Furuset Ishockey

Lore & Background

Furuset re-emerged in the early 1980s after gaining promotion to the top league in the late 1970s. A fine group of young players blossomed, including Ketil Aurstad and Bjørn Skaare, the first Norwegian to play in the NHL. Skaare led the team to the Norwegian championship in 1980, and the club repeated this achievement in 1983. Furuset's last championship was claimed in 1990, with players such as Petter Salsten, Ole Eskild Dahlstrøm, and Steve Allman as leading lights. After the successes of the early 1990s, culminating in a playoff finals appearance in 1993, Furuset faced an economic crisis. Most top players left for bigger clubs, and relegation followed. The club spent most of the late 1990s and early 2000s as an elevator club between the two top leagues. In the 2015-16 season, Furuset was relegated to the third tier, 2. divisjon, but was later moved up to the second tier again after Nes IK failed to meet league requirements.

Reader's Guide

Furuset Ishockey holds a significant place in Norwegian ice hockey history as one of the founding members of the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association, which gave the club an early competitive edge. The club's seven Norwegian Championships, won across several decades, mark it as a historically successful team, with its first golden era in the 1950s led by Leif Solheim and a resurgence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The club produced notable players such as Bjørn Skaare, the first Norwegian to play in the NHL, and Ketil Aurstad, as well as later stars like Petter Salsten and Ole Eskild Dahlstrøm. Furuset's legacy includes periods of dominance, economic hardship, and resilience, including a 2008 bankruptcy announcement and subsequent relegations and promotions. The club's ability to rise from lower leagues and produce top talent underscores its importance in Norwegian hockey, though its recent history has been marked by instability, including a 2015-16 relegation to the third tier followed by a reprieve due to another club's failure. Furuset remains a notable institution in Oslo's sports landscape.

Did You Know?

• Furuset has won six Norwegian Championships: 1949, 1951, 1953, 1980, 1983, and 1990.
• Bjørn Skaare, who played for Furuset, was the first Norwegian to play in the NHL.
• The club announced in December 2008 that it was on the verge of bankruptcy.
• Furuset's last Norwegian Championship was in 1990.