EC Red Bull Salzburg is a professional ice hockey team based in Salzburg, Austria, that currently plays in the ICE Hockey League. The club play their home games at the Eisarena Salzburg. History The history of ice hockey in Salzburg at the highest level dates back to 1977–78, when the then HC Salzburg took a sensational third place in the first division. Influential players such as Rick Cunningham and Roger Lamoureux (both Canadians) helped to massively increase the popularity of Salzburg ice hockey, and in December 1977 saw the ice rink sold out for the first time. Ten years later in 1988, the Salzburg ice hockey club, now known as Salzburg EC, were once again on course for the title. With strong players such as the Russians Viktor Schalimow and Sergej Kapustin or fine-sounding names such as Greg Holst from Canada or Vienna's Peter Znenahlik, an exciting winter in the "Volksgarten" could be expected. After a strong season which included spell at the top in the preliminary round standings, Salzburg failed to take its first Bundesliga championship, and its ailing economic situation eventually saw the relegation of SEC from the first division. EC Salzburg were founded in 1995 by the merger of two small clubs EC Morzg and EC Tiefenbach. The EC Morzg originally arose after the bankruptcy of Salzburg EC in 1988 as a refuge for the youth players. Shortly after the foundation, the company Kaindl presented the club with its first major sponsor and the club was renamed to Kaindl EC Salzburg. From the beginning of 2000, drinks manufacturer Red Bull became the team's major sponsor and the club again changed names to represent EC The Red Bulls Salzburg. It was later transitioned to EC Red Bull Salzburg in 2005. 2000–04 Strengthened by players such as Canadian Sheldon Moser and Brian McCarthy of the US, the Red Bulls became champions of the Oberliga as quickly as the 2000–01 season (the Oberliga was then the equivalent of the second division), but weren't quite yet ready for the highest level. Until three years later, that is. The Red Bulls fought their way back to the championship in the Nationalliga, ending the Salzburg ice hockey club's 16 years of absence from the Bundesliga. 2004–06 After increasing the squad intensively – in Austria's ice hockey history, the Salzburg ice hockey club first competed in the Nationalliga with a farm team – the