half of the league table. The club's first coach,
Alex Archer Alexander Albert Archer (1 May 1908 – 15 June 1979) was an ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions. He is best remembered as a member of the Great Britain national ice h ...
, left Nottingham after two seasons and was replaced by Archie Stinchcombe who would coach the team until 1955. Despite a lack of success in their formative years the team had a number of players who would become local heroes including forwards
Les Strongman Les Strongman (23 August 1924 – 8 August 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Winnipeg. Strongman played professional hockey in Europe between 1946 and 1968 with Malmo FF (Sweden), Zurich SC (Switzerland) and British Natio ...
and
Chick Zamick Victor Zamick (16 August 1926 – 8 October 2007), better known as Chick Zamick, was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach best known for his success as a player at the Nottingham Panthers. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fam ...
. Zamick became one of the most prolific scorers in the league and won the ''Nottingham Sportsman of the Year'' award on two occasions, defeating sportsmen such as the
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
and
England international The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affilia ...
footballer Tommy Lawton. The club's first major title came in the 1950–51 season. After finishing fourth in the Autumn Cup the Panthers won 18 of their 30 league games and clinched the league championship. The team also ended the campaign having scored the most goals and conceded the least. The following season Nottingham lost Chick Zamick to injury and fell to the bottom of the rankings. Success returned in 1953–54 when, after a last place finish in the Autumn Cup, the Panthers secured their second English League title by one point over Streatham. In the close season of 1954 the English League and the
Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...
were merged to form a
British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed th ...
. The Panthers finished second to the
Harringay Racers Harringay Racers refers to multiple British ice hockey teams based in Harringay, London, United Kingdom. Harringay Racers The first team to use the Harringay Racers moniker was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Greyhou ...
in the eleven team competition. After one season all the Scottish teams, with the exception of the
Paisley Pirates The Paisley Pirates were founded in 1946 and are one of the oldest ice hockey clubs in Scotland and the UK (the oldest being the Fife Flyers). The Pirates were the epitome of the game in Scotland during the 1950s. In season 1953–54 they won t ...
, withdrew from the British League and left it with only five members. The close season of 1955 also saw the departure of Stinchcombe who was replaced as coach by Zamick. The 1955–56 season proved to be one of the club's most successful. Nottingham won the Autumn Cup at the beginning of the season before clinching their third league title on
goal average A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or a ...
ahead of the
Wembley Lions The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team. History The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire ...
. They also travelled to Sweden where they won the Ahearne Cup. The 1955–56 title win proved to be the original Panthers' last. Over the next four years Nottingham alternated between bottom and second place in the league standings. After finishing runner-up in 1959–60, the Panthers took part in the first British Championship final in thirty years where they faced the
Brighton Tigers The Brighton Tigers were an English ice hockey club based in Brighton. The team existed from 1935 until 1965 and were one of the United Kingdom's most successful sides during that period. The club was based at the Brighton Sports Stadium (often ...
. Nottingham were defeated 3–2 in the first leg but won the second in regulation time by the same scoreline forcing overtime. The Tigers clinched the tie 6–5 after six minutes and 32 seconds of the extra session. During the close season of 1960 the British National League collapsed and the Nottingham Panthers were disbanded. Ice hockey would not return to Nottingham for the next two decades.


