North Sea Cup

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The North Sea Cup was a short-lived hockey league that temporarily succeeded the Dutch Eredivisie from 2010-2012. It was the only professional ice hockey league in the Netherlands and the highest level of competition sanctioned by the Nederlandse IJshockey Bond (NIJB; English: "Dutch Ice Hockey Federation") and sanctioned by the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation during the years that it operated.

Eredivisie (ice hockey) highest professional ice hockey league in the Netherlands

The Eredivisie was, during its existence, the only professional ice hockey league in the Netherlands and the highest level of competition organized by the Nederlandse IJshockey Bond. Formed in 1945 and playing continuously since 1964, the league mainly featured Dutch teams, although in some seasons certain Belgian teams competed. The league featured a mix of Dutch, European and overseas players. The winner of the Eredivisie was crowned the Dutch National Champion and represented the Netherlands in the IIHF Continental Cup. In 2015, with most of its teams facing financial problems and its top team, Tilburg Trappers, joining the German Oberliga, the Eredivise was suspended with the remaining teams joining the BeNe League.

Ice hockey team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

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 opponent's net to score points. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually consisting of six players each: one goaltender, and five players who skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team.

Netherlands Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Europe

The Netherlands is a country located mainly in Northwestern Europe. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve separate provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean Sea—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba— it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The official language is Dutch, but a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian.

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It was created in 2010 when two top Belgian teams joined the six remaining teams of the Dutch professional league, called the "Eredivisie". In 2012, the Eredivisie was revived and the North Sea Cup tournament was disbanded, after the Dutch league admitted one of the Belgian teams of the North Sea Cup, HYC Herentals, as a full member.

The North Sea Cup was also the name of the trophy given out to the league champion. HYS The Hague was the trophy winner for both years that the league was in operation.

HYS The Hague ice hockey team in The Hague, The Netherlands

HYS The Hague is the ice hockey club in The Hague, Netherlands. Founded in 1933, the club's top team plays in the Dutch/Belgian BeNe League and competes annually in the Dutch National Championships and the Dutch Cup tournament.

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Heerenveen
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Tilburg
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Eindhoven
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The Hague
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Geleen
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Herentals
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Amsterdam
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Leuven
North Sea Cup Teams for 2011-2012

Teams

The teams of the North Sea Cup in 2011-2012 were:

Team City Arena
Eindhoven Kemphanen Eindhoven IJssportcentrum Eindhoven (cap. 1,700)
HYS The Hague The Hague de Uithof (cap. 2,610)
Geleen Eaters Sittard-Geleen Glanerbrook (cap. 1,200)
Friesland Flyers Heerenveen Thialf (cap. 3,500)
Destil Trappers Tilburg Stappegoor (cap. 2,500)
HYC Herentals Herentals Bloso Ijsbaan (cap. 1,200)
Amsterdam Capitals Amsterdam Jaap Eden Hal (cap. 1,300)
IHC Leuven Leuven Ijs Baan Leuven

Leuven Chiefs have announced that they will not be participating in the 2012-2013 North Sea Cup seasons, for financial reasons and to concentrate on youth development. [1]

Format

The North Sea Cup was both the name of the league and the trophy won by the league champion. In its first year, it consisted of a 36-game tournament with the top-placing team winning the cup. In its second year, )the league/tournament was pared down to a 14-game regular season, with a one-game playoff between the top two teams to determine the North Sea Cup champion.

The North Sea Cup teams also participated in the respective Dutch Cup and Belgian Cup tournaments, which were played prior to or concurrently with the North Sea Cup tournament.

The Dutch Cup, better known in Dutch as the "Beker" or "Bekercompetitie", is the national ice hockey cup in the Netherlands. It was held from 1938-1939, and 1971-present. The Dutch Cup is usually an autumn competition that precedes or runs simultaneously with the regular season of the BeNe League, the Dutch and Belgian semi-professional ice hockey league.

The Belgian Cup is the national ice hockey cup in Belgium. It has been competed for since 1986. It is currently competed for by the teams of the Belgian National League hockey league and by the lone Belgian team of the Dutch Eredivisie, HYC Herentals.

