Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils are a British ice hockey club from Cardiff , Wales who are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League . The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena . History . Founded in 1986 , the club became the dominant force in the sport in the late 1980s and early 1990s , winning a total of 7 league titles . The Cardiff Devils were formed during the summer of 1986 when Sports Nationwide built the Wales National Ice Rink in the centre of Cardiff City Centre . John Lawless , a 25 year old Canadian was given the responsibility of setting up a brand new team , having been a trainee assistant manager at Peterborough who were owned by the same company . 1986 - 87 . The club entered the British Ice Hockey League Structure at the bottom in Division 2 ( Midland Section ) at a time when each team was only allowed a maximum of three import players . With Lawless deciding to play himself , he brought over fellow Canadians Perry Olivier and Bill Taylor to join him on the roster , with the remaining places going to British players . With the WNIR not ready for the start of the season , the team played several games away from home to begin with . The Cardiff Devils first ever game was a Challenge match away to the Oxford City Stars on 12 October 1986 . Despite Oxford playing in the division above , the Devils won the game 9 - 8 . Cardiff finally got to play their first ever game at the WNIR on 30 November 1986 where a crowd of 2500 saw their new heroes destroy Ashfield Islanders 32 - 0 . Devils finished the league season unbeaten with 13 wins and 1 draw from 14 games to finish top of Division 2 ( Midlands ) , 2 points clear of ' local ' Welsh rivals Deeside Dragons . Promotion to Division 1 though was dependent on them winning the Division 1 Play Off Champions , which the club hosted at the WNIR . Their semi - final against Northern winners Grimsby Buffaloes was surrounded in controversy when the game was abandoned after a 34 - player bench clearance with Cardiff leading 10 - 4 . The BIHA officials though ruled that it had been provoked by the English side and hence the score should stand as a final result . In the other semi - final Scottish League Champions Aviemore Blackhawks beat Southern Winners Streatham Bruins ( 13 - 4 ) to set up an all Celtic final the following day . Unfortunately for the Devils , despite a final period comeback after being 4 goals behind , Aviemore were able to hang on for a 10 - 9 win and promotion to Division 1 at the expense of Cardiff . But in a strange twist of fate the result proved to be irrelevant . The BIHA decided the league structure needed re - organising , and as a result the Cardiff Devils were moved into Division 1 ( South ) for the following season . 1987 - 88 . Following promotion to Division 1 ( South ) and a new Sponsorship deal , Lawless was able to strengthen his team . Key signings included netminder Jeff Smith , coach Brian Kanewischer and Canadian defenceman Shannon Hope as a replacement for Bill Taylor who was injured midway through the previous season . The season proved to be successful with the Devils winning the Autumn Trophy in November with an 11 - 10 aggregrate win over the Trafford Metros . In the league the side finished a very respectable 3rd place , although 10 points behind winners Telford Tigers . The two teams had created a fierce rivalry during the season due to several controversial and violent games . During a game on 16 January in Telford , the Devils players were subjected to constant sticking offences resulted in Shannon Hope receiving a serious injury just below his eye . With the referee not calling any penalty , coach Kanewischer took his team off the ice in protest midway through the 2nd period . After a league investigation Cardiff were eventually fined £1000 for their actions and Kanewisher banned for the rest of the season . 1988 - 89 . Lawless and Cardiff shocked the whole of British Ice Hockey by signing 3 of the top players from the Premier Division over the summer . Canadian import Steve Moria was signed from the Fife Flyers , and then the Cooper brothers Ian and Steve joined from Heineken Champions Durham Wasps . It was the first time top British players were being offered good money to sign for other clubs and it led to claims that Cardiff and their " Cheque Book Hockey " would ruin the game . The signings were crucial as the Devils finished first 1st in Division 1 , just a single point ahead of Medway Bears . They also retained the Autumn Trophy they had won the previous season , beating Medway 15 - 8 on aggregate . To gain promotion though they had to beat the Premier Division ' s bottom club - the Streathem Redskins . Cardiff destroyed their Premier Division rivals 12 - 1 in the first leg , and a 9 - 5 victory in Streatham the following weekend secured an easy aggregrate victory and a place in the Heineken Premier Division for the following season . 