Spektrum Flyers was a short-lived
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team from
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. A merger between
Manglerud Star
Idrettslaget Manglerud Star is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Manglerud, Oslo. It has sections for association football (one for elite and one for grassroots football) and ice hockey.
General history
The club was founded in 1964 as a merge ...
and
Furuset
Furuset is residential and suburban area, situated in the northeast of Oslo, Norway. It was a separate borough of Oslo up to January 1, 2004, when it became part of the new borough of Alna. Furuset is a suburb in eastern Groruddalen
The Groru ...
, it played the
1994–95 and
1995–96 seasons in
Eliteserien
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
, the premier ice hockey league in Norway, with home games at
Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major events such as the annual ...
. The team relocated to
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
after two seasons.
History
Establishment
Manglerud Star and Furuset had formerly cooperated with the team
Oslo Hockey. After it was dissolved, Manglerud Star became a
farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
for
VÃ¥lerenga Ishockey
VÃ¥lerenga Ishockey (; abbreviated as VIF) is a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Oslo, Norway. VÃ¥lerenga has been the dominant force in Norwegian hockey since the 1960s, claiming 26 national championships and 29 regular season titles. Their old ...
. Following the opening of Oslo Spektrum in 1990, VÃ¥lerenga moved their games to the venue in the heart of Oslo. After the end of the
1992–93 season, the team returned to its old venue,
Jordal Amfi
Jordal Amfi was an indoor ice hockey rink in Oslo, Norway, the first bearing that name. The venue opened in 1951 to host the 1952 Winter Olympics. Jordal was also the site of the 1958 and the 1999 IIHF World Championship. It would in the followi ...
, and Oslo Spektrum started looking for a new tenant. Oslo Spektrum's new management company, SMGManagement, encouraged Manglerud Star and Furuset to play some of their games at Oslo Spektrum. Instead, the two teams decided to merge their top-level teams to create a team that all of Oslo could support. In September 1993, Furuset, Manglerud Star and SMG signed an interim agreement, which would establish the new team in the city center. The new team received an exclusive right to play matches at Spektrum, and SMG would perform marketing of the games. The condition was that at least one of the two teams succeeded at keeping their place in the premier league.
The team received 1 million
Norwegian krone
The krone (, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including Svalbard). Traditionally known as the Norwegian crown in English. It is nominally subdivided into 100 ''Ã ...
from the two mother teams to purchase six top players, including two from Canada. The team's management stated that they were working on a cooperation with the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) side
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 Wells ...
. In a deal in November 1993, Furuset-players
Cato Tom Andersen
Cato Tom Andersen (born June 17, 1967) is a Norwegian former ice hockey defenceman. He was born in Oslo, Norway.
Andersen played in the Norwegian Eliteserien for Furuset and VÃ¥lerenga. He also played for the Norwegian national ice hockey team, p ...
,
Christian Kjeldsberg and
Jan Roar Fagerli all transferred to Manglerud Star for the
1993–94 season, which Furuset would play in First Division. The players were intended to be transferred to Spektrum Flyers. In March 1994,
Ole Jacob Libæk, who was instrumental in the creation of the new team and had been appointed chair, stated that he wanted Vålerenga to also participate. He hoped that this would create sufficient interest to generate four to five thousand spectators per match, which would be necessary to maintain a professional team.
Rolf Kirkvaag jr. was hired as the team's director. On 22 April 1994, the club announced that
Serge Boisvert
Pierre Serge Boisvert (born June 1, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
In Sweden, Boisvert played for Västra Frölunda, and for Frisk Tigers, Spektrum Flyers and Vål ...
, a former NHL-player, would be
player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
. Rumors had it that
George Kingston had been a possible candidate. The team received a budget of NOK 7 million for the first season. In June, the team signed
Lillehammer IK
Lillehammer Ishockeyklubb is an ice hockey club based in Nestan, Norway and playing in the GET-ligaen. Home games are played in Eidsiva Arena (Kristins Hall), and occasionally in HÃ¥kons Hall.
History
Founded on 2 November 1957, Lillehammer IK ...
-player
Tommy Jakobsen
Tommy Jakobsen (born 10 December 1970 in Oslo, Norway) is a retired Norwegian ice hockey defenceman.
