Ice Hockey Superleague

This article is about the British league. For other leagues, see Super Hockey League and Super League (disambiguation).

Former professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom

Ice Hockey SuperleagueCountries| United Kingdom

|

Federation(s)| IIHF
Founded| November 1995
First season| 1996–97
Folded| 2002–03
No. of teams| 9 (peak figure)
Feeder league(s)| British National League
Championship| Superleague trophy
Associated title(s)| British Championship
Express Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
Recent champions| Sheffield Steelers (2002-03)
Most successful club| Sheffield Steelers
2 times winners
Website| web.archive.org/web/20031012022647/http://www.iceweb.co.uk/

The British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL, also known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague from 1998 to 1999 for sponsorship reasons) was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Devised in 1995, it replaced the premier division of the British Hockey League at the end of 1995–1996 season; following the major reshuffle of the league and the split between the first and second tier divisions; with the British National League becoming the new second tier division. It was disbanded after the 2002-03 season and replaced by the Elite Ice Hockey League. Unlike its North American counterparts, the Superleague was not divided into conferences; teams competed in a single division.

## History

[edit]

The Ice Hockey Superleague Ltd was established on 1 November 1995 and held its first season in 1996-97 with eight founding clubs – Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers, and Sheffield Steelers.[1]

### Overview

[edit]

Several competitions fell under the jurisdiction of the Superleague. The Superleague ran a total of four competitions: the League, the Play-offs, the Express Cup and the Benson and Hedges Cup. The league consisted of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other teams in the league. Two points were awarded for a win and one point for an overtime defeat. Overtime consisted of 10 minutes of sudden death. The team that had most points after all fixtures were completed were declared Superleague champions.[2]

After the regular season was complete, the teams would be entered into the play-offs, the winner of which won the British Championship.[3] The teams were entered into two groups, Group A and Group B, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other teams in the group. Two points were awarded for a win and one point for an overtime defeat. Overtime consisted of 10 minutes of sudden death. The top two teams in each group qualified for the semi-finals, which were straight knockout matches. Both the semi-finals and final took place over the course of a weekend.[3]

The Superleague was governed by a board of directors who were the owners of the participating teams with Martin Weddell as chairman. The chief executive Ian Taylor from 1996 to 1902 was replaced by the league's former secretary, Brian Storey in what would be the league's final season of 2003.[4] A system of promotion and relegation was not operated by the Superleague; teams entered the league on the basis of a decision by the board of directors, however the British National league was regarded as the league below the level of the Superleague.[citation needed]

### Trophy

[edit]

The trophy that was awarded to the winners of the superleague, was called the Ice hockey superleague trophy. It was a silver replica of a George III Monteith Bowl. In the inaugural season, the trophy was taken around the arenas of the superleague teams and publicly displayed on the following dates:[5]

* 21 September 1996 – Bracknell
* 22 September 1996 – Cardiff
* 1 October 1996 – Nottingham
* 5 October 1996 – Sheffield
* 10 October 1996 – Newcastle
* 10 November 1996 – Ayr
* 17 November 1996 – Manchester
* 23 November 1996 – Basingstoke

The trophy itself resembled a Monteith bowl used to cool wine (or punch) glasses that are suspended by their feet through the scallop-edged rim of the bowl. The bowl itself was made of silver, was 14 inches in diameter and 12 inches tall with a mahogany plinth.[5]

Ayr Eagles

Bison

Giants

Bees

Devils

Knights

Storm

Cobras/ Riverkings/ Jesters

Panthers

Scottish Eagles

Steelers

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Superleague teams

### Sekonda sponsorship

[edit]

In 1998, the Superleague secured a major sponsorship deal with Sekonda. Sekonda remained the title sponsor until 2002, during which time the league was known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague. During this time, the man of the match awards were presented with a Sekonda watch.

