HC BÃlà TygÅ™i Liberec
- Rise in the Extraliga 2002
- Winning the regular season in 2006 and 2007
The White Tigers Liberec is a Czech ice hockey club from Liberec, who plays for the 2002/ 03 season in the Czech Extraliga and discharges its home games in the Tipsport Arena.
Club history
After the Second World War there were three clubs in Liberec, of which two clubs in 1956 to " Lokomotiva Liberec " banded together. 1961, the club name was changed to "Stadion Liberec ". The first team of the club played between 1961 and the early 1990s in the second or third Czechoslovak league.
Since 1994, the local construction company Syner actively involved as a sponsor and in the management of the association. In the season 1994/95, the rise could be celebrated in the 1st League ( second class ). In the new millennium the club was given a new image by signed a cooperation agreement with the Liberec Zoo and henceforth named after the white tigers White Tigers. Two years later, could be achieved in the play- offs against the HC Rabat Kladno, the rise in the Extraliga. The club was able to establish itself in the highest Czech league every year since 2004 and reached the play-offs.
In the play-offs 2004/ 05 Liberec has won the series 4-3 against Slavia Prague and lost in the semifinals against the future champion of Pardubice 2-4. Thanks to the good starting position so that the third place was achieved overall. The club finished the main round of the 2005 /06 on the first place in the table.
Since the beginning of the 2005/06 season the team coached by Josef Paleček in Tipsport arena was almost undefeated. After the 2006/ 07 season coach Josef Paleček resigned to act for the Czech national team as assistant coach. His successor at the club was the Slovakian Dusan Gregor.
Home ground
Tipsport arena was built on the American model 2005. The equipment of the brand new arena meets the highest requirements. The inauguration of the arena took place during the Euro Hockey Tour in August 2005. Capacity for hockey games is 7500 spectators.
Season statistics since 2002
Well-known former players
- Milan Hnilička, Olympic gold medalist at the Olympics in 1998, a multiple world champion
- Jiří Fischer 2004/ 05
- Aleš Kotalík 2004/ 05
- Ladislav Šmíd
- Radim Vrbata 2004/ 05