Ian Cooper (ice hockey)

Ian Edward Cooper (born (1968-11-29)29 November 1968 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. He has a daughter and son named Lola and Felix Cooper. He is married to Ruth Cooper.

For other people named Ian Cooper, see Ian Cooper (disambiguation).

Ian Cooper
Born (1968-11-29) 29 November 1968
Durham, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 199 lb (90 kg; 14 st 3 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Left
Played for Durham Wasps
Cardiff Devils
London Knights
Guildford Flames

Chelmsford Chieftains
Playing career 1984–2001

Playing 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.[1]

Cooper stayed with the Wasps for two more seasons — being named to the 1988 BHL all-star team along the way[2] — 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.[3] 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&] 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

Career statistics

Club
    Regular season[4]   Playoffs[4][5]
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1984–85 Durham Wasps BHL 19 3 2 5 0 3 0 0 0 0
1985–86 Durham Wasps BHL 35 29 24 53 42 5 1 5 6 0
1986–87 Durham Wasps BHL 35 23 25 48 35 6 5 5 10 6
1987–88 Durham Wasps BHL 33 48 49 97 72 6 7 5 12 18
1988–89 Cardiff Devils BHL 24 64 48 112 113 -- -- -- -- --
1989–90 Cardiff Devils BHL 32 48 53 101 94 6 8 9 17 14
1990–91 Durham Wasps BHL 33 44 63 107 116 8 11 17 28 34
1991–92 Durham Wasps BHL 36 51 49 100 140 7 12 7 19 28
1992–93 Cardiff Devils BHL 36 51 55 106 56 8 12 13 25 32
1993–94 Cardiff Devils BHL 34 54 64 118 58 8 7 14 21 28
1994–95 Cardiff Devils BHL 44 52 71 123 95 5 7 10 17 6
1995–96 Cardiff Devils BHL 36 35 40 75 103 6 0 7 7 18
1996–97 Cardiff Devils ISL 41 16 17 33 62 7 4 5 9 2
1997–98 Cardiff Devils ISL 28 4 7 11 78 9 1 4 5 12
1998–99 London Knights ISL 36 4 11 15 28 6 1 1 2 6
1999–00 London Knights ISL 18 3 4 7 51 -- -- -- -- --
1999–00 Guildford Flames BNL 7 1 8 9 14 6 1 4 5 6
2000–01 Basingstoke Bison BNL 2 ??? ??? ??? ??? -- -- -- -- --
2000–01 Chelmsford Chieftains EPIHL 10 5 18 23 16 -- -- -- -- --

International
    Tournament[5]
Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1986 Great Britain World Junior Championships Pool C 5 1 2 3 2
1986 Great Britain European Junior Championships Pool C 4 3 0 3 6
1991 Great Britain World Championships Pool C 8 4 2 6 16
1992 Great Britain World Championships Pool C 5 3 6 9 8
1993 Great Britain World Championships Pool B 7 4 4 8 6
1994 Great Britain World Championships Pool A 6 1 0 1 4
1995 Great Britain World Championships Pool B 2 1 0 1 2
1997 Great Britain World Championships Pool B 7 0 0 0 12
1999 Great Britain World Championships Pool B 7 1 2 3 2
1999 Great Britain World Championships Pool A Qualifiers 1 0 0 0 0
2000 Great Britain World Championships Pool B 7 2 2 4 10

Footnotes
  1. Martin C. Harris (2002). "Ian Cooper's British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame entry". Ice Hockey Journalists UK. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  2. "All Star Team season 87–88". Ice Hockey Journalists UK. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  3. "All Star Team season 88–89". Ice Hockey Journalists UK. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  4. "Ian Cooper's profile at hockeydb.com". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  5. "Ian Edward Cooper – player profile and career stats". European Hockey.net. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
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