Nijmegen Icehockey Legends

Below you will find the Nijmegen Emperors-timeline. It is a brief summarized description of the historyof icehockey in Nijmegen.

Nijmegen acquires strong import players such as Ron Kennedy and Ken Keryluk
Nijmegen develops, under the guidance of Alex Andjelic, a style based on technique and speed and brings some talented young Canadian and American college-players ton Nijmegen.
Youth-players such as Jan Bruysten, Fred Homburg and Harrie van Heumen make their debut in the first team of Nijmegen.

Nijmegen gets a new sponsor in Vissers and acquires strong imports such as Don Fraser and Ken Keryluk & Willie Desjardins.
Frank Janssen, Robert Herckenrath and Robbert Prick van Wely make their debut.
Nijmegen become champions for the first time ('83/'84) after Heerenveen won the title 7 years in a row. After this season they play in the European cup against the likes of AIK Stockholm.
John Wensink, the only player ever to play for Nijmegen and the NHL, plays for Nijmegen in 1984-85.

Nijmegen doesn't have the financial capacity such as the Panda's from Rotterdam and a lot of Nijmegen-born players go to Rotterdam to play.
Andjelic goes to Switzerland to coach.
Tijnagel becomes a Dutch star while playing for Rotterdam.
Danny Cuomo settles in Nijmegen and picks up where Andjelic left before moving to Switzerland. Cuomo acquires Robert Forbes and Jim Aldred from abroad and lures Guido Walenciak to Nijmegen.
Nijmegen clinches the title for the second time beating Heerenveen for the second time to clinch the title. 1000 supporters from Nijmegen travel to Heerenveen to help Nijmegen to victory that year.

In the early nineties Nijmegen has financial difficulties and some investors saves icehockey in Nijmegen. Bakker Bart helps save icehockey in Nijmegen. Speel and Krüger settle in Nijmegen in 1990.
Flame Guards becomes sponsor and Nijmegen manages to put a team together not seen in Nijmegen for decades. Players such as the likes of Tijnagel, Van Heumen and Janssen return to Nijmegen. Also did Nijmegen to manage to sign imports such as Jaro Sevcik, Kip Noble and Jeff Stanton.
Nijmegen manages to win the title in 1992/93, beating the Smoke Eaters from Geleen in a play-off series drenched with tension and excitement. Due to suspensions coach Cuomo even had to play himself because Nijmegen didn't had enough players.
After this highly successful season Nijmegen faced one the darkest in the year after that. Nijmegen managed to get on the news of every news-station the world due to a massive brawl on the ice in Esbjerg. On top of that the future of Nijmegen is in jeopardy due to sever financial difficulties.
The year after a lot of players left the club, Andy Tenbult ( a player) picks up where Cuomo left before retiring. Players such as Stoer, Janssen and Plamont stay with the club during one of their darkest hours.

During this period, yet again, a lot of former Nijmegen players decide to return to Nijmegen because all they wanted to do was just play hockey
Nijmegen began playing in the Triavium ice stadium.
Nijmegen begins a era in dutch icehockey in which they become the most celebrated team in the nineties winning three championships in a row for a total of 5 during this decade. Championships build on the effort of Dutch players such as Herckenrath, Speel, Krüger, Stoer-brothers, Plamont etc.