Sparta Sarpsborg

(Redirected from Sparta Warriors)

Ishockeyklubben Sparta Sarpsborg is a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Sarpsborg, Norway. They currently play in EliteHockey Ligaen. They play their home games in the Sparta Amfi arena and is Norway's oldest ice hockey rink. The team colours are blue and white.

Sparta Sarpsborg
CitySarpsborg, Norway
LeagueEliteHockey Ligaen
Founded1928; 96 years ago (1928)
Home arenaSparta Amfi
ColorsBlue, gold and white
     
Head coachSjur Robert Nilsen
CaptainNiklas Roest
AffiliateComet Halden (1. div)
Websitesparta.no
Championships
Regular season titles4
Playoff championships1984, 1989, 2011

History

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The ice hockey department of IL Sparta was founded in 1958, and got off to a fantastic start when Norway's first indoor hockey arena, Sparta Amfi, was opened in 1963. Within three years, they earned promotion to the Eliteserien (first division) as the first team outside Oslo to do so. It was only to be a short stint, and through most part of the late 1960s and 1970s, Sparta spent their time in the second division, with occasional visits to the top flight.

The 1980s was to be Sparta's greatest decade. Under the leadership of coach Lasse Bäckman and strengthened by several strong signings from other Norwegian clubs and a couple of Swedish stars, they claimed the Norwegian Championships in 1984. The feat was repeated in 1989, when the club beat heavily favoured Trondheim in the final after claiming the last playoff spot.

Economic problems followed this success, and in 1995 Sparta filed for bankruptcy, the only sports club in Norway ever to do so. This meant that they had to start from scratch in the third division, and they lost their best players to other clubs in Norway. However, many of these players subsequently returned to Sparta, and in 1997 they were back in the Eliteserien, where they have remained since.

In 2004, the team was rebranded as Sparta Warriors.[1]

In the 2008–09 season, the team won the league, and won silver in the Norwegian Championship after being defeated by Vålerenga in the final.

In 2020, the team was rebranded as Sparta Sarpsborg.[2]

The song I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles is known as the club anthem of Sparta Warriors.

Season-by-season results

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This is a partial list of the last ten seasons completed by Sparta Sarpsborg. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Sparta Sarpsborg seasons.

Norwegian Champions Regular Season Champions Promoted Relegated
Season League Regular season[3] Playoffs
GP W L OTW OTL GF GA Pts Finish
2013–14 Eliteserien 45 23 16 3 3 136 104 78 4th Lost in Quarter-finals, 1–4 (Storhamar)
2014–15 Eliteserien 45 26 14 0 5 176 122 83 3rd Lost in Semi-finals, 1–4 (Storhamar)
2015–16 Eliteserien 45 24 12 5 4 172 138 86 4th Lost in Quarter-finals, 2–4 (Storhamar)
2016–17 Eliteserien 45 18 20 1 6 128 111 62 8th Lost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Stavanger)
2017–18 Eliteserien 45 25 10 8 2 152 109 93 2nd Lost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Lillehammer)
2018–19 Eliteserien 48 18 18 5 7 137 141 71 6th Lost in Quarter-finals, 2–4 (Stavanger)
2019–20 Eliteserien 45 18 20 5 2 144 130 66 6th Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Eliteserien 19 4 11 3 1 51 64 19 7th
2021–22 Eliteserien 45 23 12 6 4 150 102 85 3rd Lost in Semi-finals, 3–4 (Stavanger)
2022–23 Eliteserien 45 24 11 8 2 148 99 90 4th Lost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Stavanger)

Source:[4]

Records and statistics

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Scoring leader statistics for regular season only. Matches played statistic includes playoff games.

  •   – current active player

Famous players

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References

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  1. ^ "Sparta bytter navn". Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 17 September 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Sparta tilbake til røttene". Sarpsborg Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 15 August 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  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
  4. ^ "Sparta Sarpsborg". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
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