1.
Odense
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Odense is the third-largest city in Denmark. It has a population of 175,245 as of January 2016, by road, Odense is located 45 kilometres north of Svendborg,144 kilometres to the south of Aarhus and 167 kilometres to the southwest of Copenhagen. Odense has close associations with Hans Christian Andersen who is remembered above all for his fairy tales and he was born in the city in 1805 and spent his childhood years there. There has been settlement in the Odense area for over 4,000 years, although the name was not mentioned in writing until 988. Canute IV of Denmark, generally considered to be the last Viking king, was murdered by peasants in Odenses St Albans Priory on 10 July 1086. Although the city was burned in 1249 following a royal rivalry, in 1865, one of the largest railway terminals in Denmark was built, further increasing the population and commerce, and by 1900, Odense had reached a population of 35,000. Odenses Odinstårnet was one of the tallest towers in Europe when built in 1935 but was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, the University of Southern Denmark was established in 1966. In the present day, Odense remains the hub of Funen. Several major industries are located in the city including the Albani Brewery and GASA, Denmarks major dealer in vegetables, fruits and flowers. In sports, Odense has a number of clubs including OB, BM, B1909, and B1913, the Odense Bulldogs professional ice hockey team. Odense is served by Hans Christian Andersen Airport and Odense station, Odense is one of Denmarks oldest cities. Archaeological excavations in the vicinity show proof of settlement for over 4,000 years since at least the Stone Age, the earliest community was centred on the higher ground between the Odense River to the south and Naesbyhoved Lake to the north. Nonnebakken, one of Denmarks former Viking ring fortresses, lay to the south of the river, today, Odenses Møntergården Museum has many artefacts related to the early Viking history in the Odense area. The Vikings built numerous fortifications along the banks to defend it against invaders coming in from the coast. The first church in Odense appears to have been St Marys, the territory, previously part of the vast Archbishopric of Hamburg, was created a Catholic diocese in 988. The first recorded bishops of Odense were Odinkar Hvide and Reginbert, recent excavations have shown that from the early 11th century, the town developed in the area around Albani Torv, Fisketorvet, Overgade and Vestergade. By 1070, Odense had already grown into a city of stature in Denmark, the priory no longer exists, although a church has been situated on the site since about 900. At the beginning of the 12th century, Benedictine monks from England founded St Canutes Abbey and it was here the English monk Ælnoth wrote Denmarks first literary work, Vita et Passio S. Canuti
2.
Ice hockey
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Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponents net to score points. Ice hockey teams usually consist of six each, one goaltender. A fast-paced, physical sport, ice hockey is most popular in areas of North America, Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity. In North America, the National Hockey League is the highest level for mens hockey, the Kontinental Hockey League is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe. The International Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body for international ice hockey. The IIHF manages international tournaments and maintains the IIHF World Ranking, worldwide, there are ice hockey federations in 74 countries. Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th century United Kingdom and these games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed, such as shinny and ice polo. The contemporary sport of ice hockey was developed in Canada, most notably in Montreal, some characteristics of that game, such as the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck, have been retained to this day. Amateur ice hockey began in the 1880s, and professional ice hockey originated around 1900. The Stanley Cup, emblematic of ice hockey club supremacy, was first awarded in 1893 to recognize the Canadian amateur champion, in international competitions, the national teams of six countries predominate, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Of the 69 medals awarded all-time in mens competition at the Olympics, in the annual Ice Hockey World Championships,177 of 201 medals have been awarded to the six nations. In Russia and the Ukraine, where hockey can also refer to bandy, the name hockey has no clear origin. The English historian and biographer John Strype did not use the word hockey when he translated the proclamation in 1720, the 1573 Statute of Galway banned a sport called hokie—the hurling of a little ball with sticks or staves. A form of this word was thus being used in the 16th century, though much removed from its current usage. According to the Austin Hockey Association, the word derives from the Scots Gaelic puc or the Irish poc. The blow given by a hurler to the ball with his caman or hurley is always called a puck. Stick-and-ball games date back to pre-Christian times, in Europe, these games included the Irish game of hurling, the closely related Scottish game of shinty and versions of field hockey. IJscolf, a game resembling colf on a surface, was popular in the Low Countries between the Middle Ages and the Dutch Golden Age. It was played with a curved bat, a wooden or leather ball
3.