1980–present: Modern era


Ice Stadium years

The Nottingham Panthers were revived largely thanks to the efforts of Gary Keward. In 1980 the Ice Stadium directors, led by Charles Walker, agreed to a request by Keward to give ice hockey another chance. The Sheffield Lancers, a team Keward helped to run, were relocated to Nottingham taking the name of the team that had occupied the same building 20 years earlier. On 20 September 1980 the modern Panthers took to the ice for the first time defeating the Solihull Barons 7–4 at the Ice Stadium. During their first three seasons the Panthers played in regional leagues, first in the English League South and then in Section B of the British Hockey League. In 1983 the British Hockey League reconstituted itself into the first truly national ice hockey league for 23 years and Nottingham became one of nine founder members of the league's Premier Division. The Panthers were one of the best supported teams in the league with games regularly selling out but success on the ice eluded them as the team struggled against more established opponents such as the
Durham Wasps The Durham Wasps were an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996. The Newcas ...
and the
Murrayfield Racers The Murrayfield Racers were an ice hockey team based in Edinburgh, Scotland who were founded in 1952 as the Murrayfield Royals before changing their name to the Murrayfield Racers in 1966. The team won the British Championship four times in ...
. It was not until the appointment of Alex Dampier as coach in 1985 that the team's fortunes began to change. In his first season Dampier led Nottingham to the playoffs for the first time since reforming. The Panthers lost all four of their quarter final group games and failed to advance to the finals at
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
. In 1986 Nottingham secured their first trophy since reforming and their first overall in thirty years when they defeated the Fife Flyers 5–4 in overtime to win the Norwich Union Trophy at the NEC in Birmingham in front of a crowd of . Layton Eratt scored the winning goal after one minute and 53 seconds of the extra session in a game that had seen both the Panthers and the Flyers lead twice. In the league Nottingham again succeeded in qualifying for the playoffs but again failed to register a point. The team repeated this in the
Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
the following season bringing the number of consecutive playoff defeats to twelve. In 1988–89 the Panthers enjoyed one of their most successful seasons. They finished third in the league and were not only able to register their first win in the playoffs but also advance to the finals at Wembley for the first time. Nottingham met
Whitley Warriors Whitley Warriors are an ice hockey team based in Whitley Bay in the north east of England. Founded in 1957 as the Bees, they changed their name to Whitley Warriors in 1964. Warriors played at the highest level of British ice hockey for much of ...
in the semi final, winning the match 8–6. In the final the following day the Panthers defeated the Ayr Bruins 6–3, clinching their first Championship title. Another Autumn Cup followed in 1991 but Dampier left the club during the 1992–93 season to join the newly formed
Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League ...
. He was replaced by Kevin Murphy who coached the team for the remainder of the campaign. Murphy was in turn replaced by
Mike Blaisdell Michael Walter Blaisdell (born January 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1989 and later in the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 to 2001. He was ...
during the close season of 1993. Blaisdell assembled a strong team for the 1994–95 season and led the Panthers to the
Benson & 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 ...
with a 7–2 victory over the
Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team play at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay. Cardiff are the reigning EIHL play-off champions, winning their third title in a row after beating ...
in the final. Nottingham opened their league campaign with a 21-game unbeaten run but four defeats over the final two weekends of the regular season, including an 8–6 home defeat by nearest rivals and eventual champions Sheffield, denied the club their first league championship in 39 years. During the 1995–96 season the Panthers made it to both the Benson & Hedges Cup and playoff finals, but they were defeated on each occasion by the Steelers. In 1996 the Panthers became a founder member of the new
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 ...
. The new league abolished the wage cap and restrictions on the number of non-British trained players a club was allowed. Many of Nottingham's British players, who had risen through the ranks of the club's youth development system, were dropped in favour of North American imports. Of Nottingham's locally trained contingent only Randall Weber, Ashley Tait and Simon Hunt were retained. The Panthers began the season by qualifying for the Benson & Hedges Cup final for a third straight year following a 6–3 aggregate victory over archrival Sheffield at the semi final stage. In the final they defeated the
Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main (title) spon ...
5–3, taking the lead 29 seconds into the game and never relinquishing it. The Panthers finished fourth in the league and qualified for the last four in the playoffs after finishing top of their group with five wins and one overtime loss from six games. Their semi final against the Ayr Scottish Eagles became the longest game in British ice hockey history. The scores were level at 5–5 after regulation time and each of the following five periods of ten-minute overtime ended goalless. Only in the sixth period of overtime, with the two-hour mark of the match nearing, did Jeff Hoad finally score a shorthanded winner for Nottingham ending the game after 115 minutes and 49 seconds. In the final the Panthers met Sheffield where they were defeated 3–1 after taking an early lead. In 1997 the Panthers
franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
was sold after directors revealed the club was in considerable debt. A buyer was found in London based businessman Neil Black and his sports management company. The 1998–99 season saw the Panthers sign one of their strongest ever line-ups. After finishing third in their Benson & Hedges Cup group, the Panthers eliminated the
Slough Jets Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England playing in the NIHL South Division 1. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough and joined the first division of the ...
and Newcastle Riverkings before defeating the Manchester Storm in the semi final despite being depleted by injuries and facing a full strength Storm side. The final saw the Panthers taking on the
Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main (title) spon ...
in a repeat of the 1996 final. Here Nottingham came from behind to defeat the Eagles 2–1 with Finn Pekka Virta scoring both goals. In the league the Panthers finished in third place, twelve points behind champions Manchester. Nottingham also qualified for the finals of the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves a ...
and the playoffs but the team were defeated by the Sheffield Steelers and Cardiff Devils respectively. During the course of the season
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
and Greg Hadden scored 141
points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Points ...
between them, four players scored more than 20 goals, six players earned more than 30 assists and seven players achieved 30 or more points. The 1999–00 season was the club's final year at the Ice Stadium before moving to the National Ice Centre. The budget for players was limited by the club chairman so that the Panthers would be able to break even the following season. Players were asked to take a wage cut, leading to the departure of Trevor Robins, Mike Bishop, Mark Kolesar, Eric Dubios and record goalscorer
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
. This frustrated Mike Blaisdell who left the club in November to become head coach of the Sheffield Steelers. He was replaced by former coach Alex Dampier. Lacking the spending power of many of their rivals, Nottingham finished sixth in the eight team league. The club fared better in the Challenge Cup where it made the final for the second successive year but the team was defeated 2–1 at
London Arena The London Arena (also known as London Docklands Arena) was an indoor arena and exhibition centre in Millwall, close to Cubitt Town area of Poplar, on the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England which was inaugurated in 1989 and demolished for h ...
by Mike Blaisdell's Steelers. On 22 March 2000 the Panthers hosted Newcastle in their final game at the Ice Stadium.
Jamie Leach William "Jamie" Leach (born August 25, 1969) is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League right wing. He is the son of former NHLer Reggie Leach. He was included on both Stanley Cup winning pictures with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. ...
scored Nottingham's last goal at their home of 54 years but the club was defeated 2–1 in overtime.


