Herning Blue Fox

Last updated
Herning Blue Fox
HBF Logo23.png
City Herning
League Metal Ligaen
Founded1947
Home arena KVIK Hockey Arena
(Capacity: 4,105)
Colors   
Head coachPer "Pelle" Hånberg
CaptainMorten Poulsen
Website www.bluefox.dk

Herning Blue Fox is a Danish professional ice hockey team based in Herning, Denmark, playing in the Metal Ligaen, the top tier of Danish ice hockey. The club was founded in 1947 and play their home games in the KVIK Hockey Arena which has a capacity of 4,105 spectators. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The club has won the Danish championship 16 times with the last title coming in 2012. [4]

Club history

2015–2016: Mario Simioni era

2015–2016 season

After the departure of long-time head coach Todd Bjorkstrand, Herning signed Mario Simioni to take the helm of the club. Simioni led the team to the playoffs where they faced the fifth-ranked Odense Bulldogs in the quarterfinals. Herning started the series strong with a 2–1 victory at home, though Odense then evened it up in game two, with a 3–0 shutout victory. Herning came back strong in game three as they dominated Odense in a 6–1 road win. Game four was a 2–1 victory to Odense, again evening up the series. Odense took their first lead of the series as they won game five in overtime 2–1. Herning evened up the series in game six with a 2–1 victory on the road. Herning won the series, with a series-clinching 2–1 overtime win in game seven to move on to the semis.

The semifinals saw the Herning Blue Fox facing the second-ranked Frederikshavn White Hawks. Game one resulted in a 3–1 home win for the White Hawks. In game two Herning came out victorious in a blowout 7–1 win. The White Hawks regained the series lead with a 5–2 win in game three. In game four Herning evened up the series with a 5–2 win. The White Hawks won game five 5–3 as they took back the series lead, though game six saw Herning shutout the White Hawks in a 2–0 win. Herning defeated the White Hawks 3–1 in game seven to clinch a spot in the league final.

In the finals, Herning Blue Fox was set to clash with the Esbjerg Energy. In game one, Esbjerg came out victorious in a 3–2 home win. Though Herning won three straight games to take a 3–1 series lead, Esbjerg won three straight games to win the finals—their first since 2004.

After his first season with Herning, Simioni left the club to join the coaching staff of the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany as an assistant to Serge Aubin. [5]

2016–present: Return of Todd Bjorkstrand

2016–2017 season

In May 2016, Herning Blue Fox signed former head coach Todd Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand returned to the club after leaving in 2014 to coach the Graz 99ers of the Erste Bank Hockey League. [6]

Season by season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Herning Blue Fox.

Seasons of Herning Blue Fox [7]
SeasonRankGPWLOTWOTLPtsPostseason
2011–12 3rd4023142174Champion
2012–13 1st402484484Quarter final loss
2013–14 2nd402574487Final loss
2014–15 1st362460678Bronze medal game loss
2015–16 4th4521154576Final loss

Current roster

Updated February 20, 2019 [8] [9]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G AgeAcquiredBirthplace
31 Flag of Denmark.svg Simon Nielsen G L37 Herning, Denmark
16 Flag of Denmark.svg Patrik Madsen D L31 Herning, Denmark
18 Flag of Denmark.svg Daniel Nielsen  ( C ) D R43 Herning, Denmark
12 Flag of Denmark.svg Thomas Andersen RW R29 Herning, Denmark
25 Flag of Denmark.svg Markus Jensen LW/C L27 Herning, Denmark
4 Flag of Denmark.svg Lasse Lassen RW R34 Herning, Denmark
11 Flag of Denmark.svg Daniel Nielsen LW L25 Vojens, Denmark
7 Flag of Denmark.svg Sebastian Ruders F L26
21 Flag of Denmark.svg Kristoffer Søgaard Jensen RW/C L27 Herning, Denmark

Retired numbers

NHL alumni

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References

  1. ↑ "Herning IK". Eurohockey.com. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Kvik Hockey Arena". Eurohockey.com. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Kvik Hockey Arena". Bluefox.dk. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "History". Bluefox.dk. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Forgyldt træner til Herning Blue Fox". Bluefox.dk. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  6. ↑ "Todd Bjorkstand tilbage på Hedene". Bluefox.dk. Archived from the original on 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  7. ↑ "Herning Blue Fox". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Herning Blue Fox Truppen". Bluefox.dk. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  9. ↑ "Eliteprospects.com - Herning Blue Fox". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
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