1989 - 90 . With the Devils finally reaching the promised land of the Premier Division , John Lawless was able to strengthen his team with the addition of an extra import now that he himself had received his British Passport . Paul Castron was signed but pulled out just before the start of the season , but fortunately for the club Doug McEwen had been released by Peterborough at the same time and so signed for the Devils instead . Victory in the pre - season Trafford Tournament gave an indication of the success to come , although the Devils did get knocked out of the Autumn Cup at the Semi - Final stage to Durham Wasps . In the league though they were unbeaten until December , by which time they had built up a healthy lead at the top of the table . A 14 - 7 victory at home to the Peterborough Pirate on 4 March 1990 clinched their first ever Premier Division League title . Unbeaten in the Playoffs Qualifying group , the Devils travelled to Wembley where they beat Fife Flyers 5 - 1 in the semi - final . In the final they faced the Murrayfield Racers who quickly went 3 - 0 up . Cardiff fought back though and a Steven Cooper goal 95 seconds from the end tied the game at 6 - 6 and sent the game into Overtime and then a Penalty Shootout . After Doug McEwen had scored the 23rd shot , Jeff Smith saved Tony Hand ' s attempt and the Devils had won the Playoff Championship in one of the greatest Finals of all time , live on BBC Grandstand . 1990 - 91 . After the previous years success , the british players were in great demand . Ian and Stephen Cooper both returned to Durham , whilst Brian Dickson and Robbie Morris also left . In came Derek King ( Fife Flyers ) , Neil Browne ( Slough Jets ) , Paul Heavey and Peter Smith ( both Peterborough Pirates ) . Despite a record breaking Europa Cup tournament which included an 11 - 8 victory over Rodovre and a 3rd placed group finish , the team struggled for consistency domestically . Knocked out once again at the Semi - Final stage of the Autumn Cup by Durham Wasps , they finished second to the Wasps in the league and were knocked out in the Playoff Semi - Finals by Peterborough Pirates as Durham completed the Grand Slam . 1997 - 07 / 08 . In 1997 the club won the Superleague championship . Hardship followed and the club went broke in 2001 and a new team was soon formed which competed in the British National League . The new owners massively reduced spending and effectively disbanded the Cardiff Devils , with the entire Superleague team departing . The then - owner , Bob Phillips was the subject of much scorn amongst fans due to the perceived mismanagement and effective destruction of what was then one of Britain ' s most established and stable teams . The new team was formed from a handful of quickly drafted players , as well scavenging the Cardiff Devils youth teams to make up the numbers under the lower budget . Attendances at games dropped heavily , going from full arenas to typically less than fifty . During the first two seasons under Phillips large protests and demonstrations occurred outside games , with initially hundreds of supporters club members appearing outside the arena . While eventually the supporters club would reconcile with Bob Phillips and some of the old players would make goodwill appearances , the teams best years were behind them . In 2003 , the Devils became founder members of the Elite League , finishing the first season in 5th place . They were semi finalists in the end of season playoffs , losing to champions Sheffield Steelers . During the 2004 - 05 NHL lockout , Rob Davison of the San Jose Sharks played for the Devils . The 2004 - 5 season did not finish well for the Devils . As in the 03 - 04 season , they reached the playoff semi - finals , but were once again defeated , this time by the Nottingham Panthers . During 2005 , serious questions over the future of the Devils began to emerge . The Wales National Ice Rink was due for demolition in 2006 to make way for a John Lewis store and plans for a new ice arena at Sophia Gardens were progressing at an extremely slow pace . There was a very real threat that 2005 - 06 could have been the last season of the Cardiff Devils . The Save Our Rink Action Committee ( SORAC ) formed to lead calls from the city ' s ice hockey clubs and fans for a temporary facility to be constructed while a more permanent building was finally built . SORAC successfully campaigned for a temporary rink in the Cardiff Bay area of the city . Planning permission was given in January 2006 and the structure was expected to be completed in time for the 2006 - 07 ice hockey season . However this proved not to be the case , with construction problems delaying the opening of the Cardiff Arena until December 2006 . The Devils won their first silverware of the EIHL era in 2006 . The Devils faced arch rivals Coventry Blaze in a repeat of the previous year ' s Challenge Cup final but were beaten 3 - 0 in the first leg of the final in Coventry . The Devils however managed an incredible