At one point little more than 365 days ago the Stingrays looked dead and buried after founders and then owners Mike and Sue Pack realised they could go no further on the unquestioned hard work and loyalty they provided a club more than 160 miles from their hometown of Milton Keynes for seven years.
Then exactly a year today, against all odds and when almost everyone had written them off for, at the very least, the 10/11 season, the Rays made an unlikely and miraculous comeback thanks to Mike Cowley, Andy Buxton, Paul Thompson and James Pease, the owners and management of rival top flight side Coventry Blaze.
F Block Blog looks at the high points and low points of the past 365 days in the Excel Hull Stingrays rollercoaster life.
17th August 2010 - Coventry Blaze owners Mike Cowley, Andy Buxton, Paul Thompson and James Pease are officially unveiled as the new owners of the Elite Ice Hockey League's Hull Stingrays. They immediately set about re-building the club both on and off-ice for the 10/11 EIHL campaign, the club's seventh in the UK's top league.
19th August 2010 - Local British players Lee Esders, Andy Jaszczyk and Matty Davies become the first three players to recommit to the new club. Meanwhile it is confirmed the Rays season - originally set to begin on in August with a pre-season P&O Cup - will now commence on October 3, a full month after the rest of the league, at Hull Arena with a Challenge Cup fixture against Cardiff Devils.
23rd August 2010 - Import Chris Korchinski is the first player to back out of a deal with the club, signing in the Central Hockey League because 'his deal in the UK changed.'
26th August 2010 - Surprisingly, American defenceman Joshua Mizerek - who was earlier in the summer named club captain - confirms he will not join the club and will instead remain with his former club HYS Den Haag in Holland.
3rd September 2010 - The club makes it's first two new signings under the new regime, bringing in defenceman Kurtis Dulle and forward Jereme Tendler from Central Hockey League side Corpus Christi Ice Rayz as replacements for the departed Mizerek and Korchinski.
22nd September 2010 - Sylvain Cloutier confirms Dulle as new club captain and Lee Mitchell and Trevor Read as alternate captains.
28th September 2010 - Having earlier withdrawn their sponsorship from the club, Excel Laminating return as title sponsors for a record seventh season.
29th September 2010 - The club's new blue and yellow colour scheme and jerseys are unveiled alongside a slightly changed logo.
3rd October 2010 - In the club's first game under new ownership the Stingrays play out a tie with the Cardiff Devils at Hull Arena thanks to goals from new signing Matti Uusivirta, Ryan Lake - who returned to the sport after a number of years away - and coach Sylvain Cloutier, as well as a solid 46 save showing from new keeper Christian Boucher.
9th October 2010 - In their first regular season fixture and first away game of the new campaign the club is beaten 6-2 in their first ever meeting with new Scottish club Braehead Clan.
10th October 2010- Nevertheless, they bounce back on the second night of a Scottish double header to beat Edinburgh in the Scottish capital, goals coming from Dulle, Uusivirta, Tendler and rookie Andrew Coburn.
24th October 2010 - The club claim their first home triumph under new ownership with a 4-2 win over the Newcastle Vipers with doubles coming from Uusivirta and Tendler.
7th November 2010 - In a notable low point of the first half of the season, bottom side Dundee - who had previously lost all of their opening 15 games - destroy the Stingrays 9-4 in Scotland to condemn them to their sixth consecutive loss.
15th November 2010 - Rangy Latvian defenceman Kriss Grundmanis is released, paying the price for the club's poor run of form despite registering a Gordie Howe hat-trick in his final appearance for the club against ownership rivals Coventry Blaze.
16th November 2010 - The club makes arguably the biggest ever signing in Hull ice hockey history as former NHLer Drew Bannister agrees to join the club after a long career spanning most of the world's biggest and best leagues. The 36 year old defenceman is signed as player-assistant coach in replace of Grundmanis.
26th November 2010 - In their biggest ever defeat the Stingrays go down 12-0 in Cardiff to the Devils. Worse still, the game is broadcast live on Sky Sports with Bannister making his debut.
28th November 2010 - They bounceback however with a 1-1 Challenge Cup draw to title contenders the Nottingham Panthers with former Panther Konstantin Kalmikov bagging the Rays only goal.
