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. The team is officially known as the GMB Nottingham Panthers due to a sponsorship agreement with the GMB union.
The Panthers have won three league championships (two English National League titles and one British National League title), two Championships, six Autumn Cups and two Challenge Cups during their history. 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 who continue to participate 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 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 Panthers have one of the largest fanbases in British ice hockey. Their supporters have shared a number of rivalries with other teams during their history. Currently the Panthers have a fierce rivalry with the Sheffield Steelers. The two sides have played over 150 games, including ten major finals, since 1992.
==Honours and awards==
League Championships
*1950–51, 1953–54, 1955–56
Playoff Championships
*1988–89, 2006–07
Autumn Cups
*1955–56, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1998–99
Challenge Cups
*2003–04, 2007–08
Player of the Year Trophy
*Dan Dorion : 1991–92
Coach of the Year Trophy
*Alex Dampier : 1986–87, 1988–89
*Mike Blaisdell : 1994–95
Alan Weeks Trophy (Best British Defenceman)
*Graham Waghorn : 1994–95
*Stephen Cooper : 1999–00
First Team All Star
*1948–49 : Chick Zamick
*1950–51 : Les Strongman
*1950–51 : Chick Zamick
*1951–52 : Les Strongman
*1951–52 : Chick Zamick
*1952–53 : Lorne Smith
*1952–53 : Chick Zamick
*1953–54 : Gerry Watson
*1954–55 : Les Strongman
*1954–55 : Chick Zamick
*1955–56 : Chick Zamick
*1955–56 : Gerry Watson
*1957–58 : Chick Zamick
*1958–59 : Verne Pachal
*1958–59 : Jack Siemon
*1959–60 : Jack Siemon
*1988–89 : Dave Graham
*1988–89 : Darren Durdle
*1991–92 : Dan Dorion
*1994–95 : Rick Brebant
*1994–95 : Garth Premak
*1994–95 : Chuck Taylor
*1995–96 : Darren Durdle
*1995–96 : Garth Premak
*1996–97 : Paul Adey
*1996–97 : Garth Premak
*1998–99 : Paul Adey
*1998–99 : Greg Hadden
*2000–01 : PC Drouin
*2000–01 : Jim Paek
*2002–03 : Lee Jinman
*2003–04 : John Craighead
*2006–07 : Jan Krajicek
*2007–08 : Sean McAslan
Second Team All Star
*1949–50 : Wally Black
*1949–50 : Chick Zamick
*1951–52 : Bill Ringer
*1953–54 : Jack Siemon
*1953–54 : Les Strongman
*1953–54 : Chick Zamick
*1954–55 : Jack Siemon
*1954–55 : Gerry Watson
*1955–56 : Jack Siemon
*1956–57 : Tom Lemon
*1956–57 : Gerry Watson
*1957–58 : Lorne Smith
*1958–59 : Lorne Smith
*1958–59 : Les Strongman
*1959–60 : Art Hodgins
*1959–60 : Lorne Smith
*1982–83 : Terry Gudziunas
*1998–99 : Trevor Robins
*2001–02 : PC Drouin
*2002–03 : Greg Hadden
*2002–03 : Jim Paek
*2003–04 : Mark Cadotte
*2004–05 : Calle Carlsson
*2006–07 : Rastislav Rovnianek
*2006–07 : Sean McAslan
*2007–08 : Tom Askey
*2007–08 : Corey Neilson
*2008–09 : Corey Neilson
==Records and statistics==
Randall Weber holds the record for Nottingham Panthers appearances, having played for the club 845 times between 1985 and 2002. Centre Chick Zamick comes second, having appeared 624 times between 1947 and 1958. 
Canadian forward Paul Adey is the club's all time leader in goals, assists and points. He scored 828 goals and 781 assists for a total of 1609 points in 609 appearance 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 1000 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 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, serving 1226 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. Nottingham's largest home defeat was a 14–2 loss to the Dundee Rockets 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 the oldest member of the Elite League having been founded forty years before and having played twenty seasons more than the Cardiff Devils, the next oldest team.
==Current roster==
As of 22 July 2009, 2009–10 EIHL season 
Goaltenders	Goaltenders	Goaltenders 	Goaltenders	Goaltenders	Goaltenders
Number 	 	Player 	Catches 	Acquired 	Place of Birth
31 	 	Kevin St. Pierre	L 	2009 	Sherbrooke, Quebec
33 	 	Mark Hartley 	L 	2009 	Nottingham, England
Defencemen	Defencemen	Defencemen 	Defencemen	Defencemen	Defencemen 	Defencemen
Number 	 	Player 	Shoots 	Acquired 	Place of Birth 	
17 	 	James Ferrera 	R 	2006 	Peterborough, England 	
19 	 	Danny Meyers 	R 	2006 	Ascot, England 	
24 	 	Nick Toneys 	L 	2008 	Waupaca, Wisconsin 	
29 	 	Joe Graham† 	R 	2008 	Nottingham, England 	
45 	 	Stephen Lee 	R 	2009 	Kingston, England 	
55 	 	Dominic D'Amour	L 	2009 	LaSalle, Quebec 	
77 	 	Corey Neilson 	L 	2006 	Oromocto, New Brunswick	
Forwards	Forwards	Forwards 	Forwards	Forwards	Forwards	Forwards 	
Number 	 	Player 	Shoots 	Position	Acquired	Place of Birth 	
5 	 	David Clarke 	L 	RW 	2008 	Peterborough, England 	
7 	 	Robert Lachowicz†	L 	LW 	2007 	Nottingham, England 	
9 	 	Bruce Richardson 	L 	C 	2008 	Ville Saint-Pierre, Quebec 	
12 	 	James Neil† 	L 	C 	2005 	Nottingham, England 	
71 	 	Marty Gascon 	R 	LW 	2009 	Ville Saint-Pierre, Québec, Canada	
16 	 	Marc Levers 	R 	RW 	2007 	Derby, England 	
15 	 	Ross Dalgliesh 	R 	C 	2009 	Edinburgh, Scotland 	
27 	 	Cameron Mann 	R 	RW 	2009 	Thompson, Manitoba 	
25 	 	Kevin Bergin 	L 	LW 	2007 	Montreal, Quebec 	
37 	 	Sean McAslan 	R 	RW 	2009 	Okotoks, Alberta 	
13 	 	Jade Galbraith 	R 	RW 	2008 	Hinton, Alberta 	
†
==External links==
*Nottingham Panthers Official Website
*Nottingham Panthers Supporters Club
*Panthers History
Category:British ice hockey teams
Category:Elite Ice Hockey League team
Category:Established in 1946