turn around in the second leg , defeating the Blaze 4 - 1 to tie the game on aggregate and won the cup 1 - 0 in the following penalty shoot - out . " Man of the Match " Nathan Rempel scored a memorable hat - trick , whilst Rejean Stringer scored the winning goal in the penalty shoot - out . In January 2007 Player / Coach Ed Patterson was released by the Devils in a cost cutting move . Patterson was replaced as Player / Coach by Gerad Adams with Brad Voth taking over from Adams as Captain . After several games during which injured players carried out the duties of Bench Coach , former Devils player Brent Pope was appointed to the position . Despite off - ice difficulties throughout the 2006 - 07 season , the Devils produced an impressive season . The Devils , including Elite League Player of the Year Mark Smith , finished 3rd in the league . The Devils also won the British Knockout Cup , beating rivals Coventry Blaze 3 - 0 at Coventry ' s Skydome . A cup double was snatched from the Cardiff Devils when they lost 1 - 0 on penalties to the Nottingham Panthers in the 2006 - 07 Playoff Final , after the game finished 1 - 1 after overtime . The 2007 - 08 season saw the Devils finish the league in 6th place . After a string of losses at the beginning of the season , they rose to an unbeaten run of games which propelled them to the top of the Elite League . However this was soon ended as a huge injury crisis hit the club which saw # 1 Netminder Phil Osaer out with a knee injury that required surgery , Paul Sample out for the season with a knee injury , newly signed forward Mike Prpich out for the season with yet another knee injury sustained in Belfast and goalscorer Jason Silverthorn out with a shoulder injury . Other injuries became noticed during the 2 month losing streak . The Devils qualified for the playoff weekend by beating the Nottingham Panthers at the Trent FM Arena , and holding them to a 3 - 3 draw the following evening . The Devils were beaten at the playoff weekend by the eventual winners , the Sheffield Steelers , going down 2 - 1 . The loss capped a disappointing season . 2008 / 09 Season . The Devils season so far has been mixed . A devastating 9 - 0 win against the Edinburgh Capitals probably being the highlight so far . Since the start of the season however , the team has struggled with injuries and suspensions - notably the highly controversial 11 game suspension of club captain Brad Voth ( which was cut to 7 on review ) . Two summer signings , DEFENCEMAN Likit Andersson and Forward Rod Hinks , were cut from the squad due to injury and performance respectively . Returning defenceman Tyson Teplitsky filled the gap left by Andersson and has contributed greatly in points . Canadian Marc Fulton was drafted in to replace Hinks , however after a promising start , is currently on the sidelines with an injury . Joining Fulton on the injury list : centre Lee Cowmeadow and current top scorer Mike Prpich after having knee surgery in mid December . The Devils lay 6th in the Elite League standings ( as of 05 / 02 / 09 ) 30 points behind league leaders and arch rivals Sheffield Steelers and 20 behind 2nd placed Belfast Giants . On 26th of January 2009 , the Devils announced the signing of Matt Elich , a former NHL player with the Tampa Bay Lightning . Elich , who was drafted 61st overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1997 , had played in Europe previously in the German and Austrian / Slovenian leagues . Elich , brought in to replace the injured Derek Campbell , scored 1 + 1 in his debut game . The Devils although eliminated from the Challenge Cup are through to the British Knockout Cup , a trophy won during the 06 - 07 season , after demolishing a dwindling Basingstoke Bison squad 17 - 1 over two legs [ 8 - 0 , 9 - 1 ] . They are set to face the Belfast Giants with the Devils having home ice advantage of the first leg . More injury worries loom , much like the previous season with Lee Cowmeadow ' s season ended with a dislocated elbow , and Jason Silverthorn with a broken thumb to add to the list of casualties . Devils captain Brad Voth has been given the honour of being named Captain for the South team for the up and coming ' All - Star Spectacular ' in February 2009 , which comprises of the best players from the South of the Elite League against the best from the North . Similar in comparison the the NHL East vs West All - Star game . The Devils scraped through to the playoff semi - finals in Nottingham after beating the Belfast Giants with an overtime goal in the Cardiff Arena from Captain Brad Voth , ending the series 6 - 5 . The Devils then lost to the Sheffield Steelers 5 - 2 in the Playoff semi - finals . Sheffield went on to win the playoffs , defeating the Nottingham Panthers by 2 - 0 in the final , completing their league and playoff double . Honours and Awards . League Championships Play Off Championships Autumn Cup s Challenge Cups British Knockout Cups First Team All - Stars Second Team All - Stars