Move to the National Ice Centre

The Panthers moved to the new National Ice Centre in September 2000 but endured a terrible first season in their new home. They were knocked out at the semi final stage of the
Benson & 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 ...
by the
Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
and suffered a dire first half to the regular season. By Christmas the team faced the prospect of not qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 1985. Form improved during the second half of the season with the team winning five of their first seven home games during 2001, including a 6–4 victory over the Sheffield Steelers marred by a violent bench clearing brawl. The Panthers still lay in ninth and last place going into their final game of the regular season, three points behind their opponents
Newcastle Jesters The Newcastle Jesters were an ice hockey sports franchising, franchise based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. The team were members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and played their home games at the Telewest Arena (now the Metro Radio Arena). Hi ...
. Nottingham required a regulation time win to claim the eighth and final playoff berth, something they had not done away from their home ice all season. The Jesters needed only to tie. With 10.1 seconds to go, the game was locked at 2–2, but with an
extra attacker An extra attacker in ice hockey and ringette is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. The purpose of this substitution is to gain an offensive advantage to score a goal. The removal of the ...
the Panthers won a
faceoff A face-off is the method used to begin and restart play after goals in some sports using sticks, primarily ice hockey, bandy, floorball, broomball, rinkball, and lacrosse. During a face-off, two teams line up in opposition to each other, and ...
next to the Newcastle goal and Robert Nordmark scored with 4.4 seconds remaining to take them into the playoffs and eliminate the Jesters. In the playoffs a 5–0 win over a financially troubled Sheffield Steelers was their only victory of the post season. In 2003 the Superleague collapsed after financial problems; it was left with only five members and faced the prospect of having only three. After uncertainty over which league the Panthers would be taking part in and even uncertainty over the future of the club itself, Nottingham became a founding member of the new
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 Hocke ...
. Changes to the rules regarding the number of non-British trained players a club was allowed to sign saw the Panthers make substantial changes to their squad. After finishing second in the league, their highest finish in twelve years, Panthers qualified for the Challenge Cup final. Their opponent in the two-legged final was archrival Sheffield Steelers, a team that Nottingham had failed to beat in each of the six finals the two club's had contested. The first leg ended in a 1–1 tie in Nottingham. In the second leg at Sheffield Arena the Panthers raced to an early 3–1 aggregate lead. However, Sheffield pulled a goal back late in the second period and equalised with ten minutes remaining, forcing overtime. After 53 seconds of the extra session Kim Ahlroos scored the winning goal, ending an eight-year wait for the Panthers to beat the Steelers in a showpiece final and securing the club's first silverware since 1998. The Panthers followed up their trophy win with a strong playoff campaign, but after a 6–1 win over the
Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix was a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group ''Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey'' to bring top-level ice hockey back to Ma ...
in the semi final, the Steelers avenged their Challenge Cup defeat with a narrow 2–1 win in the final. The 2004–05 season saw the club take part in the Continental Cup. The Panthers were placed into a group with host team Gothiques d'Amiens, Italian side
Milano Vipers Hockey Club Junior Milano Vipers was an Italian professional ice hockey team from Milan. Founded in 1998 as Hockey Club Junior Milano, was renamed Vipers in 2000. In June 2008 the organization was disbanded and replaced with Hockey Milano Rossoblu ...
and Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana. Nottingham tied their first game against Milan before recording 1–0 and 3–1 victories over the Slovenians and French, narrowly missing out on a place in the second round of the competition due to Milan's better goal difference. Domestically the team struggled for much of season and only during the end of season playoffs did the Panthers replicate the form they showed in Europe where, despite being depleted by injuries, they qualified for a second successive playoff final, losing 2–1 in overtime to eventual Grand Slam winners
Coventry Blaze Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and play their home games at SkyDome Arena. The club was founded in 1965 as the ''Solihull Barons'' and rena ...
.
Mike Blaisdell Michael Walter Blaisdell (born January 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1989 and later in the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 to 2001. He was ...
briefly returned to the club as coach for the 2005–06 season, before being succeeded by Mike Ellis. Ellis made numerous changes to the playing staff and led the Panthers to a fifth place league finish. In the playoffs Nottingham eliminated the Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants before defeating the Cardiff Devils to clinch their first playoff title in 18 years. All three ties were decided on penalty shots with goaltender Rastislav Rovnianek saving all seven shots he faced during the course of the competition. The following season the Panthers won a second
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves a ...
title, defeating the Sheffield Steelers 9–7 on aggregate in the final. This was the first time that the Panthers had won major honours in successive seasons.


