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Vålerenga Ishockey

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For other uses, see Vålerenga (disambiguation).
Vålerenga Ishockey
CityOslo, Norway
LeagueFjordkraftligaen
Founded1947; 77 years ago (1947)
Home arenaJordal Amfi
ColorsDark blue, red and white
     
General managerFrikk Juell
Head coachEspen Knutsen (interim)
CaptainTobias Lindström
AffiliatesHasle Løren
(1. div)
Websitehttp://www.vif-hockey.no/
Championships
Regular season titles30
Playoff championships1960, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

Vålerenga Ishockey (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈvôːɽɛŋɑ] ⓘ; abbreviated as VIF) is a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Oslo, Norway. Vålerenga has been the dominant force in Norwegian hockey since the 1960s, claiming 26 national championships and 29 regular season titles. Their old home arena, located in central-eastern Oslo, was Jordal Amfi, built for the 1952 Winter Olympics. In 2020, Vålerenga moved in to their new arena at Jordal.

The team's interim head coach is former NHL player and club legend, Espen "Shampo" Knutsen, with Joachim Svendsen his assistant.

History

Early days

Although the parent club Vålerengens Idrettsforening was founded in 1913, the history of Vålerenga Ishockey starts in 1947, when the junior team participated in the national junior championships for the first time. In the 50s, the junior team won the national junior championships five years in a row.

First dynasty (1960–1973)

Vålerenga won their first national championship in 1960, taking over the throne from local rivals Gamlebyen. More championships were won in 1962 and 1963. From 1965 to 1971, Vålerenga won the championship an incredible seven times in a row, a feat not repeated in Norwegian hockey since. Notable players from this era include Arne "Mikkel" Mikkelsen, Steinar "Bjølle" Bjølbak, Tor "Jern-Gustav" Gundersen, and notably, Roy "Sleipern" Jansen. Another title was added in 1973, but this also marked the end of the first dynasty as the club faced a generational change.

A new generation (1982–1994)

Ten years went by before Vålerenga could celebrate another championship, in 1983. A new generation had emerged, and players such as Jim Marthinsen, Roy Johansen, Geir Myhre, Tor Helge "Totto" Eikeland, Bjørn Kolsrud, Arne Billkvam and Jon Magne Karlstad would go on to become club legends. In 1988, Vålerenga won their 15th title. The next season saw the debut of Espen Knutsen, who would later become the first Vålerenga product to play in the National Hockey League.

Recent era

This marked the start of another dynasty for Vålerenga and the club added several more titles in the 1990s. Kent Forsberg became head coach in 1994 and invited his son Peter and Markus Näslund to play a friendly match for the club during the lockout season in the NHL. The 20th national championship was won in 1999. Notable players from this era include Morten Ask, Kenneth Larsen, and Kjell Richard "Ricky" Nygaard, along with Swedish imports such as Johan Brummer, Patric Englund and Niklas Gällstedt. Six more championships were added after 2000, the last being won in 2009. Vålerenga were in talks to join the Kontinental Hockey League in 2014, but the plans didn't go through.[1]

Vålerenga's home arena through six decades, Jordal Amfi, was demolished in January 2017 and to be replaced by a new arena, projected to be completed in 2019.[2]

Season-by-season results

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Vålerenga. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Vålerenga Ishockey seasons.

Norwegian Champions Regular Season Champions Promoted Relegated
Season League Regular season[3] Postseason
GP W L OTW OTL GF GA Pts Finish
2013–14 Eliteserien 45 32 8 2 3 195 95 103 1st Lost in Finals, 2–4 (Stavanger)
2014–15 Eliteserien 45 24 15 2 4 178 126 74 5th Lost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Stavanger)
2015–16 Eliteserien 45 21 16 6 2 122 98 77 5th Lost in Semi-finals, 1–4 (Lørenskog)
2016–17 Eliteserien 45 20 16 4 5 135 111 73 5th Lost in Quarter-finals, 2–4 (Frisk Asker)
2017–18 Eliteserien 45 18 17 5 5 144 132 69 5th Lost in Quarter-finals, 1–4 (Lillehammer)

Players and personnel

Current roster

Template:Vålerenga Ishockey roster

Head coaches

Honours

  • Norwegian Champions (26): 1960, 1962–3, 1965–71, 1973, 1982, 1985, 1987–8, 1991–3, 1998–9, 2001, 2003, 2005–7, 2009
  • Regular Seasons (30): 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–1999, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19

Individual all-time records

Statistics for regular season only.

  •   – current active player

Notable players

Roy "Sleipern" Jansen played 484 regular season games for Vålerenga between 1966 and 1984.

References

  1. ^ "Vålerenga dropper spill i KHL-ligaen" (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Slik blir Nye Jordal Amfi" (in Norwegian). VG. 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. ^ Code explanation; GP—Games Played, W—Wins, L—Losses, OTW—Overtime/Shootout wins, OTL—Overtime/Shootout losses, GF—Goals For, GA—Goals Against, Pts—Points
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