Each month one of the man of the match winners would be selected as the Sekonda Face to Watch. At the end of each season the Sekonda Superleague Player of the Year would be selected from the Sekonda Face to Watch winners by a panel of journalists — except for the season 2001-02 when Sekonda's sponsorship finished part way through the season.[6]

Year  | October  | November  | December  | January  | February  | March

|
|
|
|
|
|

1998-99 | Greg Hadden  | Kip Noble  | Frank Pietrangelo | Paul Adey | Grant Sjerven  | Shayne McCosh
1999-00 | Ed Courtenay | Mark Cavallin | Tony Hand | Steve Thornton  | Rob Stewart  | Jimmy Hibbert
2000-01 | Trevor Robins  | Tony Hand  | Stevie Lyle  | Shayne McCosh | David Longstaff | Joe Cardarelli
2001-02 | Mark Cadotte  | Colin Ward  | Scott Allison | —  | —  | —

(names in bold won the Sekonda Superleague Player of the Year award)

### Collapse

[edit]

Cardiff Devils and Newcastle Jesters pulled out of the league in 2001, reducing the membership of the Superleague to seven clubs.[7][8] Then, Manchester Storm and Scottish Eagles both folded within a week of one another during the early stages of the 2002–03 season, leaving just five teams remaining.[9] To make matters worse, in December 2002 Bracknell Bees announced their intention to resign from the league to join the BNL at the end of the season, and uncertainty arose surrounding the future of London Knights and their London Arena home at this time; which ultimately led to the Knights folding in 2003. Owing a large debt to Ice Hockey UK and facing the prospect of having only three member clubs, the Superleague placed itself into liquidation on 30 April 2003.[10]

### Elite ice hockey league

[edit]

The Elite Ice Hockey League was formed by the remaining three clubs (Belfast Giants, Nottingham Panthers, and Sheffield Steelers) and played their first season on 12 September 2003. The Elite league is seen as the successor league to the Ice Hockey Superleague.[10]

## Participating clubs

[edit]

The superleague was formed with eight founding clubs, with nine participating at any one time at its peak. Ten clubs have played in the Superleague.

Club  | Founded  | City  | Arena(s)  | Capacity  | Years in BISL

|
|
|
|
|

Ayr Scottish Eagles* | 1996  | Ayr
Ayrshire | Centrum Arena
Braehead Arena | 2,733
4,000  | 1996–2003†
Basingstoke Bison* | 1988  | Basingstoke | Planet Ice Silverdome | 2,000  | 1996–1998
Belfast Giants | 2000  | Belfast | SSE Arena Belfast | 8,300  | 2000–2003
Bracknell Bees* | 1987  | Bracknell | John Nike Leisuresport Complex  | 2,400  | 1996–2003
Cardiff Devils* | 1986  | Cardiff | Wales National Ice Rink | 2,500  | 1996–2001
London Knights | 1998  | London  | London Arena | 12,500  | 1998–2003
Manchester Storm* | 1995  | Manchester | Manchester Arena | 17,245  | 1996–2002†
Newcastle Jesters* | 1996  | Newcastle upon Tyne | Utilita Arena Newcastle | 4,500  | 1996–2001
Nottingham Panthers* | 1946  | Nottingham | National Ice Centre | 10,000  | 1996–2003
Sheffield Steelers* | 1991  | Sheffield | Utilita Arena Sheffield | 8,500  | 1996–2003

* Denotes founding member
† Club folded in the 2002–03 season.

## Champions

[edit]

Season  | League  | Play-Offs  | Challenge Cup  | Benson & Hedges Cup

|
|
|
|

Champions  | Runners-Up  | Champions  | Runners-Up  | Winners  | Runners-Up  | Winners  | Runners-Up
1996-97 | Cardiff Devils  | Sheffield Steelers  | Sheffield Steelers  | Nottingham Panthers  | —  | —  | Nottingham Panthers  | Ayr Scottish Eagles
1997-98 | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Manchester Storm  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Cardiff Devils  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Bracknell Bees  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Cardiff Devils
1998-99 | Manchester Storm  | Cardiff Devils  | Cardiff Devils  | Nottingham Panthers  | Sheffield Steelers  | Nottingham Panthers  | Nottingham Panthers  | Ayr Scottish Eagles
1999-00 | Bracknell Bees  | Sheffield Steelers  | London Knights  | Newcastle Jesters  | Sheffield Steelers  | Nottingham Panthers  | Manchester Storm  | London Knights
2000-01 | Sheffield Steelers  | Cardiff Devils  | Sheffield Steelers  | London Knights  | Sheffield Steelers  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Sheffield Steelers  | Newcastle Jesters
2001-02 | Belfast Giants  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Sheffield Steelers  | Manchester Storm  | Ayr Scottish Eagles  | Belfast Giants  | —  | —
2002-03 | Sheffield Steelers  | Belfast Giants  | Belfast Giants  | London Knights  | Sheffield Steelers  | Nottingham Panthers  | —  | —

