Guildford Flames
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The Guildford Flames are a professional
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 based in
Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...
, Surrey and they play their home games in the
Guildford Spectrum Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 23 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey teams the Guildford Flames and the Guildford Pho ...
. They compete in the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom, 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 ...
. Founded in October 1992, the Flames originally played in the second-tier leagues of British hockey, first the British National League until 2004, and subsequently the
English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being th ...
until 2017. On 24 February 2017 it was announced that the Flames would become the 12th
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 ...
team, joining from the 2017–18 season. The team's head coach is Paul Dixon, who took over after
Stan Marple Stanislaus Henry Marple is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Marple played twelve seasons in various British leagues, most notably for the Guildford Flames, for whom he later served as head coach. He is currently the gene ...
retired in 2007.


Formation

Barry Dow, an American who sponsored and owned the basketball team
Guildford Kings Guildford Kings was a successful British basketball franchise, most prominent in the British Basketball League (BBL) during the early 1990s. They ceased operations at the end of the 1993–94 season. History The franchise's origins date back to t ...
and Bill Hurley established and owned the team as management – the two were new to the sport of ice hockey, and brought in
Mike Urquhart Mike Urquhart (born ) is a Canadians, Canadian retired ice hockey player, coach (ice hockey), coach and general manager. He played for the Nottingham Panthers, Oxford City Stars, Chelmsford Chieftains, Guildford Flames, Bracknell Bees and Milton ...
as coach and Darrin Zinger as captain. Key players signed for the first season included
Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Sean Murphy and Dave McGahan due to their high scoring at
Solent Vikings The Wightlink Raiders was an ice hockey team based in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. The team were known for their small ice rink, Ryde Arena, which prevented them competing at a higher level. In 2016, following the closure of the rink by A ...
. In addition a number of British players including
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
, Mike Kellond; forward, Danny O'Hanlon and defender, Gary Shearer. The Flames' inaugural season began in October 1992; they began, unseeded, in the English League Division One. With the
Guildford Spectrum Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 23 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey teams the Guildford Flames and the Guildford Pho ...
not yet completed, the team had to train at
Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...
's facility. The Flames played their home games at
Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...
until their new home ice was ready and played there for the first time on 23 January 1993. When 23 January 1993 finally arrived and the
Guildford Spectrum Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 23 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey teams the Guildford Flames and the Guildford Pho ...
opened, the event was a big one. The area's paid-for newspaper '' The Surrey Advertiser'' described the local council's £28 million arena as "awesome". Guildford's first game at their new home showed a convincing win with Andy Sparks scoring the first goal at the Spectrum. The team went to the top of the Conference due to that game, a position they held onto for the whole season.


Elite League

The Guildford Flames were confirmed as an Elite League expansion team in February 2017, stepping up from the
English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom (the other being th ...
(EPIHL), and began play in the UK's top division at the start of the
2017–18 EIHL season The 2017–18 EIHL season was the 15th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 9 September 2017 and ended on 25 March 2018. The reigning league champions were the Cardiff Devils, who won the championship for the firs ...
. The Flames finished in sixth in their first season (2017–18), followed by a fifth-placed finish in 2018–19 - a campaign in which they finished runners-up to the
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 ...
in 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 am ...
final. Guildford were again in sixth when the
2019–20 EIHL season The 2019–20 EIHL season was the 17th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 7 September 2019 and was due to end on 29 March 2020, with the playoffs following in April 2020. The reigning league champions were the B ...
's remaining matches were cancelled in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The play-offs were cancelled with only the Challenge Cup seeing a winner (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. ...
) crowned. Then, the 2020–21 Elite League season - originally scheduled for a revised start date of 5 December - was suspended on 15 September 2020 because of ongoing coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The EIHL board determined that the season was non-viable without supporters being permitted to attend matches and unanimously agreed to a suspension. The season was cancelled completely in February 2021. In the
2021–22 EIHL season The 2021–22 EIHL season was the 18th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 25 September 2021, and finished on 17 April 2022, with the playoffs taking place over the following two weekends. The previous campaign in ...
, Guildford finished the regular season in fifth place with a 25-25-4 record, reaching the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup (losing 6–5 on aggregate to
Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society. The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
) and the play-off semi-finals (beating Nottingham 7–6 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, before losing in the last four to
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 ...
3–2). Guildford claimed third place by beating
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 sp ...
7–5 in the third/fourth place play-off.


Club honours

*Season 2021/22 ** 2021–22 EIHL All-Stars First Team: Jamal Watson *Season 2018/19 **Patton Conference Champions ** 2018–19 EIHL All-Stars Second Team: Calle Ackered, Jesse Craige *Season 2017/18 ** 2017–18 EIHL All-Stars First Team: Jesse Craige **2017–18 EIHL All-Stars Second Team: Calle Ackered, John Dunbar *Season 2015/16 **English Premier Cup **English Premier League Playoff Winners *Season 2012/13 **English Premier League Champions **English Premier Cup *Season 2011/12 **English Premier League Champions **English Premier Cup *Season 2010/11 **English Premier League Playoff Winners *Season 2009/10 **English Premier Cup *Season 2007/08 **English Premier League Champions *Season 2006/07 **English Premier Cup *Season 2005/06 **English Premier League Champions *Season 2003/04 ** British National League Play-off Winners *Season 2000/01 ** Christmas Cup Winners ** British National League Champions ** British National League Play-off Winners *Season 1998/99 ** Benson & Hedges Plate Winners *Season 1997/98 ** British National League Southern Conference Winners ** British National League Winners ** British National League Play-off Winners *Season 1996/97 ** Benson & Hedges Plate Winners


Team logo and jersey

The team logo is very similar to that of the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
of the
NHL 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 ...
. The team jerseys mirror those used by a former NHL team,
Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...
from 1999 to 2006 (with logos replaced and advertisements added).


Current squad

''Squad for 2022-23 Elite League season'' ** Denotes two-way deal with
Basingstoke Bison The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the NIHL National League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League. History ...
of the NIHL *** Denotes two-way deal with
Bristol Pitbulls The Bristol Pitbulls are an ice hockey team representing Bristol, England, currently playing in the NIHL National League. Following the closure of the Bristol ice rink in 2012, their home ice moved to Oxford Ice Rink. In October 2021, the team ...
of the NIHL


Retired numbers

The retired numbers at the Guildford Flames are: * 3
Stan Marple Stanislaus Henry Marple is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. Marple played twelve seasons in various British leagues, most notably for the Guildford Flames, for whom he later served as head coach. He is currently the gene ...
*10 Ryan Campbell *11
Fred Perlini Fred Perlini (born April 12, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the eighth round (158th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, for whom he ev ...
*9 Terry Kurtenbach *15 Andy Sparks


Team captains

*1992–94 – Darren Zinger *1994–99 – Paul Thompson *1999-00 – Karry Biette *2000–01 – Wayne Crawford *2001–07 – Paul Dixon *2007–09 – Ricky Plant *2009–10 – Rob Lamey *2010–15 – David Longstaff *2015–17 – Jeremy Lundin *2017–20 – Jesse Craige *2021– Brett Ferguson


References


External links


Official Guildford Flames website
{{Guildford Ice hockey teams in England Sport in Guildford Ice hockey clubs established in 1992 EPIHL teams 1992 establishments in England