The Corey Neilson era

Coach Mike Ellis departed the club following the 2007–08 season, to be replaced by Corey Neilson. After a third-place finish in the 2008–09 season, the Panthers mounted a title challenge during 2009–10, remaining in contention for the championship until the final stages of the season. They eventually finished third for a third successive season. The Panthers also won the Challenge Cup for the second time in three seasons, defeating the Cardiff Devils 8–7 on aggregate in the final. The 2010–11 season started strongly, but the Panthers suffered a poor mid season run which scuppered their chances of winning the regular season title and led to players being fined a proportion of their wages. The team were able to rebound from this, first securing a 4–3 aggregate victory over the Belfast Giants to successfully defend the Challenge Cup, then securing their third playoff championship with a 5–4 win over the Cardiff Devils. The Panthers repeated the double in the 2011–12 season first winning a third straight Challenge Cup with a 10–4 aggregate victory over Belfast. In the playoffs, the Panthers defeated Braehead and
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...
in the playoffs before winning 2–0 against Cardiff in the final. The game was a tight affair, with David-Alexandre Beauregard breaking the deadlock after 53 goalless minutes. The 2012 off-season began with the release of captain Danny Meyers and his replacement by fellow Great Britain international Jonathan Weaver. Other new additions included forwards
David Ling David Gregory Ling (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Ling was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the 7th round (179th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Junior Ling played with th ...
, Patrick Galivan and Bruce Graham, while Jason Beckett and Eric Werner were brought in as new defencemen. The season began with the Panthers losing 2 of their first 4 home games. This prompted Neilson to re-sign defenceman Guillaume Lepine as well as Anthony Stewart, then of the
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
, on a short-term deal due to the
NHL lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...
. Form began to improve and, following a shootout win in Cardiff on 8 December, Panthers went top of the league standings. They remained there for the rest of the season, clinching their first regular season title in 57 years on 15 March 2013. Patrick Galivan scored the championship-sealing goal late in the third period before Matt Francis added an empty-netter in a 5–3 victory over the Belfast Giants. Five days later the Panthers defeated Sheffield 4–1 in the first leg of the Challenge Cup final. This proved decisive, and a 2–1 defeat in the second leg was not enough to deny the Panthers a fourth consecutive Challenge Cup title. Nottingham went on to face Belfast in the playoff final. The Panthers opened a 2–0 lead before the Giants rallied to tie the game and force overtime. On the powerplay in the extra session, captain Jordan Fox scored to give Panthers the win and complete the Grand Slam. By contrast, the 2013–14 season was plagued by injuries, suspensions and a high turnover of players, and the Panthers fell to fourth in the final league table. They once again reached the Challenge Cup final, but were considered outsiders against a Belfast Giants team that comfortably won the league championship and finished 32 points ahead of Nottingham. The Panthers lost the first leg 5–2, a result that left the Giants as strong favourites to lift the cup. However, the Panthers won the second leg 4–1 to level the tie and force overtime. When that finished goalless, goaltender Craig Kowalski saved all three Belfast penalty shots and Petr Kalus scored to give Panthers a 7–6 aggregate victory and a fifth consecutive Challenge Cup. Although a third playoff and Challenge Cup double followed in 2015–16, the remainder of Neilson's tenure was highlighted by the club's performances in European competition. The club entered the
Champions Hockey League The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe. Backgrou ...
in its inaugural season, and, although they were eliminated in the group stage, they did secure a 3–1 victory over the
Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers were a German professional men's ice hockey club from Hamburg, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club announced its withdrawal from the DEL and ceased operations on 24 May 2016 when Anschutz Entertainme ...
. Two seasons later, the Panthers entered the 2016–17 edition of the Continental Cup. After navigating their way through the first two rounds, the club participated in the final tournament in
Ritten Ritten (; it, Renon ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy. Territory The community is named after the high plateau, elevation , the Ritten or the Renon, on which most of the villages are located. The plateau forms ...
, where they won all three of their matches and became the first British team to win a major European tournament. Their victory earned them a place in the 2017–18 Champions Hockey League. Though they were seeded last in the competition, the Panthers produced a major upset by winning four of their six group matches, including a 4–2 win over the fourth-seed
SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. For the 18th year in a row, the club is the most ...
, to qualify for the tournament's knockout stage. They were eliminated in the round of sixteen with a 6–1 aggregate defeat to the
ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL) ...
.