## Criticism

[edit]

There were two main areas of criticism of the Superleague. It was widely regarded that the league was too reliant on imported players, illustrated by the participation of only four British trained players in the 2003 season.[11] The financial situation of the league was unsustainable partly due to a high salary cap at £400k. Smaller teams such as Bracknell couldn't compete with the larger arena teams who had higher revenues.[12]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Centrum Area Match Programme (17.10.1996). Ayr Scottish Eagles v Manchester Storm, p14
2. ^ Centrum Area Match Programme (17.10.1996). Ayr Scottish Eagles v Manchester Storm, p18
3. ^ a b Centrum Area Match Programme (12.03.1997). Ayr Scottish Eagles v Manchester Storm, p14
4. ^ BBC News (2002-04-30). "Change at the top for Superleague". BBC. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
5. ^ a b Centrum Area Match Programme (17.10.1996). Ayr Scottish Eagles v Manchester Storm, p4
6. ^ AZHockey (2008-12-19). "Sekonda Superleague Player of the Year". azhockey.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
7. ^ BBC News (2001-05-09). "Cardiff loses Superleague status". BBC. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
8. ^ SportBusiness (2001-10-18). "Newcastle Jesters face expulsion". sportbusiness.com. Retrieved 2011-11-19. `{{cite news}}`: `|author=` has generic name (help)
9. ^ BBC (2002-11-14). "Eagles forced out". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-07-02.
10. ^ a b BBC (2003-05-31). "Elite League "will go ahead"". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-07-02.
11. ^ BBC (2003-01-27). "GB coach sees bleak future". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
12. ^ BBC (2002-12-05). "Fear over ice hockey league". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-11-19.

## See also

[edit]

* British ice hockey league champions

* v
* t
* e

Ice Hockey Superleague seasons

* 1996–97
* 1997–98
* 1998–99
* 1999–00
* 2000–01
* 2001–02
* 2002–03

* v
* t
* e

Ice hockey in the United Kingdom

Governing bodies|

* English Ice Hockey Association
* Ice Hockey UK
* Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association
* Scottish Ice Hockey

Elite League|

* Belfast Giants
* Cardiff Devils
* Coventry Blaze
* Dundee Stars
* Fife Flyers
* Glasgow Clan
* Guildford Flames
* Manchester Storm
* Nottingham Panthers
* Sheffield Steelers

National Ice Hockey League|

| National League|

* Basingstoke Bison
* Bees IHC
* Bristol Pitbulls
* Hull Seahawks
* Leeds Knights
* Milton Keynes Lightning
* Peterborough Phantoms
* Raiders
* Sheffield Steeldogs
* Solway Sharks
* Swindon Wildcats
* Telford Tigers

|

North Division 1|

* Billingham Stars
* Blackburn Hawks
* Deeside Dragons
* Nottingham Lions
* Sheffield Scimitars
* Solihull Barons
* Widnes Wild

South Division 1|

* Cardiff Fire
* Chelmsford Chieftains
* Invicta Dynamos
* Milton Keynes Thunder
* Oxford City Stars
* Raiders 2
* Slough Jets
* Solent Devils
* Streatham IHC

North Division 2|

* Altrincham Aces
* Blackburn Hawks 2
* Bradford Bulldogs
* Coventry Blaze NIHL
* Hull Jets
* Nottingham Lions 2
* Sheffield Titans
* Sutton Sting
* Telford Tigers 2

South Division 2|

* Basingstoke Buffalo
* Guildford Phoenix
* Haringey Huskies
* Invicta Mustangs
* Lee Valley Lions
* Peterborough Phantoms 2
* Solent Devils 2
* Streatham Hawks
* Swindon Wildcats 2

Scottish National League|

* Aberdeen Lynx
* Dundee Rockets
* Edinburgh Capitals
* Kilmarnock Storm
* Kirkcaldy Kestrels
* North Ayrshire Wild
* Paisley Pirates
* Solway Sharks (SNL)
* Whitley Warriors

