Ian Cooper (ice hockey)

Infobox Ice Hockey Player


image_size =
position = Right winger
played_for = Durham Wasps Cardiff Devils London Knights Guildford Flames Basingstoke Bison Chelmsford Chieftains
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 199
nickname =
nationality = GBR
nationality_2 =
birth_date = birth date and age|1968|11|29
birth_place = Durham, England
death_date =
death_place =
draft =
draft_year =
draft_team =
career_start = 1984
career_end = 2001
halloffame =

Ian Edward Cooper (born birth date|1968|11|29 in Durham, England) is a retired British ice hockey player. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and is the younger brother of fellow Hall of Fame member, Stephen Cooper.

Career

Club

Cooper started his senior ice hockey career with the Durham Wasps during the 1984–85 season when he was still playing junior ice hockey with the Wasps' junior team, the Durham Hornets. Appearing for the Wasps 30 times that season, he scored just three goals. His career took off the following season when he appeared exclusively for the Wasps and scored 38 goals and 36 assists in all competitions and helped the Wasps to retain their British Hockey League (BHL) Premier Division title.

Cooper stayed with the Wasps for two more seasons — being named to the 1988 BHL all-star team along the way — before an ambitious Cardiff Devils in Division 1 of the BHL offered him enough money to play full-time and signed him and his brother for the 1988–89 season. Cooper helped Cardiff to win the promotion playoffs to the Premier Division as well gaining his second all-star team award. The following season, Cooper helped the Devils to win the league championship and the playoffs.

Being able to get professional wages in his home town, Cooper returned to the Durham Wasps for the 1990–91 season where he helped them to win a grand slam of the Norwich Union Trophy, the league championship and the playoffs. After helping the Wasps to retain the league championship and the playoffs in the 1991–92 season, Cooper returned to the Cardiff Devils for the 1992–93 season. During his six seasons with the Devils, Cooper helped them to win two league championships and two playoffs in the BHL and one league championship and a Bensons & Hedges Cup in the Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).

Cardiff did not renew Cooper's contract in 1998 and he joined the London Knights as captain for their inaugural campaign in the 1998–99 season of the ISL. He stayed with the Knights for 18 months until they arranged his move to the Guildford Flames where he finished the 1999–00 season in the British National League. The following season after two games for the Basingstoke Bison in the BNL and then 10 games for the Chelmsford Chieftains in the English Premier Ice Hockey League, Cooper retired from ice hockey moved into media management as a career.

International

Cooper first appeared for the Great Britain national ice hockey team when he represented his country at the under-18 level in 1985. He has made a total of 80 appearances for the national team in the under-18, under-20 and the senior teams. During his time with the senior team he helped them climb the international ranks from Pool D to Pool A of the Ice Hockey World Championships before cementing their position in Pool B. Cooper described the Pool B gold medal he won in 1993 as "something special".

Awards and honours

*Named to the BHL British All Stars team in 1988.cite web| author = | title = All Star Team season 87–88 | url = http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/All_Stars/87_88.htm | year = | accessdate = 2007-10-31 | publisher = Ice Hockey Journalists UK ]
*Named to the BHL Division 1 British Players all star team in 1989.cite web| author = | title = All Star Team season 88–89 | url = http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/All_Stars/88_89.htm | year = | accessdate = 2007-10-31 | publisher = Ice Hockey Journalists UK ]
*Ahearne Medal for contributions to the sport in 1996.
*Inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.cite web| author = Martin C. Harris | title = Ian Cooper's British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame entry | url = http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/hall_of_fame/cooper.htm | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2007-10-31 | publisher = Ice Hockey Journalists UK ]

Career statistics

Club

International

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/hall_of_fame/cooper.htm British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame entry]
*Eurohockey|3281|Ian Cooper
*hockeydb|33078|Ian Cooper

Persondata
NAME= Cooper, Ian Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH= 1968-11-29
PLACE OF BIRTH= Durham, England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=