Malmö Redhawks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Malmö Redhawks
City	Malmö, Sweden
League	Swedish Hockey League
Founded	28 February 1972; 53 years ago (1972-02-28)
Home arena	Malmö Arena (capacity: 12,600)
Colors
Owner(s)	Malmö Redhawks Holding
General manager	Björn Liljander
Head coach	Tomas Kollar
Captain	Fredrik Händemark
Website	malmoredhawks.com
Franchise history
1944–1972	Malmö FF Ishockey
1972–2001	Malmö IF
2001–2004	MIF Redhawks
2004–present	IF Malmö Redhawks
Le Mat Trophy	1992, 1994

The IF Malmö Redhawks is a professional ice hockey team from Malmö, Sweden. They play in the top Swedish league, the SHL. Their home games are held at the Malmö Arena.

The team's story began in 1944. Back then, it was part of the football club Malmö FF. In 1972, the ice hockey team became its own group, called Malmö IF. Later, the name changed to MIF Redhawks in 2001. In 2004, it became IF Malmö Redhawks, which is its current name. The team's official name means "Ice Hockey Association Malmö Redhawks."

Team History: From the Start to Today

The Malmö Redhawks team officially started on February 28, 1972. It was first called Malmö Ishockeyförening, or MIF. Before this, it was the ice hockey part of the Malmö FF football club. For many years, the team played in the lower hockey leagues in Sweden.

In 1984, the team moved down to Division 2. This event led to big changes. The team's chairman, Nils Yngvesson, who had been there since 1972, left. But the team quickly bounced back! They played only one season in Division 2. Then, they moved back up to Division 1. Malmö IF then made what they called a "huge investment" in Swedish sports.

Reaching the Top League

The team tried to reach the top league, called Elitserien (now SHL), but didn't make it that season. However, in the 1989–90 season, they were very successful. They finished first in their group and then won the final series against MoDo. This win meant they were promoted to Elitserien for the first time!

The Redhawks stayed in the top league for 15 seasons. During this time, their name changed twice. First, to MIF Redhawks in 1996, and then to IF Malmö Redhawks in 2003. This was a golden age for the team. They won two Swedish Championship titles, in 1992 and 1994. They also won the European championship in 1992–93.

Challenges in the 2000s

At the end of the 2004–05 season, the Redhawks had a tough time. They played in a special series to stay in Elitserien but lost. This meant they were moved down to HockeyAllsvenskan, which is Sweden's second-highest hockey league.

In the 2005–06 season, they played in HockeyAllsvenskan. At the end of that season, they won the qualification round. This allowed them to play in Elitserien again for the 2006–07 season.

However, in 2007, Malmö again had to play in the qualification series (Kvalserien). They were expected to do well, but they didn't make it back to Elitserien. They finished two points behind Södertälje SK. In 2008, they reached Kvalserien again. They were leading for most of the series. But in the final game, they lost in overtime. Their rivals, Rögle BK, scored twice in the last minute and took the Elitserien spot. The Redhawks only got 2 points in their last four games, after having 15 points in the first six.

New Home and Money Troubles

Interior of Malmö Arena.

During the 2008–09 season, the Redhawks moved into their new home, the Malmö Arena. This is a modern sports and entertainment building in Hyllie, a part of Malmö.

On January 29, 2009, while still in HockeyAllsvenskan, the team faced big money problems. To avoid going bankrupt, they let go of all their players. The players were free to find new teams. The Redhawks finished 8th that season, just missing the playoffs.

Working Hard to Get Back Up

In the 2009–10 season, Malmö finished fifth in HockeyAllsvenskan. This was an improvement! They won their first playoff games against Bofors IK. Next, they played Almtuna IS to see who would get a spot in Kvalserien. Malmö won the first game at home. But they lost the next two games away from home and were out of the playoffs. In the 2010–11 season, things got worse. The Redhawks finished 8th and missed the playoffs entirely.

On January 28, 2011, the Redhawks announced a big deal. An investor named Hugo Stenbeck agreed to give them 70 million Swedish kronor (about $10.6 million USD). The goal of this deal was to help the Malmö Redhawks return to Elitserien.

The team started working hard to reach Elitserien for the 2011–12 season. Many skilled players from higher leagues joined the team. These included Hannu Toivonen, Daniel Josefsson, J. D. Forrest, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, and Linus Klasen. When Linus Klasen joined on May 17, 2011, he was immediately made the team's captain. His contract was for three years and included a salary of 4 million SEK per year. This made Klasen the highest-paid ice hockey player in Sweden at that time.

The season began well, with the team in the top three for a few months. But then they dropped to sixth place. On December 10, 2011, the head coach, Leif Strömberg, was fired. The assistant coach, Ulf Taavola, took over. Patrik Sylvegård joined as the new assistant coach. The team struggled in January but improved in February. They finished seventh in the league, which was enough for a playoff spot. In the playoffs, Malmö finished second and did not qualify for the 2012 Kvalserien.

Rebuilding the Team

In early 2012, the Malmö Redhawks had to look at their money situation again. Hugo Stenbeck had left the organization. On April 11, 2012, they asked for "economic reconstruction," which is a way to reorganize finances. This was approved the next day. The team had to re-negotiate player contracts. They lowered the total player salary from 30 million SEK to 18 million SEK.

On May 17, 2012, it was announced that Hugo Stenbeck would help buy out the expensive contracts of Linus Klasen and Hannu Toivonen.

After the 2011–12 season, Patrik Sylvegård became the CEO and sports director. Mats Lusth, a well-known Redhawks player, became the new assistant coach. A Sports Committee was also formed with people who cared deeply about the team. Ulf Taavola continued as head coach. The team had to sign many new players. Only a few players from the previous season stayed, like Pontus Sjögren, Emil Carnestad, Stefan Lassen, Alexander Ribbenstrand, Robin Alvarez, Lukas Eriksson, Magnus Häggström, Tomas Kollar, and Roger Olsson.

The 2012–13 season started poorly for the Malmö Redhawks. After 17 games, they only had 21 points. This was far from a playoff spot. But then, the team had a huge comeback in November! They didn't lose a single game in regulation time that month. They earned 24 out of 27 possible points. Because of this amazing effort, the Redhawks were in fifth place by early December. However, in January, they lost eight games in a row. The team finished in ninth place, which was their worst finish since the big investments in the late 1980s. The season ended for them on March 2. The next year, they won the 2013–14 HockeyAllsvenskan. But they just missed qualifying for the top league, finishing 4th in the 2014 Kvalserien.

Back in the SHL!

This was Malmö's eighth year in a row in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest league. In the regular season from September 2014 to February 2015, Malmö finished third. This meant they qualified for the 2015 Slutsspelsserien against Leksands IF. The series was tied 3-3, and the final game was played at Leksand's arena, Tegera Arena. After a tough game, the Malmö Redhawks won 4-2! This victory meant that Malmö was finally back in the SHL!

Since returning to the top league, the team has done well. They reached the semi-finals in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. They also made it to the quarter-finals in 2019.

Players and Team Members

Current Roster Overview

Last updated on 16 August 2024

Honored Players: Retired Numbers

Some players are so important to the Malmö Redhawks that their jersey numbers are "retired." This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. It's a special way to honor their contributions!

Famous Former Players

Many great players have been part of the Malmö Redhawks over the years. Here are some of them:

Team Trophies and Awards

Major Wins

The Malmö Redhawks have won some important championships:

• Le Mat Trophy (2 times): 1992, 1994
• European Cup (1 time): 1992

See also

• Ice hockey in Sweden