Nottingham Panthers
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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 Nottingham Panthers have won four titles, five Championships, six Autumn Cups. Panthers are the only British team to win European club honours with one Continental Cup, 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 competed in until its disbandment in 1960. With no league to play in the club ceased operations. In 1980, players and officials from the Sheffield Lancers relocated to Nottingham, 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 Nottingham Panthers have one of the largest fanbases in British ice hockey and their supporters have shared a number of rivalries with other teams during their history. Currently the Panthers have a rivalry with the Sheffield Steelers. The two sides have played over 200 games, including eleven major finals, since 1992, an initial attempt to bring a professional ice hockey team to Nottingham was made in 1939 following the completion of the Ice Stadium in Nottingham City Centre. Seven years later, after the war had ended, an effort to bring ice hockey to the city was begun. With a team of Canadians largely from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Nottingham Panthers played their first competitive game on 22 November 1946 with a 3–2 home victory over the Wembley Monarchs. The Panthers struggled during their years and only once during their first four seasons did they finish in the upper half of the league table. The clubs first coach, Alex Archer, left Nottingham after two seasons and was replaced by Archie Stinchcombe who would coach the team until 1955. Despite a lack of success in their formative years the team had a number of players who would become local heroes including forwards Les Strongman, the clubs first major title came in the 1950–51 season. After finishing fourth in the Autumn Cup the Panthers won 18 of their 30 league games, the team also ended the campaign having scored the most goals and conceded the least. The following season Nottingham lost Chick Zamick to injury and fell to the bottom of the rankings, success returned in 1953–54 when, after a last place finish in the Autumn Cup, the Panthers secured their second English League title by one point over Streatham
4.
Number (sports)
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The number is typically displayed on the rear of the jersey, often accompanied by the surname. Sometimes it is displayed on the front and/or sleeves, or on the players shorts or headgear. It is used to identify the player to officials, other players, official scorers, player numbers were used in a Queensland vs. New Zealand rugby match played on 17 July 1897, in Brisbane, Australia, the goalkeeper would generally wear number 1, then defenders, midfield players and forwards in ascending order. Numbers being assigned to each player in a squad was initiated for the 1954 World Cup, in 1993, Englands Football Association switched to persistent squad numbers, abandoning the mandatory use of 1–11 for the starting line-up. It became standard in the FA Premier League in the 1993–94 season, most European top leagues adopted the system over the next five years. It is common for players to change numbers within a club as their career progresses, for example, Cesc Fàbregas was first assigned the number 57 on arrival at Arsenal in 2003. On promotion to the first team squad he was switched to number 15 before inheriting his preferred number 4 following the departure of Patrick Vieira. Very high numbers, the most common being 88, are reserved and used as a placeholder. However, in some countries these high numbers are well used, on joining A. C. Milan, Andriy Shevchenko, Ronaldinho and Mathieu Flamini all wore numbers reflecting the year of their birth, because their preferred numbers were already being worn. Port Adelaide assigns Number 1 to the team captain, in these situations, it is usually customary for players who relinquish the captaincy to switch to another. For example, as of 2010, Michael Hurley inherited the Number 18 jumper left vacant by the retired Matthew Lloyd, sons of famous players will often take on their fathers number, especially if they play at the same club. Sergio Silvagni and his son Stephen, for example, both wore Number 1 for Carlton, Matthew Scarlett wears his father Johns Number 30 at Geelong. In contrast, some sons of famous players also prefer to take on other numbers in the hopes that it will reduce the burden of having to fulfill high expectations. Notable examples of this are Gary Ablett Jr. at Geelong and Jobe Watson at Essendon, clubs will often feature retiring champions passing on their famous guernsey numbers to the chosen successors, usually in ceremonial fashion, such as a club function or press conference. The highest number worn in a VFL/AFL game is number 65 by Andrew Witts of Collingwood for seven games in 1985, with the demise of Reserves and Under 19s teams it is highly unlikely that any player will play senior football in a number as high again. The highest number used in the 2011 season was number 55 for Nathan Ablett in two games for the Gold Coast Suns. A system of assignment of numbers was initiated in American footballs NFL in 1952, it was updated and made more rigid in 1973
5.