Life after Neilson: Chernomaz to Wallace

After the departure of Corey Neilson in 2018 the Panthers turned to Rich Chernomaz as their new head coach, but he would be replaced before the end of the 2018-19 EIHL season. In 2019, the club appointed former player Gui Doucet as Director of Hockey and his first move was to hire former NHLer Tim Wallace as head coach. Wallace had served as player-coach at
Milton Keynes Lightning The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. T ...
during the 2018-19 season. The 2019-20 EIHL season prematurely ended in March 2020, without the league campaign being played to its conclusion, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Only the Challenge Cup final was contested, with the subsequent play-offs also cancelled. On 15 September 2020, the Elite League announced the suspension of the 2020-21 season. The league said restrictions on social distancing and no crowds at sporting venues made the league season non-viable. The season was cancelled completely in February 2021. On 3 March 2021, Nottingham were announced as one of four Elite League teams taking part in the 'Elite Series' between April–May 2021, a total of 24 games culminating in a best-of-three play-off final series. Panthers won the tournament on 2 May 2021 courtesy of a 2-0 series win over the Sheffield Steelers, winning game one 5-3 and game two 5-2. On 5 January 2022, Nottingham parted company with head coach Tim Wallace following a poor run of form that saw the club slip to sixth in the Elite League standings with a 9-10 record. Player/Assistant coach Mark Matheson and captain Stephen Lee were placed in interim charge. The decision to move on from Wallace came just over a week after the passing of Panthers GM Gary Moran. David Whistle, most recently head coach of Leeds Knights, later joined the interim coaching staff until the end of the season.


Pacha arrives as CEO; Neilson returns

In May 2022, Nottingham announced they had parted ways with Director of Hockey Gui Doucet after three years in the role. The club subsequently appointed former
Dundee Stars The Dundee Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in the Scottish city of Dundee. They were formed in 2001 and play their home games at the Dundee Ice Arena, situated off the city's main Kingsway dual carriageway. The current title s ...
head coach and general manager Omar Pacha into a newly-created role of chief executive officer. The same month, Pacha's first move of note was to name American Gary Graham as the new Nottingham Panthers head coach. Graham arrived having most recently coached
USHL The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...
side Omaha Lancers. He was also previously the coach of
Pensacola Ice Flyers The Pensacola Ice Flyers are a professional ice hockey team of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The team played their first season in 2009–10. Home games are played at the Pensacola Bay Center, previously home to the ECHL's Pensacola ...
and
Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...
. However, Nottingham parted company with Graham in November 2022. The team sat sixth in the standings with a 6-8-1 record but had failed to deliver consistent results under Graham's leadership. The Panthers then announced that Corey Neilson had returned as head coach until the end of the 2022–23 season. Neilson had previously played with Nottingham from 2006-2013 and coached the team from 2008-2018.


Name origins, logos and colours

The origin of the name Panthers is uncertain. One of the most widely known theories is that the club were named for a squadron of Canadian airmen based near Nottingham during World War II. However, there is no evidence to suggest that such a squadron existed and records indicate that the name was coined before these events could have taken place. A souvenir brochure produced to mark of the opening of the Ice Stadium in April 1939 stated that the venue's new team would be known as the Nottingham Panthers. It does not, however, explain the rationale behind the name. Three games were played by teams using the name Nottingham Panthers during the winter of 1939–40 before the name was revived in 1946. During the original era the Panthers did not have a logo, instead using stylised lettering on the front of their shirts. The club's current logo was adopted in 2003 and is the fifth to be used since the Panthers were reformed. The first was used between 1980 and 1994 and was the silhouette of a Panthers' head in a red circle. The second logo, adopted in 1994, was similar to the first but used a more detailed Panthers' head. The third logo, introduced in 1998, featured a keyhole shaped like the head of a cat with a Panther reaching through it. The fourth logo was adopted following the move to the National Ice Centre and was similar to the logo of German side Augsburger Panther. The stylised lettering used during the original era was used again on special shirts made to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the club in 2006. The colours used by the original Panthers were black and white. Home shirts were black with a black and white striped lining on the shoulders. When the club reformed in 1980, the black and white colours were also revived, with a gold lining also being added to the jerseys. In 1996 red was added to the colour scheme of the shirts. In 2001–02 the club's colour scheme was changed to black and gold. Home jerseys are gold with a black lining with away jerseys being the reverse. In 2007–08, the Panthers brought out a predominantly white third jersey for the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves a ...
. The Swedish 2nd tier (
Hockeyallsvenskan HockeyAllsvenskan (previously Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the second-highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system (after the SHL). Since the 2009–10 season, the league consists of fourteen team ...
) club
IK Pantern Idrottsklubben Pantern Known as IK Pantern, were a Swedish ice hockey club based in Malmö. The Club was reformed as IshockeyKlubben Pantern History IK Pantern was founded in 1959. On June 23, 1960, the association's first annual meeting was hel ...
(The Panther Sports Club) from Malmö who have participated on two occasions in the promotion qualifiers to Sweden's top flight, were named after Nottingham Panthers. It was founded in 1959, by young car mechanic workers who were fans of Nottingham Panthers after a tour in Scania, where the English team impressed the Scanian boys.


