KHL Medveščak Zagreb

KHL Medveščak Zagreb (Croatian: Ice Hockey Club Medveščak Zagreb) is a Croatian ice hockey team. It is the most successful and popular ice hockey team in Croatia. The team plays in the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2014-15 season. The team's namesake is derived from the location of its original arena in Gornji Grad – Medveščak.

History
The team was established in 1961, from the team SD Zagreb. In its first ten seasons in the Yugoslav Hockey League, Medveščak solidified as the second most popular team in Zagreb to football team Dinamo, playing their games in an outdoor rink in the upper-class neighbourhood of Šalata, with a draw of around 5,000 spectators a game. In 1971 the team moved into an indoor rink in Zagreb called the Dom Sportova, with the capacity to hold up to 6,400 fans. Over the first two decades of their existence Medveščak middled in success however never won the Yugoslav championship and by the early 1980s was mired in a financial crisis to almost suffer relegation from the top league in 1985. The following season in 1986 the club was sponsored by the Gortan Building company, owned by Zdenko Gradecki, to become the de facto owners. With much needed investment, Gradecki transformed the club and recruited heavily, leading with Russian Hall of Famer, Vyacheslav Anisin. By the late 1980s the team became the best in the Yugoslav Ice Hockey League, winning three consecutive championships from 1989, culminating with an appearance in the 1991 IIHF European Cup in which they progressed to the second round.

With the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991, Gortan Building company along with a host of sponsors plunged into financial crisis and pulled out of their backing of the team. Without funding, the club lost its best players and professional status left to compete as an amateur outfit in the Croatian Ice Hockey League. However, from the late 1990s to late 2000s the team would dominate the league, winning almost every championship. Medveščak strengthened its position in the 2000s in establishing a farm team, KHL Medveščak Zagreb II. In search of more competitive play in the team also participated in the Slovenian Ice Hockey League from 2007, finishing in second place in their inaugural season. The following season, Medvescak was by far the best team in the Slovenian league (without the best two Slovenian teams which joined Erste Bank Eishockey Liga a year earlier) during the regular season, losing only one game in regulation.

Starting in the 2009–10 season, Medveščak once again moved up in competitive level, joining the Austrian Erste Bank Eishockey Liga. In marking their moves up the professional ranks the Bears recruited North American coach, Ted Sator from fellow EBEL team Alba Volán Székesfehérvár. With a commitment to continue to participate in the Croatian Ice Hockey League playoffs, Medveščak made their Austrian debut in front of a sellout crowd at the Dom Sportova in a 6-5 victory against Slovenian member HK Acroni Jesenice on 11 September 2009. The Bears drew over 200,000 spectators throughout the season home games and were rewarded as the last team to qualify for a position in the playoffs. In their inaugural season, they stunned top seeded Graz 99ers in the Quarterfinals in win in 6 games, before suffering elimination to eventual champions EC Red Bull Salzburg in the semi-finals.

On 14 and 16 September 2012, Medveščak hosted its first two home games of the 2012–13 EBEL season at the Pula Arena. The first game in a 3-2 loss to HDD Olimpija Ljubljana and the second game against the Vienna Capitals which resulted in a 4-1 win. After the second game, KHL President Alexander Medvedev said that the club might join the KHL next season along with Hockey Milano Rossoblu from Italy.

On 29 April 2013, the club board has announced that Medveščak will join KHL in season 2013-14.

On 6 September 2013, The Bears opened their premiere season in the KHL with a 7:1 victory against CSKA Moscow.

Honours

 * Yugoslav Ice Hockey League: 3
 * 1989, 1990, 1991


 * Yugoslav Cup: 4
 * 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991


 * Croatian Ice Hockey Championship: 18
 * 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014