4th December 2010 - Coming back from 2-0 down the Rays thrash Yorkshire rivals the Sheffield Steelers by seven goals to two at Hull Arena. A Tendler hat-trick alongside goals from Uusivirta, Kalmikov, Lake and Dulle help the Rays on to one of their most satisfying victories of the season.
5th December 2010 - They then complete one of the biggest four point weekend's in the club's seven year history with a 5-4 shootout win over the much fancied Panthers, thanks to shootout goals from Silverthorn, Bannister and Kalmikov.
8th December 2010 - Jereme Tendler is named EIHL Player of the Week for the second time of the year having registered four goals in two games over the previous weekend, taking his tally to an incredible 21 in 24 games.
18th December 2010 - A disappointing Challenge Cup campaign in a tough first group stage ends with a 2-0 home loss to Coventry.
9th January 2011 - Former coach Rick Strachan makes a largely unpopular return to the Hull Arena as bench coach of the Nottingham Panthers and his new side roll out of the city with a Strachan-esque 3-0 victory.
16th January 2011 - Against a thoroughly depleted Edinburgh Capitals side the Rays hit 10, a night after the Scottish side were thrashed 18-1 by Sheffield.
17th January 2011 - After a disagreement part-way through the thrashing over Edinburgh the night before British forward Matty Davies is released by the club becomeing just the second player to leave the club in 10/11.
29th January 2011 - Former Sheffield Steeldog and GB U18 international Andy Hirst is signed as Davies replacement, while Davies joins English Premier League side Peterborough.
5th February 2011 - With Edinburgh sit thoroughly under strength the Rays en a five game losing streak with a 6-3 victory in Scotland, persevering over a hardworking Caps side.
6th February 2011 - A 9-2 victory over Edinburgh follows the next night as Tendler and Kalmikov net hat-tricks, with the latter thankful after a poor season.
26th February 2011 - Kalmikov nets the crucial game winning goal in just the club's, and Hull's, second ever win in Sheffield over the Steelers
5th March 2011 - The Rays just prevail over the Coventry Blaze in a 6-5 shootout at the Skydome despite being outshot 51-31.
7th March 2011 - Netminder Christian Boucher records a thoroughly deserved first shutout of the year against another understrength side Newcastle Vipers in a 1-0 win.
10th March 2011 - Player-coach Sylvain Cloutier re-signs to the club for a third term.
18th March 2011 - Standout forward Jereme Tendler also re-signs to the club after a phenomenal first season in Britain.
26th March 2011 - In just their second ever EIHL playoff appearance the Rays play out a tetchy 60 minutes against the Devils, with the Welsh side just prevailing 2-1 heading into the second leg in the principality.
27th March 2011 - Having kept the first leg as tight as possible the Rays were once again outclassed by the Devils. Losing 6-3 on the night and 8-4 on aggregate knocking the Rays out of the post-season at the Quarter final stage for the second time in two years.
25th April 2011 - The Stingrays sign 20 year old defenceman Sam McCluskey effectively completing a trade that saw brother Craig and Lee Mitchell leave Hull for their home country Scotland and forward Tristan Cameron-Harper sign for the Hull.
16th May 2011 - Netminder Christian Boucher returns for a second season in Hull after a solid first season.
18 June 2011 - It is confirmed that Canadian rookie sensation Andrew Coburn will not return to Hull for another year with a surprise retirement likely for the 24 year old.
6th July 2011 - Joshua Mizerek signs for the club from HYS Den Haag for the second time after keeping in touch with friend and Rays boss Cloutier.
8th July 2011 - Sheffield Steelers power forward Derek Campbell makes the surprise journey up the M18 and signs for the Stingrays.
11th August 2011 - Brit forward Matty Davies makes his own surprise return to the club having settled old scores with coach Cloutier. His signing completes the Stingrays squad for the 11/12 EIHL campaign.
17th August 2011 - Mizerek is confirmed as captain for the second time - having previously been named captain prior to leaving the previous summer - he is joined by alternate captains Silverthorn and new signing Dmitri Suur.
