East Hokkaido Cranes

East Hokkaido Cranes
CityKushiro, Hokkaidō
Founded2019; 5 years ago (2019)
Folded2023; 1 year ago (2023)
Home arenaKushiro Ice Arena
ColoursBlack, red, white
     
Websitecranes.team

The East Hokkaido Cranes (Japanese: ひがし北海道クレインズ Higashi Hokkaidō kureinzu) were a professional ice hockey team based in Kushiro, Japan. They played their home games at the Kushiro Ice Arena.

History

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The East Hokkaido Cranes formed in April 2019, as a phoenix club following the demise of the Nippon Paper Cranes franchise.[1] The Paper Cranes had previously existed for 70 years; however, their owners, Nippon Paper Industries, announced in December 2018 that the team would be put up for sale as a result of corporate streamlining and declining revenues.[2] No buyer was found, and as a result the team folded.

The East Hokkaido Ice Hockey Club LLC, led by Tanaka Shigeki, announced that they had secured ¥125 million of founding, enabling the establishment of the new team. Asia League Ice Hockey chairman Sumio Kobayashi announced on 23 April 2019 that the new franchise would join the league, replacing the Paper Cranes, whilst retaining 15 players.[1][3]

The Cranes played their first regular season game on 31 August 2019, losing 3–2 to the Nikkō Ice Bucks, with forward Taiga Irikura scoring the first goal in franchise history.[4]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b "'East Hokkaido Cranes' to succeed Nippon Paper franchise". The Japan Times. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Four-time Asia champion Nippon Paper Cranes to fold in 2019". The Japan Times. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ "About nominating new teams". Asia League Ice Hockey. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Game info East Hokkaido Cranes - Nikko Ice Bucks". East Hokkaido Cranes. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
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