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.
On 6 June 2006, the Blue Tongues announced that former NHL forward Rob Zamuner would join the team for at least the remainder of the 2006 season. Zamuner is a veteran of 13 NHL seasons and has played for such teams as the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning.
At the start of the 2007 season the Blue Tongues signed former New York Islanders draft pick Tyrone Garner to replace leaving veteran goaltender Milan Novysedlak. Garner made his NHL debut in the 1998/99 season, playing 3 games for the Calgary Flames. In the time since Garner has played in the AHL, ECHL and in Germany.
From 1 April 2008, Bartercard came on board as the naming sponsor for the Blue Tongues.
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. 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. The club intends the move to Brisbane to be temporary, and intends to return to the Gold Coast when able to do so.
Read more about this topic: Gold Coast Blue Tongues
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