Gold Coast Blue Tongues

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Gold Coast Blue Tongues
Gold Coast Blue Tongues Logo.png
City Bundall, Gold Coast, Queensland
League Australian Ice Hockey League
Founded 2005
Franchise history
2005–2007 Brisbane Blue Tongues
2008–present Gold Coast Blue Tongues
Championships
Regular season titles 0
Conference Championships 0

main

The Bartercard Gold Coast Blue Tongues, formerly known as the Brisbane Blue Tongues are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League that is currently on hiatus. The team played its home games at the Iceland in Bundall, Gold Coast, Queensland.

History

The Blue Tongues, along with the Central Coast Rhinos, were part of the AIHL's expansion for the 2005 season. The name Blue Tongues is a reference to the blue-tongued lizard which is found in large numbers in the Brisbane suburbs. The lizard is featured in the team's logo.

From 1 April 2008, [artercard came on board as the naming sponsor for the Blue Tongues.[1]

In 2008, the Blue Tongues announced their relocation from the Ice World in Boondall, Queensland to Iceland Bundall, Gold Coast, Queensland, for sponsorship reasons and to bring the players closer together, due to many of the import players already living on the Gold Coast.[2] However, this was not without its difficulties, as the small Iceland rink, according to its owners, was never intended for senior ice hockey, and there were complaints from rival teams and from the league about the suitability and safety of the venue. This all came to a head in 2011 and 2012, with one match called off in each season due to the surface being deemed unplayable. The team was evicted from the rink by its owners after the second cancellation, forcing at short notice the relocation of its last seven home matches in the 2012 season to Iceworld in Acacia Ridge, Brisbane, with the matches played at 10:30pm, a better time unable to be negotiated with the rink due to the short notice of the relocation.[3][4] The club intends the move to Brisbane to be temporary, and intends to return to the Gold Coast when able to do so.[5] In October 2012 the teams license was suspended due to the team being unable to secure a home venue for 2013.[6]

On 23 November 2013, it was announced that the team will remain on hiatus for the 2014 season, with aims on returning to the AIHL in 2015, possibly in Brisbane.[7] However, by 2015, those hopes never materialized and the team remains on hiatus.

Season-by-season record

Season GP W T SOW SOL L GF GA PTS Finish Playoff
2005 26 8 1 4 0 13 104 104 33 7th Did not qualify
2006 28 10 0 1 0 17 117 114 32 6th Did not qualify
2007 28 15 0 4 9 107 101 461 5th Did not qualify
2008 28 8 0 3 17 104 154 27 7th Did not qualify
2009 24 13 1 3 7 108 86 44 4th Lost semifinal vs. Newcastle North Stars, 3–5
2010 24 9 1 1 13 84 107 30 5th Did not qualify
2011 28 13 1 2 12 120 115 43 5th Did not qualify
2012 24 10 0 3 11 81 85 33 3rd, Easton Did not qualify
1 - The AIHL imposed the loss of 3 competition points to the Blue Tongues as a result of the playing unregistered player Jani Pekkarinen.

References

  1. Hansen, Sam (22 April 2008). "Bartercard Gold Coast Blue Tongues". Bartercard Gold Coast Blue Tongues. http://bluetongues.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2010. 
  2. Gardini, Adam (4 February 2008). "Lizard Insider". Lizard Insider. http://www.lizardinsider.com. Retrieved 3 September 2010. 
  3. Lambert, Peter (10 July 2011). "10 July Dogs @ Blue Tongues game cancelled". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&page=53999. Retrieved 11 July 2011. 
  4. "Blue Tongues relocate". Australian Ice Hockey League. 8 June 2012. http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&page=61945. Retrieved 9 June 2012. 
  5. "Blue Tongues to finish season in Brisbane", 12 June 2012. Retrieved on 9 January 2014. 
  6. Kiely, Ben (2012-10-20). "The AIHL Will Revert to an 8 Team Competition for 2013". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientid=3856&leagueid=11464&page=65057&buffer_share=bfebd&utm_source=buffer. Retrieved 21 October 2012. 
  7. http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=7730dc01e417b52bd1a45000b&id=c64d4d2826

External links

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