Denmark
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The term Danish Realm refers to the relationship between Denmark proper, the Faroe Islands and Greenland—three countries constituting the Kingdom of Denmark. The legal nature of the Kingdom of Denmark is fundamentally one of a sovereign state. The Faroe Islands and Greenland have been part of the Crown of Denmark since 1397 when the Kalmar Union was ratified, legal matters in The Danish Realm are subject to the Danish Constitution. Beginning in 1953, state law issues within The Danish Realm has been governed by The Unity of the Realm, a less formal name for The Unity of the Realm is the Commonwealth of the Realm. In 1978, The Unity of The Realm was for the first time referred to as rigsfællesskabet. The name caught on and since the 1990s, both The Unity of The Realm and The Danish Realm itself has increasingly been referred to as simply rigsfællesskabet in daily parlance. The Danish Constitution stipulates that the foreign and security interests for all parts of the Danish Realm are the responsibility of the Danish government, the Faroes received home rule in 1948 and Greenland did so in 1979. In 2005, the Faroes received a self-government arrangement, and in 2009 Greenland received self rule, the Danish Realms unique state of internal affairs is acted out in the principle of The Unity of the Realm. This principle is derived from Article 1 of the Danish Constitution which specifies that constitutional law applies equally to all areas of the Danish Realm, the Constitutional Act specifies that sovereignty is to continue to be exclusively with the authorities of the Realm. The language of Denmark is Danish, and the Danish state authorities are based in Denmark, the Kingdom of Denmarks parliament, with its 179 members, is located in the capital, Copenhagen. Two of the members are elected in each of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Government ministries are located in Copenhagen, as is the highest court, in principle, the Danish Realm constitutes a unified sovereign state, with equal status between its constituent parts. Devolution differs from federalism in that the powers of the subnational authority ultimately reside in central government. The Self-Government Arrangements devolves political competence and responsibility from the Danish political authorities to the Faroese, the Faroese and Greenlandic authorities administer the tasks taken over from the state, enact legislation in these specific fields and have the economic responsibility for solving these tasks. The Danish government provides a grant to the Faroese and the Greenlandic authorities to cover the costs of these devolved areas. The 1948 Home Rule Act of the Faroe Islands sets out the terms of Faroese home rule, the Act states. the Faroe Islands shall constitute a self-governing community within the State of Denmark. It establishes the government of the Faroe Islands and the Faroese parliament. The Faroe Islands were previously administered as a Danish county, the Home Rule Act abolished the post of Amtmand and these powers were expanded in a 2005 Act, which named the Faroese home government as an equal partner with the Danish government
6.
Esbjerg
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Esbjerg is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is 71 kilometres west of Kolding and 164 kilometres southwest of Aarhus, with an urban population of 71,618, it is the fifth-largest city in Denmark, and the largest in west Jutland. Before a decision was made to establish a harbour at Esbjerg in 1868, Esbjerg developed quickly with the population rising to 13,000 by 1901 and 70,000 by 1970. In addition to its fishing and shipping activities, it became an important centre for agricultural exports. Over the years, many of the visitors have arrived by ferry from Harwich, Essex, England. The harbour facilities are being expanded to answer the needs of the wind-turbine industry, Esbjerg is served by Esbjerg Airport with flights to Aberdeen, Scotland and Stavanger, Norway. The town has several museums and entertainment venues, including Esbjerg Art Museum, Esbjerg Museum. The Esbjerg Performing Arts Centre was completed in 1997 to designs by Jan, when approached by sea, the Man Meets the Sea is one of the prominent monuments, consisting of four 9-metre-tall white-coloured men, overlooking Sædding Beach. The sculpture was designed by Svend Wiig Hansen and installed in 1995 and it hosts branches of the University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University, Esbjerg is increasingly recognized for its university facilities and sporting activities. Esbjergs oldest existing house, on the corner of Kongensgade, was built around 1660, at the time, Esbjerg consisted of only a few farms. Developed under royal decree from 1868 until 1874, the harbour was opened in 1874, with rail connections to Varde and to Fredericia. Initial planning of the town was conducted by chartered surveyor H. Wilkens in 1870 with streets laid out in the form of a rectangular grid, the market square was positioned at the centre, midway between the harbour and the railway station. From only 400 inhabitants at the beginning of the 1870s, the town and its population rapidly, with 1529 residents mentioned in 1880. In 1893, Esbjerg became a municipality in its own right, receiving the status and privileges of a town in 1899. A number of institutions and facilities were established, including the courthouse and town hall, the gas and waterworks. From the beginning of the 20th century, Esbjerg prospered not only as a fishing port, established in 1895 by nine local dairies, the butter-packaging factory, Dansk Andels Smørpakkeri, employed some 150 workers until 1920, packing and dispatching butter for the London market. It was later extended to include egg marketing under the name Dansk Andels Ægeksport, ultimately, it handled produce from 140 dairies spread across the whole of Jutland. After the Second World War, the town developed several agricultural industries, the slaughterhouse and meat packaging facility, Esbjerg Andels-Slagteri, established in 1887, became Denmarks sixth largest by 1962
7.