He is the most experienced player on the Norwegian national team going into the 2009 IIHF World Championship with 125 official matches.
Jakobse ...
, who had previously played for Furuset. In July, the Czech national team and
HC Sparta Praha
Hockey Club Sparta Praha, commonly known as HC Sparta Prague, is a Prague-based Czech ice hockey team playing in the Czech Extraliga. The club has won four Czech championships (most recently in 2007) and four Czechoslovak championships, as ...
back
Leo Gudas
Leo Gudas (born May 20, 1965) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman.
Playing career
Gudas began his playing career in 1981 with TJ PS Stadion Liberec in the second-tier 1st. Czech National Hockey League before joining HC Sparta P ...
signed for the club. Other players included
Geir Hoff
Geir Hoff (born 14 February 1965 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey player.
Hoff began his career in Sweden with Västra Frölunda before spending two seasons at Michigan State University. Hoff then played in the N ...
,
Vegar Barlie
Vegar Barlie (born August 7, 1972) is a Norwegian ice hockey player. Barlie competed with the Norway men's national ice hockey team in the 1994 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and in the 1994 Winter Olympics.
He was selected by the Edmonton ...
,
Jarle Friis
Jarle Friis (born November 2, 1964) is a former Norwegian ice hockey player. He was born in Oslo, Norway. He played for the Norwegian national ice hockey team at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics
)
, nations = 64
, athletes = 1,801 (13 ...
,
Per Odvar and
Knut Walbye. In June, the team was registered as a limited company. However, it was late sending in its budget to the
Norwegian Ice Hockey Association
The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association (in Norwegian, ''Norges Ishockeyforbund'' (NIHF) is the governing body of all ice hockey, sledge hockey and in-line hockey in Norway.
NIHF has its office at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.
The current president is ...
, and nearly lost its license to play. It received permission to play three of its matches in the opening season at
Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall
Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall ( no, Gjøvik Olympiske Fjellhall or ) is an ice hockey rink located within a mountain hall in Gjøvik, Norway. With a capacity for 5,500 spectators, the hall also features a 25-meter swimming pool and telecommunicati ...
in
Gjøvik
is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen.
The ...
.
The team's first match was a friendly against
Storhamar
Storhamar is a neighborhood of Hamar, Norway, west of the town center and formerly in the municipality Vang, Hedmark, Vang. It is the location of the distillery Arcus AS, Arcus, the national lottery Norsk Tipping and the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre ...
on 16 August in Gjøvik, which The Flyers lost 2–5. In September, the team ended second in the friendly Panasonic Cup in Denmark. Libæk stated that he had been in contact with
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image.
img or IMG may also refer to:
* IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...
, who wanted to create a pan-European ice hockey league, and that The Flyers was the prime candidate to represent Norway. The Flyers was offered NOK 70 million to play in the league, which was planned to have 12 teams and be named the International Hockey League (IHL). The Norwegian Ice Hockey Association stated that after an agreement between NHL and the
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
(IIHF), Flyers would be banned from playing in Eliteserien if they formally associated themselves with IHL.
In the last friendly before the league started, Flyers beat Vålerenga 4–1 on 18 September. In the league debut on 25 September, the two teams met in front of 3,121 spectators at Jordal, where Vålerenga won 5–3. In its home debut on 29 September, Flyers beat
Trondheim IK 5–3. With only 1770 of the 2400 spectators paying, the team management stated that it would be difficult to pay the NOK 100,000 per game which Oslo Spektrum charged. The team had been marketing the game by handing out 1,200 free tickets to school children, but required the parents who accompanied the children to pay for the tickets. At the same time, Vegard Barlie criticized the club for not wanting to sign a contract, after he had punctured a lung.
Bergen
![Bergenshallen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Bergenshallen.jpg)
On 19 January 1996, Kirkvaag stated that the club was planning to move to Bergen, and that this could happen as early as for the play-offs. The stated reasons for this were that Oslo Municipality would not give the club any subsidies, and the high cost of playing at Oslo Spektrum. The team would then have been renamed The Bergen Flyers and play their matches in
Bergenshallen
Bergenshallen is an indoor ice hockey arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on mos ...
