Initial Playing Operations
The newly formed Manchester Phoenix would be one of the founding members of the British Elite Ice Hockey League and played out of the MEN Arena for their inaugural season. Under player-coach Rick Brebant, and later Paul Heavey, the team finished sixth out of eight in the league, the final qualifying place for the playoffs. Phoenix finished second in their Playoff group ahead of the Belfast Giants, qualifying for the semi-final, where they were beaten 6-1 by the Nottingham Panthers.
Despite an impressive beginning, with 3,600 turning out for the first home game against the London Racers, crowds would not be consistent and it soon became apparent that ice hockey at the busiest indoor venue in Europe would no longer be viable with the season's average attendance being just 2,150 per game, falling far short of the rumoured number of 3,000 needed to cover costs. As a result, the Phoenix temporarily suspended playing operations at the end of the 2003-04 season.
In May 2004 the Phoenix announced that they had the funding to construct a new temporary ice rink but problems arose as to exactly where to locate the facility. As a result, the deadline for inclusion in the EIHL passed, and the Phoenix withdrew from the 2004-05 season. The club had still not managed to build a new venue by the following year, and announced that the Phoenix would not be part of the 2005-06 season either. In November 2005, the club announced details of a new rink to be built in partnership with Nikal, David McLean and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council. The new rink would seat 2,026, with 24 wheelchair spaces, and standing for approx 4-500. Planning permission for the rink was finally granted in early January 2006 and construction began on 30 March, with the rink to be sited in Altrincham.
With progress being made, the Phoenix confirmed their inclusion in the EIHL once again, for the 2006/07 season with the Ice Dome scheduled to host its first game on 24 September 2006. The Phoenix also announced the appointment of Tony Hand as player/head coach. This was regarded as a huge step forward for the organisation, as Hand is regarded by many as the greatest British ice hockey player of all time. Unfortunately for Hand and the team, unexpected delays followed and so in the interim Phoenix home games were held at either IceSheffield or Deeside Leisure Centre. After further construction and two further missed completion dates, the rink eventually opened with a reduced capacity of 1,000 on 25 February 2007, with Phoenix playing host to the Basingstoke Bison. It was the first time professional hockey had been played in Manchester for almost three years. The remaining 700 seats were installed over the following months, with the Dome completely ready for the beginning of the 2007/08 season.
For further information, please see 2006-07 Manchester Phoenix season.
Read more about this topic: Manchester Phoenix
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