Roanoke Express
Encyclopedia
The Roanoke Express were a team in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

 from 1993 until 2004. Home games were played at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

.

History

Roanoke Valley's first minor league ice hockey team, called the Salem Rebels, played its inaugural season at the Salem Civic Center
Salem Civic Center
The Salem Civic Center is a 6,820-seat multi-purpose arena in Salem, Virginia. It was built in 1967 and is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex , which also includes the Salem Football Stadium and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium...

 in the 1967-1968 season with Jim Jago as team captain. The first season had some sparse crowds of less than 1,000 in the 4,848 seat arena. Over the next few years, the team developed a fanbase and a number of games were sold out. In 1971, the team moved to the newly built Roanoke Civic Center near downtown Roanoke and were renamed the Roanoke Valley Rebels.

For most of the 1980s and early 1990s, various teams such as the Virginia Lancers
Virginia Lancers
The Virginia Lancers were a minor league hockey team that played in several leagues from 1983 until 1990. Their home ice was the Vinton Sports Complex, which held 3400 people.-Atlantic Coast Hockey League :...

 and Roanoke Valley Rampage played in a custom built facility called the LancerLot in Vinton
Vinton, Virginia
Vinton is a town in Roanoke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,782 at the 2000 census. It hosted teams by three names in the ECHL in a custom built facility known as the LancerLot; after the roof collapsed during the Blizzard of 1993, the franchise moved to the Roanoke Civic...

. The Virginia Lancers were owned by Henry Brabham, who also owned a chain of convenience stores named Lancer Mart. The roof of the LancerLot collapsed as a result of heavy snowfall during the Blizzard of 1993 resulting in hockey moving back to the Roanoke Civic Center.

Joining the ECHL

The Express proved to be a success both on the ice and in drawing more fans than previous hockey teams in the Roanoke Valley
Roanoke Valley
The Roanoke Valley in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west...

. During the mid to late 1990s, some crowds nearly filled the over 9,000 seat civic center. In 1995-1996, average attendance was 5,679. The team's hard-nosed style of play reflected their coach, Frank Anzalone, who later coached the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs
Johnstown Chiefs
The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1988 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League when that league was formed...

. The Express typically had outstanding goalkeeping with Daniel Berthiaume
Daniel Berthiaume
Daniel J. Berthiaume is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played six seasons in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

 and Dave Gagnon
Dave Gagnon
David Anthony Gagnon is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Dave only played 2 games in NHL, with the Detroit Red Wings, posting an official record of 0–1–0 and goals against average of 10.27....

. The team continued to be successful, and in fact reached new heights, after Anzalone left for the Lowell Lock Monsters and was replaced by Scott Gordon.

However, by the early 2000s, the novelty of hockey in the Roanoke Civic Center had worn off and the team's inability to advance deep into the playoffs led to a frustrated fanbase and sagging attendance. Turmoil in management and ownership contributed to bad press for the team and less effective marketing than in the team's early years. The Express folded after the 2003-2004 season.

Future of hockey in Roanoke

While the failure of the Roanoke Valley Vipers has ended professional hockey in the Roanoke Valley for the time being, the Southern Professional Hockey League
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...

 would likely be the most promising candidate to bring hockey back in the near future. Nearly all of the cities with SPHL teams once had ECHL franchises.

Notable players

  • Daniel Berthiahume - former NHL goaltender
  • Dave Gagnon
    Dave Gagnon
    David Anthony Gagnon is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Dave only played 2 games in NHL, with the Detroit Red Wings, posting an official record of 0–1–0 and goals against average of 10.27....

     - two-time Riley Cup MVP
  • Jason Jaffray
    Jason Jaffray
    Jason Jaffray is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Winnipeg Jets organization of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

     - Vancouver Canucks
    Vancouver Canucks
    The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...

     forward
  • Jeff Cowan
    Jeff Cowan
    Jeff Cowan is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently a left winger playing for the Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Playing career:...

      - played with Canucks, Flames, Kings, and Thrashers
  • Vernon Fiddler
    Vernon Fiddler
    Vernon "Vern" Fiddler is a professional ice hockey centre for the Dallas Stars of the NHL.-Playing career:Undrafted, Fiddler played in the Western Hockey League with the Kelowna Rockets and the Medicine Hat Tigers before turning pro in 2001...

     - Nashville Predators
    Nashville Predators
    The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

     forward
  • John Tripp
    John Tripp (ice hockey)
    John Tripp is a professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Kölner Haie of the DEL.-Playing career:...

     - formerly of the Los Angeles Kings
    Los Angeles Kings
    The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...


External links

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