Editing Leksands IF (section)

== History ==
[[File:Åke Lassas staty.JPG|upright=0.8|left|thumb|''Åke Lassa´s'' statue in Tegera Arena.|150px]]
The club was formed on 13 August 1919,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leksandsif.se/om-lif/historia|title=Historia|website=Leksands IF|language=sv|access-date=3 September 2015}}</ref> originally playing [[bandy]] and [[ski]] competitions. In 1920 they also took up [[association football|football]].

The first hockey game was played in 1938, when they beat [[Mora IK]] 11–0, and this sport is now the only sport the club competes in. Despite the fact that the town of [[Leksand]] only has 6,000 inhabitants, Leksands IF is one of the most popular teams in Sweden, and the team averages over 4,000 spectators per game in their home arena despite playing in the second tier. Leksand played in the top hockey division in Sweden from 1951 until 2001. The club was very successful between 1969 and 1975, when they became Swedish champions four times ([[1968–69 Swedish Division I season|1969]], [[1972–73 Swedish Division I season|1973]]–[[1974–75 Swedish Division I season|1975]]). Before the current top division, [[Swedish Hockey League|Elitserien]] (now known as the SHL), was formed prior to the [[1975–76 Elitserien season|1975–76 season]], they had been the runners-up four times: [[1958–59 Swedish Division I season|1959]], [[1963–64 Swedish Division I season|1964]], [[1970–71 Swedish Division I season|1971]] and [[1971–72 Swedish Division I season|1972]]. Leksand has never become SHL champions despite winning the SHL's regular season in [[1979–80 Elitserien season|1980]], [[1993–94 Elitserien season|1994]] and [[1996–97 Elitserien season|1997]], and being the runners-up in [[1988–89 Elitserien season|1989]]. In 2001, they were the club with the second most consecutive seasons in the highest division at that point (the record is held by [[Södertälje SK]], with 53 consecutive seasons between 1925 and 1978).

Following the relegation to [[HockeyAllsvenskan]] in April 2001, Leksand commuted between the top and second divisions until [[2005–06 Elitserien season|2005–06]], when the team was relegated to the second tier again, where they would find themselves until the [[2012–13 HockeyAllsvenskan season|2012–13 season]].
[[File:Mora IK vs Leksand in Stockholm 2013-01-05 05.jpg|thumb|Leksand players celebrating a victory against arch rivals [[Mora IK]] in 2013.]]
For the [[2007–08 HockeyAllsvenskan season|2007–08 season]], Leksand signed former [[National Hockey League|NHL]] goaltender [[Ed Belfour]] in an attempt to regain top league status. After winning the second league with relative ease, the team failed in the final qualification stage, [[Kvalserien]], to gain promotion. Ed Belfour retired after the 2007–08 season.

Leksand once again won Allsvenskan in the [[2008–09 HockeyAllsvenskan season|2008–09 season]], but once again failed to qualify for the Elitserien in the [[2009 Kvalserien]]. The managers [[Thomas Kempe]] and [[Thomas Jonsson]] were sacked following three straight defeats in the beginning of the [[Kvalserien]]. The team finished the 2009 Kvalserien with five wins in the last six games, but still failed to qualify. For the 2009–10 season, Leksand employed [[Leif Strömberg]], who had previously successfully guided [[Södertälje SK]] through Kvalserien. The team once again won Allsvenskan and qualified for the [[2010 Kvalserien]], finishing three points ahead of [[AIK IF|AIK]]. In the ninth round of the 2010 Kvalserien, Leksand had a good chance to put them in the driver's seat for promotion to Elitserien, but Leksand failed to beat the Kvalserien's worst ranked team [[Växjö Lakers Hockey|Växjö Lakers]] and, despite a win in the tenth and final round, Leksand missed Elitserien as both AIK and [[Rögle BK]] won their respective games in the final round.

After failing promotion, Leif Strömberg was replaced by ex-Leksand forward [[Niklas Eriksson]], under whom the following season Leksand attempted to reach the Kvalserien for the seventh consecutive season. The team finished fourth in Allsvenskan and missed automatic qualification for the Kvalserien and had to play in a pre-qualification series to reach the Kvalserien, but Leksand finished third and missed the Kvalserien. Before the 2011/12 season, assistant head coach [[Christer Olsson]] took over the reins, but was sacked following a defeat at [[Sundsvall Hockey]] in late November and replaced by [[Andreas Appelgren]].

After winning the regular season in the [[2012–13 HockeyAllsvenskan season|2012–13 season]], Leksand once again qualified for play in [[Kvalserien]]. In the [[2013 Kvalserien]], Leksand finally promoted back to the [[Swedish Hockey League]] (SHL; formerly Elitserien), the top-tier league, for the first time since the [[2005–06 Elitserien season|2005–06 season]].