Aalborg
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Aalborg, also spelled Ålborg, is an industrial and university city in the North of Jutland, Denmark. It has an population of 112,194, making it the fourth most populous city in Denmark. With a population of 210,316, the Municipality of Aalborg is the third most populous in the country after Copenhagen, by road Aalborg is 64 kilometres southwest of Frederikshavn, and 118 kilometres north of Aarhus. The distance to Copenhagen is 412 kilometres, the earliest settlements date to around AD700. Aalborgs position at the narrowest point on the Limfjord made it an important harbour during the Middle Ages, architecturally, the city is known for its half-timbered mansions built by its prosperous merchants. Budolfi Church, now a cathedral, dates from the end of the 14th century and Aalborghus Castle, today, Aalborg is a city in transition from a working-class industrial area to a knowledge-based community. A major exporter of grain, cement, and spirits, its business interests include Siemens Wind Power, Aalborg Industries. These companies have become global producers of wind turbine rotors, marine boilers, with its theatres, symphony orchestra, opera company, performance venues, and museums such as Aalborg Historical Museum and the Aalborg Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg is an important cultural hub. The Aalborg Carnival, held at the end of May, is one of the largest festivals in Scandinavia, the major university is the University of Aalborg, founded in 1974, which has more than 17,000 students. Trænregimentet, the Danish regiment for army supply and emergency personnel, is also in Aalborg. Aalborg University Hospital, the largest in the north of Jutland, was founded in 1881. The football club Aalborg BK, established in 1885 and based at Nordjyske Arena, won the Danish Superliga in the 1994–95 season, the 1998–99 season, the 2007–08 season and the 2013–14 season. Other sports associations include the icehockey club Aalborg Pirates, the handball team Aalborg Håndbold, the rugby club Aalborg RK. Aalborg Railway Station, on John F. Kennedys Plads has connected the city to Randers, Aalborg Airport is just 6 kilometres northwest of the city centre, and the E45, a European route from Karesuando, Sweden, to Gela, Italy, passes through Aalborg. The European Commission has concluded that the citizens of Aalborg are the most satisfied people in Europe with their city. The area around the narrowest point on the Limfjord attracted settlements as far back as the Iron Age leading to a thriving Viking community until around the year 1000 in what has now become Aalborg. In the Middle Ages, royal trading privileges, a natural harbour, despite the difficulties it experienced over the centuries, the city began to prosper once again towards the end of the 19th century when a bridge was built over Limfjord and the railway arrived. Aalborgs initial growth relied on heavy industry but its current development focuses on culture, Aalborg traces its history back over a thousand years
8.
Iserlohn Roosters
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The Iserlohn Roosters are a professional ice hockey team based in Iserlohn, North-Rhine-Westphalia. They are members of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga since 2000 and play their games at the Eissporthalle Iserlohn which is also known as Eissporthalle am Seilersee. The team made the three times in its first 15 seasons in the DEL. The Roosters are widely regarded for their fans and having one of the best atmospheres at home games in Europe despite having a capacity for just 4967 spectators. The club caused much controversy in 1987 when, under Heinz Weifenbach, the book is widely acknowledged as having been inspired by Mao Zedongs The Little Red Book. The history of ice hockey in Iserlohn began in the town of Hemer. Canadian soldiers were deployed to a district of Hemer called Deilinghofen and they came to the town after the end of the Korean War in 1953 and soon built an arena - first without a roof. The teenagers in Deilinghofen were interested in this kind of sport and wanted to play it. They played on streets or frozen ponds, and were allowed to play in the arena in 1957 for the first time, recognizing the joy of the teenagers, they got coaches with Charles McCuaig later becoming a steady trainer. After a long time, the first game against a Canadian youth team from Soest was on 8 March 1958 in front of 120 people. Deilinghofen played well, but lost 2-6, the equipment was borrowed from the soldiers. After that game, the matches were more steady and with more bystanders, on 28 February 1959 EC Deilinghofen was founded. In 1959 a team from Deilinghofen started in a junior league, a year later they took part in the German championship and finished fifth. In the second season, 1960–61, they came in first in North Rhine-Westphalia and were the second best team in the country, between 1962 and 1964, they were champions of the north of Germany, but they lost the playoffs against the champions of the south. So, they missed promotion, although they were eventually promoted, in 1971 the Canadian soldiers were sent home, and the new British soldiers were not interested in ice hockey. So, the team had to search for a new home, local politicians wanted to have an arena in Iserlohn. After the agreement of Iserlohns town council, the Eissporthalle am Seilersee was built, in the 1976–77 season, Deilinghofen finished two places behind Kaufbeuren in the new Zweite Bundesliga. However, Kaufbeuren waived their right to promotion, and Deilinghofen got the chance to play in Germanys top hockey league for the first time, in 1980 the club was renamed ECD Iserlohn because the arena had been there for years
9.