Stadiums

The original home of the Panthers was the Ice Stadium. Built by Sims, Sons and Cooke Ltd, the Ice Stadium was based on the
Harringay Arena Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958. Construction Harringay Arena was built and owned by Brigadier-General Alfred Critchley under ...
design and officially opened on 10 April 1939. The building hosted its first game two days later with the Harringay Greyhounds defeating the
Harringay Racers Harringay Racers refers to multiple British ice hockey teams based in Harringay, London, United Kingdom. Harringay Racers The first team to use the Harringay Racers moniker was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Greyhou ...
10–6 in a challenge game in front of a crowd of spectators. Though a team playing under the name Nottingham Panthers would play three games during the winter of 1939–40, it would be 1946 before the venue would host a competitive match. During World War II the Ice Stadium served as a makeshift munitions store and morgue. The building reopened on 31 August 1946 and hosted another game between the Greyhounds and Racers before the Panthers made their competitive debut on 22 November, defeating the Wembley Monarchs 3–2. The venue became the home of the team between 1946 and 1960 and again from the club's reformation in 1980 to 2000. The Ice Stadium held a capacity of spectators and had an ice pad measuring by . After the club's reformation a second ice pad was installed in 1983. In October 1996 plans were announced by Nottingham City Council to replace the ageing building with a twin-rinked National Ice Centre. Work began on the capacity arena section of the facility in the summer of 1998 and was completed in the spring of 2000. The Panthers played their final game at the Ice Stadium on 22 March 2000. After the game supporters were allowed to dismantle anything easily removable from the interior of the building to take home as souvenirs. The Ice Stadium was demolished soon afterwards to allow for the completion of the new Ice Centre. The new National Ice Centre was designed by Nottingham City Council officials and was built by
John Laing plc John Laing Group plc is a British investor, developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Finance Initiative ...
. The building cost £40 million to construct, of which £22.5 million was awarded by the National Lottery. The arena half of the facility was opened on 1 April 2000, with the second public skating pad opening a year later. Both rinks are Olympic sized ice pads measuring by . The Panthers played their first game at their new home on 2 September 2000 when the team hosted the London Knights in the
Benson & 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 ...
. Barry Nieckar scored the club's first goal in a 2–1 Panthers victory played to a crowd of .


Honours

Nottingham's first trophy was the English National League regular season title, which it won in 1950–51. The first trophy of the modern era (beginning with the club's reformation in 1980) was the Autumn Cup, won in 1986–87. The original club won four major honours (3 regular season titles and 1 Autumn Cup) in 14 seasons, whereas the modern Panthers have secured 21 trophies in 39 seasons (1 Continental Cup, 1 regular season title, 6 playoff championships, 8 Challenge Cups and 5 Autumn Cups).


Domestic

League Championships * 1950–51, 1953–54, 1955–56, 2012–13 Playoff Championships * 1988–89, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
Autumn Cup The Autumn Cup was an ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom between 1946 and 2000. The competition was originally divided into English and Scottish competitions, known as the English Autumn Cup and the Scottish Autumn Cup between 1946 and 195 ...
s * 1955–56, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1998–99 Challenge Cups * 2003–04, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2015–16


European

IIHF Continental Cup The Continental Cup is a second-level ice hockey tournament for European clubs (behind Champions Hockey League), begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the European Cup. It was intended for teams from countries without representatives in the Eu ...
*2016–17


Individual

''
EIHL 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 ...
All-Stars First Team'' *2006–07: Jan Krajíček *2007–08: Sean McAslan *2009–10: Jade Galbraith *2011–12: Corey Neilson *2012–13: Craig Kowalski,
David Ling David Gregory Ling (born January 9, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. Ling was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the 7th round (179th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Junior Ling played with th ...
*2015–16: Juraj Kolnik *2019–20: Mark Matheson, Sam Herr ''EIHL All-Stars Second Team'' *2004–05: Carl Carlsson *2006–07: Rastislav Rovnianek, Sean McAslan *2007–08: Tom Askey, Corey Neilson *2008–09: Corey Neilson *2009–10: Corey Neilson *2010–11: Corey Neilson *2011–12: Craig Kowalski, Jordan Fox, David-Alexandre Beauregard *2012–13:
Eric Werner Eric Werner (born January 26, 1983) is a retired American ice hockey defenseman. He is a 3-time NCAA champion with Michigan, a 1-time EIHL champion with the Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey cl ...
,
Bruce Graham Bruce John Graham (December 1, 1925 – March 6, 2010) was a Peruvian-American architect. Graham built buildings all over the world and was deeply involved with evolving the Burnham Plan of Chicago. Among his most notable buildings are the ...


