Ishockeyklubben Sparta Sarpsborg was a Norwegian ice hockey team based in Sarpsborg, Norway. They formerly played in EliteHockey Ligaen; as of September 16, 2026 they declared bankruptcy and dissolved. They played their home games in the Sparta Amfi arena and is Norway's oldest ice hockey rink. The team colours were blue and white.
History The ice hockey department of IL Sparta was founded in 1958, and got off to a fantastic start when Norway's first indoor hockey arena, Sparta Amfi, was opened in 1963. Within three years, they earned promotion to the Eliteserien (first division) as the first team outside Oslo to do so. It was only to be a short stint, and through most part of the late 1960s and 1970s, Sparta spent their time in the second division, with occasional visits to the top flight.
The 1980s was to be Sparta's greatest decade. Under the leadership of coach Lasse Bäckman and strengthened by several strong signings from other Norwegian clubs and a couple of Swedish stars, they claimed the Norwegian Championships in 1984. The feat was repeated in 1989, when the club beat heavily favoured Trondheim in the final after claiming the last playoff spot.
Economic problems followed this success, and in 1995 Sparta filed for bankruptcy, the only sports club in Norway ever to do so. This meant that they had to start from scratch in the third division, and they lost their best players to other clubs in Norway. However, many of these players subsequently returned to Sparta, and in 1997 they were back in the Eliteserien, where they have remained since.
In 2004, the team was rebranded as Sparta Warriors.
In the 2008–09 season, the team won the league, and won silver in the Norwegian Championship after being defeated by Vålerenga in the final.
In 2020, the team was rebranded as Sparta Sarpsborg.
The song I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles is known as the club anthem of Sparta Warriors.
Season-by-season results This is a partial list of the last ten seasons completed by Sparta Sarpsborg. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Sparta Sarpsborg seasons. Norwegian ChampionsRegular Season ChampionsPromotedRelegated SeasonLeagueRegular seasonCode explanation; GP—Games Played, W—Wins, L—Losses, OTW—Overtime/Shootout wins, OTL—Overtime/Shootout losses, GF—Goals For, GA—Goals Against, Pts—PointsPlayoffsGPWLOTWOTLGFGAPtsFinish2013–14Eliteserien45231633136104784thLost in Quarter-finals, 1–4 (Storhamar)2014–15Eliteserien45261405176122833rdLost in Semi-finals, 1–4 (Storhamar)2015–16Eliteserien45241254172138864thLost in Quarter-finals, 2–4 (Storhamar)2016–17Eliteserien45182016128111628thLost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Stavanger)2017–18Eliteserien45251082152109932ndLost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Lillehammer)2018–19Eliteserien48181857137141716thLost in Quarter-finals, 2–4 (Stavanger)2019–20Eliteserien45182052144130666thCancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic2020–21Eliteserien19411315164197th2021–22Eliteserien45231264150102853rdLost in Semi-finals, 3–4 (Stavanger)2022–23Eliteserien4524118214899904thLost in Semi-finals, 0–4 (Stavanger) Source:
Records and statistics
Scoring leader statistics for regular season only. Matches played statistic includes playoff games. – current active player
Scoring leaders PointsPlayer Seasons Pos Per Christian Knold 1986-2005 LW 635 275 384 659 1.03 Stephen Foyn 1986-1991 LW 315 255 343 598 1.89 Jonas Solberg Andersen 1998-2013 RW 596 246 303 549 0.92 Henrik Malmström 2008-2018 LW 432 195 289 484 1.12 Petter Witnes 2001-2015 C 519 105 224 329 0.63 Sivert Andersson 1984-1988 C 134 173 134 307 2.29 Bjørn Freddy Bekkerud 1986-1997 LW 282 110 195 305 1.08 Niklas Roest 2006- C 454 112 178 290 0.63 Reino Johansen C 359 164 85 249 0.69 Dion Knelsen 2010-2016 C 178 101 132 233 1.30
Most league matches
Matches Player Career Matches Per Christian Knold 1986-2005635 Jonas Solberg Andersen 1998-2013596 Niklas Roest 2006- 568 Petter Witnes 2001-2015 519 Per Tengvert 2002-2012505 Henrik Malmström 2008-2018497 Rene Bøe 2000-2011415 Pål Raab Lien 1996-2003408 Reino Johansen 359 Bjarte Bjønnes 1998-2008339Last updated: 29 May 2018Source: http://stats.sparta.no/
Famous players Per-Åge Skrøder Matthew Yeats Jonas Holøs Martin Røymark Per Christian Knold
References
External links Official website Official website for the supporter club, Blue Warriors