. The management of Manglerud Star stated that they were opposed to the plans, and that it was unrealistic to move an entire club, even if permission was granted. Initially the plans were to only play the playoff matches in Bergen, and the club would thereby be required to pay the transport to and overnighting in Bergen for both themselves and the opponent teams. At the time, Bergen—Norway's second-largest city—did not have a team in the premier league. An official application to move was sent to the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association on 26 January. The application was approved by the association, and the club announced it would play its first play-off match in Bergenshallen on 15 February.
On 1 February, the Kirkvaag stated that they had decided to move the team permanently to Bergen. VÃ¥lerenga stated that it was opposed to the play-off games being played in Bergen and that they wanted a possible
local derby
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
between the Oslo teams to be played in the city. Representatives from the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association stated that Flyers had primarily given financial reasons for the move, but that they at the same time had rejected playing their matches at Jordal Amfi, which would have cost a lot less. The first training in Bergenshallen took place on 7 February. On 15 February, the annual meeting in Manglerud Star decided to terminate the agreement with The Flyers, as it did not want its elite team to play out of town.
Those players who were under contract with Manglerud Star would return, and the team would revoke its premier league license, which it would use to play itself with home matches at
Manglerudhallen
Manglerudhallen is the name of two arenas, an indoor ice hockey arena and a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Manglerud, Oslo, Norway. The capacity of the ice hockey arena is 2,000 and it was opened in 1979.Stjernen
Stjernen Hockey is a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Fredrikstad, Norway. They currently play in the GET-ligaen. They play their home games in Stjernehallen. Their team colours are red and white.
History
Stjernen was founded in 1960 when th ...
; despite having a 3–0 lead, Flyers ended up losing 3–4. The match was seen by 2,532 spectators, and Kirkvaag stated that he satisfied with the turn-up. Four days later, the team lost 2–1 against Lillehammer. They were sent out of the play-offs after a 5–3 loss against Stjernen on 23 February. The final match was played against Lillehammer in Bergen. Afterwards, Kirkvaag stated that the team had three options: either take over the elite licenses of
Hasle-Løren, Manglerud Star or
Lørenskog IK
Lørenskog Ishockeyklubb (founded in 1963) is a Norway, Norwegian ice hockey team based in Lørenskog, Norway. The team competed in GET-ligaen from 2008 to 2018. In May 2018, the club did not receive a new licence, due to long-term economic proble ...
and move the team to Bergen; take over the license in the First Division of
Bergen IK
Bergen Ishockeyklubb is an ice hockey club from Bergen
History
Bergen Flyers were elite commitment to the club until 2005. Elite team's history went back to the hockey team to the Sportkluben Djerv, which changed its name in turn to "Bergen / ...
and attempt to win the league to be promoted to the top division, or participate in the planned International Hockey League. Kirkvaag stated that no matter what, the team would play in Bergen.
Twelve of the Flyers players were transferred back to Manglerud Star. By April, Flyers had not paid wages since 1 January and the
Norwegian Players' Association The Norwegian Players' Association ( no, Norske Idrettsutøveres Sentralorganisasjon or NISO is a trade union for professional football, handball and ice hockey players in Norway. Established in 1995, it is member of the Norwegian Confederation of T ...
threatened to file the company for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
. By June, Serge Boisvert, Sergej Pusjkov, Geir Hoff, Cato Tom Andersen, Jan-Roar Fagerli and Lars E. Lund had all signed for VÃ¥lerenga. Hoff, Lund and Fagerli all had contracts with Manglerud Star, but these were terminated and the players became
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
s after Flyers had failed to meet their financial obligations. Kirkvaag took over as director of Bergen IK, which rebranded itself as
Bergen Flyers
Bergen Ishockeyklubb is an ice hockey club from Bergen
History
Bergen Flyers were elite commitment to the club until 2005. Elite team's history went back to the hockey team to the Sportkluben Djerv, which changed its name in turn to "Bergen / ...
and introduced many of the same concepts as The Spektrum Flyers had in an attempt to increase spectator rates.
Results
References
{{Reflist, 2
Defunct ice hockey teams in Norway
1994 establishments in Norway
Sport in Oslo