The North Sea Cup tournament also established the rankings for the respective playoff tournaments for the Dutch National Championships and the Belgian National Championships.

History

The Dutch ice hockey Eredivisie was formed after World War II, with teams in Amsterdam, The Hague and Tilburg. It suspended operations from 1950 to 1964, but has organized a season of competition annually ever since. Over the years the number of teams competing fluctuated between 3 and 10 (currently 8), and the number of games played in the regular season between 4 and 36. The league featured a mix of Dutch, European and overseas players.

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Amsterdam Capital city of the Netherlands and municipality

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous municipality of the Netherlands. Its status as the capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although it is not the seat of the government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 854,047 within the city proper, 1,357,675 in the urban area and 2,410,960 in the metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country but is not its capital, which is Haarlem. The Amsterdam metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, which has a population of approximately 8.1 million.

The Hague City and municipality in South Holland, Netherlands

The Hague is a city on the western coast of the Netherlands and the capital of the province of South Holland. It is also the seat of government of the Netherlands.

For the 2008-2009 Eredivisie season, the Utrecht Dragons and Eindhoven Kemphanen joined the league. In 2009-2010, Utrecht returned to the Eerste Divisie. Prior to the 2010-2011 season, Amstel Tijgers, one of the oldest teams in the league, dropped out, as did Groningen Grizzlies after three seasons, due to poor results on the ice and low revenues. In 2010, a new team, the Zoetermeer Panthers, won the Dutch Cup but dropped out of the first North Sea Cup tournament due to financial problems.

IJCU Dragons Utrecht was an amateur ice hockey team in Utrecht, Netherlands. The team played one season as "Hoek Dragons Utrecht" in the Dutch Eredivisie, the professional hockey division in the Netherlands, in 2008-2009, while maintaining an amateur team in the Eerste divisie. In 2013, it ceased operations in the Eerste divisie. Home games were played at De Vechtsebanen.

Eindhoven Kemphanen is an ice hockey club in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. They played in the Dutch Cup and the Eredivisie) until season 2017-2018, the highest-level hockey division in the Netherlands. Home games are played at the IJssportcentrum Eindhoven.

Prior to the 2010-2011 season, the top five Belgian teams competed in an Elite Series. These teams tended to have a smaller budget and fewer imported players than the top Dutch teams. In 2010, the Belgian Elite Series disbanded when two of its teams, HYC Herentals and White Caps Turnhout, joined the Dutch Eredivisie, which was renamed the "North Sea Cup".

For the second season of the North Sea Cup (2011-2012), one newly formed Dutch team (Amsterdam Capitals) and one former Belgian Elite Series team (Leuven Chiefs) took part in the league. White Caps Turnhout dropped out of the league midway through the season due to a large number of injured and departing players—their games did not count in the final standings. The second season of the North Sea Cup was shortened to a home-and-home round-robin among all the teams of the league, the same format as the Dutch and Belgian Cup tournament.

Other Leagues

In the Netherlands, below the North Sea Cup is the Eerste Divisie (First Division), the country's top amateur ice hockey league. There is no relegation or promotion between the North Sea Cup and the Eerste Divisie, although some cities (such as Tilburg, Amsterdam and The Hague) have a professional team in the North Sea Cup and a separate but similarly-named amateur team in the Eerste Divisie. All other Dutch hockey leagues are recreational leagues.

In Belgium, the Belgian National League operates as an amateur league one tier below the North Sea Cup. Belgian National League teams compete with North Sea Cup teams for the Belgian Cup, but only the Belgian North Sea Cup teams are eligible to win the National Championships.

Champions

The champions of the league's major trophies since formation:

Year Belgian Cup Dutch Cup North Sea Cup Belgian Championship Dutch Championship
2011-2012 HYC Herentals HYS The Hague HYS The Hague HYC Herentals Ruijters Eaters Geleen
2010-2011 White Caps Turnhout Tilburg Trappers HYS The Hague White Caps Turnhout HYS The Hague

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References

  1. ↑ Leuven Chiefs website
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