Vilnius Hockey Punks

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Hockey Punks Vilnius
Hockey Punks logo.png
City: Vilnius, Lithuania
League: OHL
Founded: 2007 (2007)[1]
Home Arena: Pramogų Arena[2][3]
Colors: Black, red, white
              


Hockey Punks Vilnius is a professional ice hockey team located in Vilnius, Lithuania, which plays in the Latvian Hockey League, the top tier of ice hockey in Latvia. They play home games at Pramogų arena.

History

Hockey Punks Vilnius were founded in 2007 when Lithuanian national team players Šarūnas Kuliešius and Martynas Šlikas started popularising the sport in the capital.[1] Interest in the sport further increased following the launch of 'Heat on Ice' on Tango TV.[1] Heat on Ice was a weekly show covering the latest hockey news and highlights from around the world, with celebrity guests.[4] One of these guests was G&G Sindikata] rapper Gabrielius 'Svaras' Liaudanskas who would go on to be a prominent supporter of the team, often promoting Hockey Punks in interviews.[1] Svaras would subsequently play for the team for 6 years,[5][6] as did his bandmate Andrius 'Pushaz' Glušakovas.[1][7]

Initially, Hockey Punks focused solely on training, before ultimately joining the Lithuanian second tier in 2010.[1] Their first season was a tough one, only winning one game whilst suffering a goal difference of -41.[8] Three seasons later, Hockey Punks were admitted to the Lithuania Hockey League, where they have played since. During their time in the NLRL, Hockey Punks won the league in 2022, and lost in the playoff finals on two occasions; in 2016 and 2019.[3]

Between 2013 and 2017 former NHL star and Olympic gold medalist Darius Kasparaitis played sporadically for the Hockey Punks in order to qualify for the Lithuanian national team, having previously represented Russia.[9][10] During this time with the team Kasparaitis played 7 games for the Hockey Punks, registering 22 points.[11]

In 2020 Hockey Punks took part in the inaugural Baltic Hockey League, a competition made up of two teams from each of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.[12] The team finished 2nd in their group after beating Estonian side HC Everest, but losing to Latvia's HK Liepāja,[13] and therefore qualified for the final round, scheduled for February 2021.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season GP W L T OTW OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
2015-16 24 16 6 — 0 2 50 130 89 2nd Final loss
2016-17 20 10 9 — 1 0 32 87 32 3rd Semi-final loss
2017-18 20 10 8 — 0 2 32 91 32 3rd Semi-final loss
2018-19 18 5 11 — 2 0 19 51 78 3rd Final loss
2019-20 18 12 4 — 1 1 39 120 64 2 Playoffs cancelled

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Vilniaus Hockey Punks nežada sustoti" (in lithuanian). Sportland Magazine. December 18, 2005. https://www.sportlandmagazine.com/lit/vilniaus-hockey-punks-nezada-sustoti/. 
  2. ↑ "Hockey Punks on Facebook" (in english). HockeyArenas.net. January 24, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/HockeyPunks. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Hockey Punks" (in english). EliteProspects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/14264/hockey-punks. 
  4. ↑ "Tango TV – laida apie ledo ritulį "Karštis ant ledo"" (in lithuanian). Delfi. October 13, 2006. https://www.delfi.lt/veidai/eteris/tango-tv-laida-apie-ledo-rituli-karstis-ant-ledo.d?id=10941527. 
  5. ↑ "Gabrielius Svaras Liaudanskas" (in english). EliteProspects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/230707/gabrielius-svaras-liaudanskas. 
  6. ↑ "Lietuvos ledo ritulio čempionate – reperio Svaro įvartis" (in lithuanian). Delfi. December 3, 2012. https://www.delfi.lt/sportas/kitos-sporto-sakos/lietuvos-ledo-ritulio-cempionate-reperio-svaro-ivartis.d?id=60142655#ixzz2I2IIFTSX. 
  7. ↑ "Andrius Glušakovas" (in english). EliteProspects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/230732/andrius-glusakovas. 
  8. ↑ "Elite Prospects - Team Standings Lithuania2" (in english). EliteProspects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/lithuania2/standings/2010-2011. 
  9. ↑ "Darius Kasparaitis putting retirement on hold to join Lithuanian national team" (in english). The Hockey News. January 17, 2016. https://www.si.com/hockey/news/darius-kasparaitis-putting-retirement-on-hold-to-join-lithuanian-national-team. 
  10. ↑ "Kasparaitis Is Playing for More Than a Paycheck" (in english). TheHockeyWriters.com. November 18, 2017. https://thehockeywriters.com/darius-kasparaitis-interview/. 
  11. ↑ "Darius Kasparaitis" (in english). EliteProspects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8685/darius-kasparaitis. 
  12. ↑ "Baltic Hockey League finally start" (in english). EuroHockey.com. November 16, 2020. http://www.eurohockey.com/article/5532-baltic-hockey-league-finally-start.html. 
  13. ↑ "Lietuva always h'ockey!" (in lithuanian). Lithuanian Ice Hockey Federation. http://www.hockey.lt/index.php/baltic-league/baltijos-ledo-ritulio-lyga--d-kasparaicio-grupe/118639. 

External links

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