Chet Pickard
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Chet Pickard is a Canadian-German professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently a free agent who most recently played with German club. Pickard played minor hockey with the Winnipeg Monarchs before joining the junior ranks with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League in 2005–06. He played backup to Carey Price in his first two seasons, then took over the position in 2007–08 as Price graduated to the Montreal Canadiens. He was additionally awarded the Del Wilson Trophy as the top WHL goaltender and was named to the WHL West, in the off-season, he was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the first round, 18th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In 2008–09, he recorded a 2.28 GAA and.921 save percentage and he was nominated for his second Del Wilson Trophy opposite Braden Holtby of the Saskatoon Blades and named to the WHL West First All-Star Team. In the 2012–13 season, Pickard signed his first contract abroad in agreeing to a deal with Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan side. In 45 games, Pickard earned a professional high 25 wins to help Djurgårdens advance to the Kvalserien playoffs, Pickard returned to North America in the off-season and agreed to a try-out at the San Antonio Rampage training camp for the 2013–14 season. He was later released by the Rampage before on November 8,2013, he was signed to an AHL deal with the Oklahoma City Barons and then loaned to the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL. On June 10,2014, Pickard returned for another stint in Europe, signing a contract to be the starting goaltender with Danish club. At the starting goaltender with the Bulldogs, Pickard enjoyed a season in appearing in 36 games. On May 22,2015, Pickard left Denmark to sign an optional two-year deal with German club and he was slated to begin as backup to starting goaltender Mathias Lange. In the 2016–17 season with the Roosters, Pickard appeared in 26 games with the Roosters, on March 3,2017, it was announced that Pickard opted for a new opportunity and would not re-new his contract. Chets younger brother Calvin Pickard is also a goaltender, playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League. Chet is married to Meghan Corbett and they are expecting their first child in October 2016. Playing in his junior season, Pickard was selected by Team Canada for the 2009 World Junior Championships. He played in two games as backup to Dustin Tokarski of the Spokane Chiefs, helping Canada to their fifth gold medal. Chet Pickard career statistics at EliteProspects. com Chet Pickard player profile at NHL. com Chet Pickards career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
10.
Nashville Predators
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The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League, the Predators joined the NHL as an expansion team in the 1998–99 season, and play their home games at Bridgestone Arena. In late 1995, rumors began to circulate that the New Jersey Devils would be relocating to the planned Nashville Arena. Nashville offered a $20 million relocation bonus to any team that would relocate, after the attempt to get the Devils, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman noted that Nashville would probably at least be considered in upcoming expansion. The arena was opened in 1996, and after an attempt to bring the National Basketball Association s Sacramento Kings did not go through, in January 1997, a group led by Wisconsin businessman Craig Leipold made a formal presentation before the NHL requesting an expansion franchise. When Bettman and league officials visited Nashville to tour the arena, in June, the league granted conditional franchises to Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta, and Minneapolis – Saint Paul. The Nashville team would be scheduled to play in 1998 if they met the NHL requirement of selling 12,000 season tickets before March 31,1998. Of the four cities, Nashville was the one with a completed arena. A month later, Leipold named former Washington Capitals general manager David Poile as the franchises first general manager, portland Pirates head coach Barry Trotz was named the franchises first head coach on August 6. Mitch Korn was named the first goaltending coach for the franchise, on September 25,1997, Leipold and team president Jack Diller held a press conference where they unveiled the franchises new logo, a saber-toothed cat. The logo was a reference to a partial Smilodon skeleton found beneath downtown Nashville in 1971 during construction of the First American National Bank building, once the logo was unveiled, the franchise held a vote among fans to choose a name. Three candidates were culled from 75, Ice Tigers, Fury, Leipold added his own submission to the vote, Predators. On November 13, Leipold revealed at a conference that his submission had won out. At one point, rumors began to circulate that the team would move before the first puck ever hit the ice, one rumor had Leipold trading franchises with the Edmonton Oilers, with the Oilers moving to Nashville and the Nashville expansion franchise moving to Houston, Texas. Leipold shot this rumor down, saying here is no chance, when awarded a franchise, the city of Nashville paid 31. 50% of the $80 million fee to join the League. The city has engaged an affiliate of the team to operate the arena, the $15 million payroll of the team was the lowest of the NHL. The Predators first took the ice on October 10,1998 and it was the only sold out game of the Predators first five bouts in Nashville. Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3–2 for their first win, forward Andrew Brunette scored the first goal
2017–18 Odense Bulldogs season
