The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Huntsville, Alabama with teams located in the southeastern United States, stretching from Louisiana to Florida.
[edit] History
The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The Atlantic Coast Hockey League started play in the 2002-03 season. After its only season, the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues, the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2. After one season the SEHL and WHA2 disbanded, with their surviving teams rejoining with two expansion teams to form the SPHL, commencing with the 2004-05 season.
In 2009, the SPHL saw a large expansion as three new franchises in Biloxi, MS[1][2] [3], Lafayette, LA[4] and Pensacola, FL,[5][6] all three of which were former ECHL markets within the past five years that produced competitive teams, each of which either won the league's championship or regular season title.
[edit] Current
| Team | Arena | Capacity | City/area | Joined |
| Columbus Cottonmouths | Columbus Civic Center | 7,509 | Columbus, GA | 2004 |
| Fayetteville FireAntz | Cumberland County Crown Coliseum | 8,500 | Fayetteville, NC | 2004 |
| Huntsville Havoc | Von Braun Center | 6,602 | Huntsville, AL | 2004 |
| Knoxville Ice Bears | James White Civic Coliseum | 7,141 | Knoxville, TN | 2004 |
| Louisiana IceGators | Blackham Coliseum | 5,500 | Lafayette, LA | 2009 |
| Mississippi Surge | Mississippi Coast Coliseum | 9,150 | Biloxi, MS | 2009 |
| Pensacola Ice Flyers | Pensacola Civic Center | 8,150 | Pensacola, FL | 2009 |
[edit] Timeline
| Year | Teams | Expansion | Defunct | Suspended | Return from Hiatus | Relocated | Name Changes |
| 2004 | 8 | Asheville Aces
Columbus Cottonmouths
Fayetteville FireAntz
Huntsville Havoc
Jacksonville Barracudas
Knoxville Ice Bears
Macon Trax
Winston-Salem Polar Twins | | | | | |
| 2005 | 7 | Orlando Seals
Pee Dee Cyclones | Asheville Aces
Macon Trax
Winston-Salem Polar Twins | | | | |
| 2006 | 8 | Richmond Renegades | Florida Seals (folded mid-season) | | | Orlando Seals → Florida Seals | |
| 2007 | 7 | | | | | Pee Dee Cyclones → Twin City Cyclones | |
| 2008 | 6 | | | Jacksonville Barracudas | | | |
| 2009 | 7 | Louisiana IceGators
Mississippi Surge
Pensacola Ice Flyers | Jacksonville Barracudas (on hiatus)
Richmond Renegades
Twin City Cyclones | | | | |
[edit] Possible future expansion
- Augusta, Georgia[7]
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina[8]
[edit] Suspended teams
- Twin City Cyclones (2007-09) Plan to move to a location to be named in the near future for the 2010/11 season.
[edit] Defunct franchises
[edit] Standings
Final Standings
[edit] Key rule differences
As per minor leagues, there are some rule differences between the SPHL and the NHL (and even the ECHL and AHL, the two official developmental leagues regulated by the Professional Hockey Players Association).
- A team may dress sixteen regular players to a game. Two players dressed for the game will be goaltenders.
- There is no trapezoid restriction limiting the goaltender playing the puck and is eligible to play the puck anywhere on his side of the center redline.
- A mouthpiece is required for all players except the goaltender.
- No curvature of stick limitations as in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
- Shootouts are five players (as in the ECHL and AHL).
- All overtime periods in the regular season are between three skaters per team and the goaltender (3 on 3, compared to 4 on 4 in other leagues). Penalty rules differ during the overtime:
- During the first three minutes of overtime, in case of a penalty, the non-offending team is awarded one extra skater per penalty (up to two extra, five total).
- In the final two minutes, any minor penalty results in an automatic penalty shot. [1]
[edit] Champions
[edit] Playoffs
[edit] President's Cup
| 2008-09 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2007-08 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2006-07 | Fayetteville FireAntz |
| 2005-06 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2004-05 | Columbus Cottonmouths |
[edit] Regular Season
[edit] William B. Coffey Trophy [12]
| 2008-09 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2007-08 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2006-07 | Columbus Cottonmouths |
| 2005-06 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2004-05 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Giardina, A.J. (April 9, 2009). "Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast". WLOX-TV. http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10161681.
- ^ Press release (April 30, 2009). "Biloxi to join SPHL". SPHL.com. http://www.thesphl.com/fanzone/news/index.html?article_id=1163.
- ^ "Coast Hockey announces new team name". The Sun Herald. June 17, 2009. http://www.sunherald.com/newsupdates/story/1419476.html.
- ^ Foote, Kevin (May 15, 2009). "IceGators to skate again; join the discussion". Lafayette Daily Advertiser. http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326.
- ^ Blakeney, Jason (April 30, 2009). "Hockey's Back!". Pensacola News Journal. http://pnj.com/article/20090430/NEWS01/904300321.
- ^ Blakeney, Jason (May 9, 2009). "Commentary: New team, new name, new opportunity". Pensacola News Journal. http://www.pnj.com/article/20090509/SPORTS/905090325/Commentary++New+team++new+name++new+opportunity.
- ^ Byler, Billy (December 05, 2008). "Hockey could be back by next fall". Augusta Chronicle. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2008/12/05/lyn_502815.shtml.
- ^ "SPHL expects to add teams". The Fayetteville Observer. May 13, 2009. http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=326284.
- ^ http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3412289
- ^ Knoxville News Sentinel: Murray Linking SPHL Expansion
- ^ http://www.rrenegades.com/news/news/index.html?article_id=372
- ^ thesphl.com: League News
[edit] External links
| Current arenas in the Southern Professional Hockey League | | | | |
