Wikia

	Southern Professional Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2004
No. of teams	9
Country(ies)	<img alt="Flag of the United States" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIABAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAEALAAAAAABAAEAQAICTAEAOw%3D%3D" width="22" height="12" class="thumbborder lzy lzyPlcHld" data-image-name="Flag of the United States.png" data-image-key="Flag_of_the_United_States.png" data-src="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080314171920/icehockey/images/thumb/d/de/Flag_of_the_United_States.png/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.png" onload="if(typeof ImgLzy=="object"){ImgLzy.load(this)}" /><noscript><img alt="Flag of the United States" src="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080314171920/icehockey/images/thumb/d/de/Flag_of_the_United_States.png/22px-Flag_of_the_United_States.png" width="22" height="12" class="thumbborder" data-image-name="Flag of the United States.png" data-image-key="Flag_of_the_United_States.png" /> United States
Most recent champion(s)	Mississippi Surge
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 based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.

History Edit

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, Mississippi,^[1] Lafayette, Louisiana and Pensacola, Florida,^[2] 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. For the 2011–12 season, the league added 2-time Central Hockey League champions, the Mississippi RiverKings.^[3]^[4]

TeamsEdit

CurrentEdit

Team	City/Area	Arena	Joined	Head Coach
Augusta RiverHawks	Augusta, Georgia	James Brown Arena	2010	Brad Ralph
Columbus Cottonmouths	Columbus, Georgia	Columbus Civic Center	2004	Jerome Bechard
Fayetteville FireAntz	Fayetteville, North Carolina	Cumberland County Crown Coliseum	2004	Todd Bidner
Huntsville Havoc	Huntsville, Alabama	Von Braun Center	2004	Randy Murphy
Knoxville Ice Bears	Knoxville, Tennessee	James White Civic Coliseum	2004	Mike Craigen
Louisiana IceGators	Lafayette, Louisiana	Cajundome	2009	Kevin Kaminski
Mississippi RiverKings	Southaven, Mississippi (Memphis area)	DeSoto Civic Center	2011	Derek Landmesser
Mississippi Surge	Biloxi, Mississippi	Mississippi Coast Coliseum	2009	Jeff Bes
Pensacola Ice Flyers	Pensacola, Florida	Pensacola Civic Center	2009	Todd Gordon

TimelineEdit

Defunct franchisesEdit

Asheville Aces (2004–05)
Florida Seals (2005–07; membership terminated in the middle of the 2006–07 SPHL season)^[5]
Jacksonville Barracudas (2004–08; suspended for the 08–09 and 09–10 seasons and dissolved)^[6]
Macon Trax (2004–05)
Pee Dee Cyclones (2005–07; moved to Winston-Salem, NC)
Richmond Renegades (2006–09)^[7]
Twin City Cyclones (2007–09) ^[8]
Winston-Salem Polar Twins (2004–05)

Key rule differences Edit

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.^[9]

ChampionsEdit

PlayoffsEdit

President's CupEdit

2004–05	Columbus Cottonmouths
2005–06	Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07	Fayetteville FireAntz
2007–08	Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09	Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10	Huntsville Havoc
2010–11	Mississippi Surge

Regular seasonEdit

William B. Coffey TrophyEdit

Originally known as the Commissioner's Cup, the regular season trophy was renamed in honor of league co-founder William B. Coffey during the 2007–08 season.^[10]

2004–05	Knoxville Ice Bears
2005–06	Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07	Columbus Cottonmouths
2007–08	Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09	Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10	Mississippi Surge
2010–11	Mississippi Surge

ReferencesEdit

↑ Giardina, A.J. (April 9, 2009). Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast. WLOX-TV. Retrieved on April 10, 2009.
↑ Blakeney, Jason (April 30, 2009). Hockey's Back!. Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved on April 30, 2009.
↑ "Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 2011-2012 Season", Press release, Southern Professional Hockey League, June 13, 2011. Retrieved on June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
↑ Van Tuyl, Chris. "Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League", 13 June 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
↑ Florida Seals cease operations. Press release (January 5, 2007). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
↑ Gates, Nick (June 21, 2009). Murray liking SPHL expansion. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
↑ Renegades Officially Done. Press release (April 30, 2009). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
↑ Cyclones To Cease Operations. Press release (March 24, 2009). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.
↑ http://www.thesphl.com/news/?id=4229
↑ History of the SPHL. SPHL.com. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

External linksEdit

Southern Professional Hockey League website

[0] Giardina, A.J. (April 9, 2009). Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast. WLOX-TV. Retrieved on April 10, 2009.

[1] Blakeney, Jason (April 30, 2009). Hockey's Back!. Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved on April 30, 2009.

[2] "Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 2011-2012 Season", Press release, Southern Professional Hockey League, June 13, 2011. Retrieved on June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.

[3] Van Tuyl, Chris. "Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League", 13 June 2011. Retrieved on 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.

[Seals_cease-4] Florida Seals cease operations. Press release (January 5, 2007). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

[Knox_expansion-5] Gates, Nick (June 21, 2009). Murray liking SPHL expansion. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

[Renegades_Done-6] Renegades Officially Done. Press release (April 30, 2009). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

[Cyclones_Cease-7] Cyclones To Cease Operations. Press release (March 24, 2009). Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

[8] ttp://www.thesphl.com/news/?id=4229

[9] History of the SPHL. SPHL.com. Retrieved on 16 March 2010.

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Southern Professional Hockey League
Teams	Augusta RiverHawks • Columbus Cottonmouths • Fayetteville FireAntz • Huntsville Havoc • Knoxville Ice Bears • Louisiana IceGators • Mississippi RiverKings • Mississippi Surge • Pensacola Ice Flyers
Arenas	Cajundome (Louisiana) • Columbus Civic Center (Columbus) • Cumberland County Crown Coliseum (Fayetteville) • DeSoto Civic Center (Mississippi RiverKings) • James Brown Arena (Augusta) • James White Civic Coliseum (Knoxville) • Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Mississippi Surge) • Pensacola Civic Center (Pensacola) • Von Braun Center (Huntsville)
Seasons	2004–05 • 2005–06 • 2006–07 • 2007–08 • 2008–09 • 2009–10 • 2010–11
President's Cup • William B. Coffey Trophy • Other Professional Hockey leagues