Records and statistics

Randall Weber holds the record for Nottingham Panthers appearances, having played for the club 845 times between 1985 and 2002.
Centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
Chick Zamick Victor Zamick (16 August 1926 – 8 October 2007), better known as Chick Zamick, was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach best known for his success as a player at the Nottingham Panthers. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fam ...
comes second, having appeared 624 times between 1947 and 1958. Canadian forward
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
is the club's all-time leader in goals, assists and
points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Points ...
. He scored 828 goals and 781 assists for a total of points in 609 appearances 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 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 Richard Joseph "Rick" Brebant (born ) is a retired ice hockey player who played mainly in Great Britain. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Career Club Born in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, Brebant started his professional c ...
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 A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...
, serving 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 Whitley Warriors are an ice hockey team based in Whitley Bay in the north east of England. Founded in 1957 as the Bees, they changed their name to Whitley Warriors in 1964. Warriors played at the highest level of British ice hockey for much of ...
. Nottingham's largest home defeat was a 14–2 loss to the
Dundee Rockets The Dundee Rockets were an ice hockey club based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1963, the club were founder members of the Northern League in 1967 and the British Hockey League in 1982. The club won eight titles before closing in 1987. In 196 ...
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 one of the oldest 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 Hocke ...
having been founded eight years after the Fife Flyers, but forty years before the
Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team play at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay. Cardiff are the reigning EIHL play-off champions, winning their third title in a row after beating ...
. On 29 December 2011, forward David Clarke became the leading goalscorer in Elite Ice Hockey League history. Clarke scored his 230th goal in all competitions to pass Adam Calder. In the same game, another milestone was set as David-Alexandre Beauregard reached his 1,000th career point. On 9 March 2014, David Clarke registered his 600th EIHL point in his career, in the same game Corey Neilson also became Nottingham Panthers most successful coach, overtaking Mike Blaisdell.


Current squad

''Squad for 2022-23 Elite League season'' ** Denotes two-way deal with Leeds Knights of the NIHL *** Denotes two-way deal with
Nottingham Lions The Nottingham Lions are an ice hockey team from Nottingham, England that compete in the English National League's northern section. The Lions are the senior team of the Nottingham Ice Hockey Club and one of two senior teams based in Nottingham ...
of the NIHL 1 **** Denotes two-way deal with
Milton Keynes Lightning The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. T ...
of the NIHL


Honoured members

The Panthers have retired the numbers of six players since reforming. The number 3 of defenceman Gary Rippingale was retired following his death at the age of eighteen in 1992. Randall Weber, who spent his entire seventeen-year career at the Panthers, had his number 10 retired following his final game for the club in 2002. The number 11 of forward Greg Hadden and the number 22 of the club's all-time leading goal,
assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...
and point scorer
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
were retired in 2003. The number 77 of defenceman and head coach Corey Neilson was retired in 2013 on the same night the club were presented with their first league championship trophy since 1956. Upon the announcement of his retirement at the end of the 2017-2018 season, the club announced David Clarkes number 5 would be retired during the 2018-19 season. On Wednesday 9 November 2022, Nottingham Panthers CEO Omar Pacha confirmed the club would be hanging up the six retired jerseys above the stage end of the ice at the National Ice Centre. The banner depicting the jerseys was unveiled at the game on 12 November 2022 against Belfast Giants. Sixteen people who have been associated with the Panthers are members of British ice hockey's Hall of Fame. As a member of the Great Britain team that won gold at the
1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...
, Panthers coach Archie Stinchcombe was inducted in 1951. The club's first coach,
Alex Archer Alexander Albert Archer (1 May 1908 – 15 June 1979) was an ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions. He is best remembered as a member of the Great Britain national ice h ...
was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame as a member of the Olympic winning team in 1993. Forward
Chick Zamick Victor Zamick (16 August 1926 – 8 October 2007), better known as Chick Zamick, was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach best known for his success as a player at the Nottingham Panthers. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fam ...
, who played for the Panthers between 1947 and 1958 and holds the original club's records for most goals and most appearances, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951 while fellow forward and team mate
Les Strongman Les Strongman (23 August 1924 – 8 August 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Winnipeg. Strongman played professional hockey in Europe between 1946 and 1968 with Malmo FF (Sweden), Zurich SC (Switzerland) and British Natio ...
who went on to serve as the modern club's coach, secretary and as a club director was inducted in 1987. Coaches Alex Dampier and
Mike Blaisdell Michael Walter Blaisdell (born January 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1989 and later in the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 to 2001. He was ...
were inducted in 1995 and 2004 respectively while Paul Adey was inducted in 2006. Former players George Beach,
Rick Brebant Richard Joseph "Rick" Brebant (born ) is a retired ice hockey player who played mainly in Great Britain. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Career Club Born in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, Brebant started his professional c ...
, Johnny Carlyle, Stephen Cooper, Jack Dryburgh,
Art Hodgins Arthur "Art" Hodgins ( – c. March 1988), also known as The Timmins Tiger and Husky Hodgins, was a Canadian ice hockey player who was born in Timmins, Ontario. He played mainly in the United Kingdom and is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hal ...
, Chris Kelland, Jimmy Spence and Mike Urquhart are also members of the Hall of Fame. Zamick is the only person associated with the Nottingham Panthers to have membership of another Hall of Fame, having been inducted into the
Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...
in 1995.


Leaders


Head coaches

*
Alex Archer Alexander Albert Archer (1 May 1908 – 15 June 1979) was an ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger who played in the English National League for the Wembley Lions. He is best remembered as a member of the Great Britain national ice h ...
, 1946–48 * Archie Stinchcombe, 1948–55 *
Chick Zamick Victor Zamick (16 August 1926 – 8 October 2007), better known as Chick Zamick, was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach best known for his success as a player at the Nottingham Panthers. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fam ...
, 1955–58 * Lorne Smith, 1958–60 *
Les Strongman Les Strongman (23 August 1924 – 8 August 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Winnipeg. Strongman played professional hockey in Europe between 1946 and 1968 with Malmo FF (Sweden), Zurich SC (Switzerland) and British Natio ...
, 1980–82 * Terry Gudziunas, 1982–83 * Mike Urquhart, 1983–85 * Alex Dampier, 1985–93 * Kevin Murphy, 1993 *
Mike Blaisdell Michael Walter Blaisdell (born January 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1989 and later in the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 to 2001. He was ...
, 1993–99 * Alex Dampier, 1999–02†
*
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
, 2002–05 *
Mike Blaisdell Michael Walter Blaisdell (born January 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1980 and 1989 and later in the British Hockey League (BHL) from 1990 to 2001. He was ...
, 2005–06 * Mike Ellis, 2006–08 * Corey Neilson, 2008–18 * Rich Chernomaz, 2018–19 * Rick Strachan, 2019 (interim) * Tim Wallace, 2019–22 * Mark Matheson, David Whistle & Stephen Lee, 2022 (interim) * Gary Graham, 2022 * Corey Neilson, 2022–
†Dampier was Director of Hockey between 2000 and 2002. Coaching during this period was overseen by Peter Woods (2000–01) and Paul Adey (2001–02), however overall responsibility for the team remained with Dampier.


Team captains

* Reg Howard, 1947–48 * Ed Young, 1948–49 * Ken Westman, 1948–50 *
Les Strongman Les Strongman (23 August 1924 – 8 August 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Winnipeg. Strongman played professional hockey in Europe between 1946 and 1968 with Malmo FF (Sweden), Zurich SC (Switzerland) and British Natio ...
, 1950–55 * Lorne Smith, 1955–56 * Ken Westman, 1957–58 *
Les Strongman Les Strongman (23 August 1924 – 8 August 2019) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was born in Winnipeg. Strongman played professional hockey in Europe between 1946 and 1968 with Malmo FF (Sweden), Zurich SC (Switzerland) and British Natio ...
, 1958–59 * Dwayne Keward, 1980–81 * Daryl Easson, 1981–82 * Mike Urquhart, 1982–83 * Gavin Fraser, 1983–84 * Greg McDonald, 1983–84 * Jeff Andison, Robin Andrew, 1984–85 * Gavin Fraser, 1985–87
* Terry Kurtenbach, 1986–93 * Andre Malo, 1993–94 *
Paul Adey Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
, 1993–94 * Ross Lambert, 1993–94 *
Rick Brebant Richard Joseph "Rick" Brebant (born ) is a retired ice hockey player who played mainly in Great Britain. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. Career Club Born in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada, Brebant started his professional c ...
, 1994–95 * Garth Premak, 1995–98 *
Jamie Leach William "Jamie" Leach (born August 25, 1969) is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League right wing. He is the son of former NHLer Reggie Leach. He was included on both Stanley Cup winning pictures with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. ...
, 1998–01 * Joel Poirier, 2001–02 * John Purves, 2002–03 * Briane Thompson, 2003–04 * Calle Carlsson, 2004–06 * David Clarke, 2006–07 * Sean McAslan, 2007–08 * Danny Meyers, 2008–12
* Jordan Fox, 2012–13 * David Clarke, 2013–16 * Brad Moran, 2016–17 * Stephen Lee, 2017–18 * Gui Lepine, 2018–19 * Sam Herr, 2019–20 * Stephen Lee, 2021–22 * Matthew Myers, 2022–


References


External links


Nottingham Panthers Official Website

Panthers History

Nottingham Panthers Official Photographers

Nottingham Panthers on Elite Prospects
{{British ice hockey Ice hockey teams in England Ice hockey clubs established in 1946 1946 establishments in England Sport in Nottingham Elite Ice Hockey League teams