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| teams = 7 (2009-10 Season) |
| teams = 7 (2009-10 Season) |
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| country = <!--{{USA}}--> [[Image:Usflag.jpg|25px]] United States |
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+ | | champion = [[Huntsville Havoc]] (2009-10) |
| most_champs = Knoxville Ice Bears (3) |
| most_champs = Knoxville Ice Bears (3) |
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Revision as of 17:31, 21 April 2010
| Southern Professional Hockey League | |
| File:SPHL.jpg | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Motto | The Leader In Single "A" Hockey |
| No. of teams | 7 (2009-10 Season) |
| Country(ies) |  United States
|
| Most recent champion(s) | Huntsville Havoc (2009-10) |
| Most championship(s) | Knoxville Ice Bears (3) |
| Official website | www.thesphl.com |
The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a low-level professional ice hockey league with teams located in the southeastern United States.
The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) 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 (SEHL) and the World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2). 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.
Teams
Current
- Columbus Cottonmouths (Columbus, Georgia) Joined SPHL 2004-05, Charter Member.
- Fayetteville FireAntz (Fayetteville, North Carolina) Joined SPHL 2004-05, Charter Member.
- Huntsville Havoc (Huntsville, Alabama) Joined SPHL 2004-05, Charter Member.
- Knoxville Ice Bears (Knoxville, Tennessee) Joined SPHL 2004-05, Charter Member.
- Pensacola Ice Flyers (Pensacola, Florida) Joined SPHL 2009-10.
- Louisiana IceGators (Lafayette Louisiana) Joined SPHL 2009-10.
- Mississippi Surge (Biloxi, Mississippi) Joined SPHL 2009-10.
Suspension of operations
- Twin City Cyclones (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Joined SPHL in 2005-06 as Pee Dee. Relocated from Florence, South Carolina 2007-08. Requested a one-year suspension of operations from the Southern Professional Hockey League (2009-10 Season).
Defunct teams
- Macon Trax (Macon, Georgia) SPHL 2004/05, WHA2 2003/04, ACHL 2002/03
- Winston-Salem Polar Twins (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) 2004/05
- Asheville Aces (Asheville, North Carolina) 2004/05
- Florida Seals (Kissimmee, Florida) SPHL 2005/07, WHA2 2003/04, ACHL 2002/03. Originally Orlando Seals (ACHL/WHA2); were supposed to be a charter franchise as well. (Membership terminated in the middle of the 2006-07 SPHL season) [1])
- Jacksonville Barracudas (Jacksonville, Florida) SPHL 2004/08, Charter Member.
- Richmond Renegades (Richmond, Virginia) Joined SPHL 2006-07.
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.
- A visor is required for all players (added 2008-09 season).
- 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 five).
- In the final two minutes, any minor penalty results in an automatic penalty shot.
Format Changes
From the 2007-08 winter meetings in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- The league will move from a 52-game regular season schedule to a 60-game regular season schedule with each team playing 30 home and 30 away games. The season will still be played in 22 weeks. (Starting with the 2008-09 Season)
- The Commissioner’s Cup, given to the regular season champion, will be renamed the William B. Coffey Trophy. The trophy is named in honor of current Director of Hockey Operations, Bill Coffey, for all his hard work and dedication in helping put the SPHL together. (Starting with the winners of the 2007-08 season)
From the 2008 Summer Meetings in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
- Short term contract signing will change in the upcoming season as five game tryouts have been eliminated. However, the league has made ten (10), three (3) game tryouts available to the teams for their use throughout the season.
- Every player will be required to wear a visor at every game during the 2008-2009 season.
- Only four of the six league teams will make their way into post season play. The number one seeded team will play the number four seeded team, and the number two seeded team, will play the number three seed, both in a best of five series. The winners of both series will advance to the finals, where the SPHL President’s Cup Champions will be decided in a seven game series.
From the 2009 winter meetings in Knoxville, Tennessee
Dated January 27, 2009
- The league will return to a 56 game regular season format with 28 home and away games for the 2009-10 season.
- Discussions were held on expansion with Commissioner Combs stating that his office is reviewing several cities and ownership groups for the 2009-10 season. No locations for expansion will be made public and all final decisions on expansion will be made at the league summer meetings.
- The SPHL annual summer meeting will be in June 13-15, 2009 in Huntsville, AL. (later changed to June 14 - 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi)
From the 2009 summer meetings in Biloxi, Mississippi
June 14-16, 2009
- Commissioner, Jim Combs has announced 3 additional teams to their line-up for the 2009-2010 season. Pensacola, Lafayette and Biloxi. Representatives from Twin Cities requested a one year suspension and gave an encouraging update on their current search for a new location.
- Mike Murray was appointed Chairman of the Board and Tim Kerr Vice Chairman.
- The regular season schedule will stay at 56 games and will be released after July 20th.
- The Play off schedule will consist of 6 teams making it to the finals. Play-off schedule will be decided during the winter meetings.
- The league will continue testing four official systems throughout the year and into the play-offs.
- The formation of a “Competition Committee” to routinely discuss rules of play throughout the year was also voted on and approved.
Champions
President's Cup (playoffs)
| 2008-09 | Knoxville IceBears |
| 2007-08 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2006-07 | Fayetteville FireAntz |
| 2005-06 | Knoxville IceBears |
| 2004-05 | Columbus Cottonmouths |
William B. Coffey Trophy (regular season)
AKA Commissioner's Cup, was renamed during the 2007-08 season
| 2008-09 | Knoxville IceBears |
| 2007-08 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2006-07 | Columbus Cottonmouths |
| 2005-06 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
| 2004-05 | Knoxville Ice Bears |
External links
| This article is part of the North American Minor Professional leagues portal |
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at SPHL. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |