Yokohama Grits
Professional ice hockey team in Yokohama, Japan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yokohama Grits (Japanese: 横浜グリッツ, romanized: Yokohama gurittsu) are a professional ice hockey team based in Yokohama, Japan. They are a members of Asia League Ice Hockey and play their home games at the Kosé Shin-Yokohama Skate Center.
| Yokohama Grits | |
|---|---|
| |
| City | Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| League | Asia League Ice Hockey |
| Founded | 2 May 2019[1] |
| Home arena | Kosé Shin-Yokohama Skate Center |
| Colours | Blue, black, white |
| Owner | Akihito Usui |
| Head coach | Yuji Iwamoto |
| Website | grits-sport |
The team's mascot is a stylized beluga whale named Guluga (Japanese: グルーガ).[2] They also have a dedicated cheerleading squad named GRITS TOPAZ.[3]
History
The Yokohama Grits were founded on 2 May 2019 by Grits Sports Innovators Corporation, an organisation led by Akihito Usui.[4] The Grits are the first ice hockey team based in the Greater Tokyo Area since the Seibu Prince Rabbits folded in 2009.[1] On 2 June 2020 the team was announced as the eighth member of Asia League Ice Hockey,[5] with former NHL player Mike Kennedy serving as the head coach.[1] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, the league cancelled its planned 2020–21 season, and a three-country Asia League tournament was scheduled instead.[6] In October of the same year, the Grits took part in the Asia League Japan Cup.[7]