Women's National Ice Hockey League|

| WNIHL Elite|

* Bracknell Queen Bees
* Kingston Diamonds
* Nottingham Vipers
* Solihull Vixens
* Streatham Storm

|

WNIHL Premier|

* Bracknell Firebees
* Cardiff Comets
* Chelmsford Cobras
* Kingston Diamonds B
* Milton Keynes Falcons
* Sheffield Shadows
* Swindon TopCats
* Whitley Squaws

Division 1 North|

* Grimsby Wolves
* Nottingham Vipers B
* Sheffield Shadows B
* Solway Sharks Ladies
* Telford Wrekin Raiders
* Widnes Wild Women

Division 1 South|

* Coventry Phoenix
* Oxford Midnight Stars
* Peterborough Penguins
* Slough Sirens
* Solent Amazons
* Streatham Storm B
* Swindon TopCats B

British University Teams|

* Birmingham Lions
* Bradford Sabres
* Bristol Lions
* Caledonia Steel Queens
* Cambridge University Blues
* Cardiff Redhawks
* Coventry and Warwick Panthers
* Edinburgh Eagles
* Huddersfield Ice Hawks
* Hull Ice Hogs
* Imperial Devils
* Kent Knights
* Leeds Gryphons
* London Dragons
* Manchester Metros
* Newcastle Wildcats
* Northumbria Kings
* Nottingham Mavericks
* Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
* Sheffield Bears
* Southampton Spitfires
* St Andrews Typhoons
* UCL Yetis
* UEA Avalanche

Competitions|

* League Championship
* British Championship
* Challenge Cup
* Ken Taggart Memorial Trophy and Memorial Bowl
* Knockout Cup
* Varsity Match

Player awards|

* Alan Weeks Trophy
* Best British Forward
* British Netminder of the Year
* Coach of the Year Trophy
* Ice Hockey Annual Trophy
* Player of the Year Trophy
* Vic Batchelder Memorial Award
* EIHL All-Star Team

Defunct leagues
and competitions|

* British Ice Hockey Association
* Ahearne Cup
* Autumn Cup
* British Hockey League
* British National League (1954–60)
* British National League (1996–2005)
* English League
* English League North
* English National League
* English National League (1981–82)
* English Premier League
* Ice Hockey Superleague
* Inter-City League
* Northern League
* Northern League
* Scottish National League
* Scottish Premier Hockey League
* Southern League

Defunct teams|

* Aldershot Bullets
* Ayr Bruins
* Ayr Scottish Eagles
* Blackburn Eagles
* Blackpool Seagulls
* Brighton Tigers
* Cardiff Rage
* Castlereagh Knights
* Dumfries Vikings
* Dunfermline Vikings
* Dundee Comets
* Dundee Tigers
* Durham City Wasps
* Durham Wasps
* Earls Court Rangers
* Edinburgh Capitals (SNL)
* Flintshire Freeze
* Fylde Flyers
* Harringay Greyhounds
* Harringay Racers
* Hull Pirates
* Hull Stingrays
* Hull Thunder
* Humberside Seahawks
* Isle of Wight Wildcats
* Kilmarnock Storm
* Lancashire Raptors
* Liverpool Leopards
* London Canadians
* London Lions
* London Knights
* London Racers
* Manchester Minotaurs
* Manchester Phoenix
* Manchester Storm (1995–2002)
* Medway Bears
* Milton Keynes Kings
* Moray Tornadoes
* Murrayfield Racers
* Murrayfield Racers (2018–2022)
* Newcastle Jesters
* Newcastle Vipers
* Niagara Ice Hockey Club
* Oxford Blades
* Peterborough Pirates
* Princes Ice Hockey Club
* Richmond Flyers
* Sheffield Lancers
* Sheffield Scimitars
* Sheffield Spartans
* Southampton Vikings
* Stevenage Oilers
* Stevenage Sharks
* Stevenage Strikers
* Sunderland Chiefs
* Swindon TopCats B
* TDC Northern Stars
* Telford Tigers ENL
* Telford Titans
* Wembley Lions
* Wembley Monarchs
* Wightlink Buccaneers
* Wightlink Raiders
* Wightlink Tigers

Miscellaneous|

* Great Britain men's national ice hockey team
* Great Britain women's national ice hockey team
* British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame
* Ice Hockey Journalists UK

Related
IIHF
IIHF Continental Cup
IIHF European Champions Cup
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