Southern Professional Hockey League

The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a low-level professional

Professional sports

Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...

 ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 league based in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

, with teams located in the southeastern United States

Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

.

History

The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The Atlantic Coast Hockey League

Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002)

The Atlantic Coast Hockey League was a professional minor league ice hockey league based in the United States. The second league to bear the name Atlantic Coast Hockey League, it operated for only one season, 2002–2003, before its franchises split into two new leagues.-History:The 2002 incarnation...

 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

South East Hockey League

The South East Hockey League was a minor ice hockey league formed in August 2003. It succeeded the short-lived Atlantic Coast Hockey League and had 4 teams for its first and only season. Jim Riggs was the commissioner....

 and the World Hockey Association 2

World Hockey Association 2

The World Hockey Association 2 was a minor professional ice hockey league created at the instigation of the organizers of the proposed recreated World Hockey Association to serve as its development league. The WHA2 teams — some of which had played the 2002–03 season in the Atlantic Coast...

. 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

Mississippi Surge

The Mississippi Surge is a professional team in the Southern Professional Hockey League that began play in the 2009-10 season. Based in Biloxi, home games are played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum also known as "The Power Plant".-History:...

, Lafayette, Louisiana

Louisiana IceGators

The original Louisiana IceGators were an ECHL team based in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1995 until the end of the 2005 season. The team played its home games at the Cajundome and were last an affiliate of the NHL Minnesota Wild and the AHL Houston Aeros....

 and Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola Ice Flyers

The Pensacola Ice Flyers are a team of the Southern Professional Hockey League, their first season was the 2009-10 season. Home games are played at the Pensacola Civic Center, previously home to the ECHL's Pensacola Ice Pilots from 1996 until their folding in 2008.The "Ice Flyers" name has a...

, all three of which were former ECHL

ECHL

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

 markets within the past five years that produced competitive teams, each of which either won the league's championship

Kelly Cup

The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...

 or regular season title

Brabham Cup

The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season...

. For the 2011–12 season, the league added 2-time Central Hockey League

Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....

 champions, the Mississippi RiverKings.

Teams

Current

Team	City/Area	Arena	Joined	Head Coach
Augusta Riverhawks	Augusta Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County... , Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...	James Brown Arena James Brown Arena The James Brown Arena is a multi-purpose complex, in Augusta, Georgia.It features an 8,500 seat arena, renamed the James Brown Arena, in honor of musician James Brown on August 22, 2006...	2010	Brad Ralph Brad Ralph Brad Ralph is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and is currently the head coach of the Augusta River Hawks of the Southern Professional Hockey League. He played in one National Hockey League game for the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2000–01 NHL season.-External links:...
Columbus Cottonmouths Columbus Cottonmouths The Columbus Cottonmouths are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is nicknamed the Snakes, and play their home games at the Columbus Civic Center.-Central Hockey League : 1996-2001:...	Columbus Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795... , Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...	Columbus Civic Center Columbus Civic Center Columbus Civic Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Georgia, built in 1996.-History:The arena was built in 1996, along with a Softball Complex, to fully complete South Commons...	2004	Jerome Bechard Jerome Bechard Jerome Bechard is a retired professional ice hockey left wing and the long-time current head coach of the Columbus Cottonmouths in SPHL...
Fayetteville FireAntz Fayetteville FireAntz The Fayetteville FireAntz are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. They currently play in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games in the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum....	Fayetteville Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city.... , North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...	Cumberland County Crown Coliseum Cumberland County Crown Coliseum Cumberland County Crown Coliseum is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Fayetteville, North Carolina that opened in 1997. It is currently home to the Fayetteville FireAntz ice hockey team, the Fayetteville Force indoor football team, and formerly home to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA...	2004	Sean Gillam
Huntsville Havoc Huntsville Havoc The Huntsville Havoc are a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Alabama.-History:...	Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census.... , Alabama Alabama Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...	Von Braun Center Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center , known as the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997, is a multi-purpose indoor arena, meeting, and performing arts complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 10,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama...	2004	Randy Murphy
Knoxville Ice Bears Knoxville Ice Bears The Knoxville Ice Bears are a professional ice hockey team. The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League. They play their home games at James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2006 the Ice Bears defeated the Florida Seals to take the SPHL championship and the...	Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region... , Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...	James White Civic Coliseum James White Civic Coliseum General James White Memorial Civic Auditorium and Coliseum is a 7,141-seat multi-purpose arena, in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was built in 1961....	2004	Mike Craigen
Louisiana IceGators Louisiana IceGators The original Louisiana IceGators were an ECHL team based in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1995 until the end of the 2005 season. The team played its home games at the Cajundome and were last an affiliate of the NHL Minnesota Wild and the AHL Houston Aeros....	Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census... , Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...	Cajundome Cajundome The Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...	2009	Kevin Kaminski Kevin Kaminski Kevin S. Kaminski is a former Canadian ice hockey player.Selected in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, Kaminski only played one game for the North Stars before he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Gaetan Duchesne...
Mississippi RiverKings	Southaven Southaven, Mississippi -Households And Families:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,977 people, 11,007 households, and 8,134 families residing in the city. The population density was 857.9 people per square mile... , Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...  (Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....  area)	DeSoto Civic Center DeSoto Civic Center The DeSoto Civic Center is an 8,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Southaven, Mississippi. It was built in 2000. It is home to the Mississippi RiverKings, a team in the Southern Professional Hockey League....	2011	Derek Landmesser
Mississippi Surge Mississippi Surge The Mississippi Surge is a professional team in the Southern Professional Hockey League that began play in the 2009-10 season. Based in Biloxi, home games are played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum also known as "The Power Plant".-History:...	Biloxi Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County.... , Mississippi Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...	Mississippi Coast Coliseum Mississippi Coast Coliseum The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is a 11,500 reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted WCW Beach Blast 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament in 1992 and 1993...	2009	Jeff Bes Jeff Bes Jeff Bes , is a retired ice hockey centre who most recently played for the Laredo Bucks in the Central Hockey League...
Pensacola Ice Flyers Pensacola Ice Flyers The Pensacola Ice Flyers are a team of the Southern Professional Hockey League, their first season was the 2009-10 season. Home games are played at the Pensacola Civic Center, previously home to the ECHL's Pensacola Ice Pilots from 1996 until their folding in 2008.The "Ice Flyers" name has a...	Pensacola Pensacola, Florida Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752... , Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...	Pensacola Civic Center Pensacola Civic Center The Pensacola Civic Center is an indoor arena located in Pensacola, Florida. It is owned by Escambia County and operated by SMG Management. The Civic Center has a capacity of 8,150 for hockey games, and as much as 12,000 for non-hockey events...	2009	Todd Gordon

Defunct franchises

• Asheville Aces
  Asheville Aces
  The Asheville Aces were a Southern Professional Hockey League team in Asheville, North Carolina. The team, which suffered limited success and low attendance, lasted only one year before disbanding.-Franchise History:...
  
   (2004–05)
• Florida Seals
  Florida Seals
  The Florida Seals was a minor league ice hockey franchise, a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League . Originally based in Orlando, Florida, they later moved to Kissimmee, Florida, a suburb thirty miles south of Orlando in Osceola County...
  
   (2005–07; membership terminated in the middle of the 2006–07 SPHL season)
• Jacksonville Barracudas
  Jacksonville Barracudas
  The Jacksonville Barracudas were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were established in 2002, and played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League , the World Hockey Association 2 , and the Southern Professional Hockey League , before folding in 2008.They won...
  
   (2004–08; suspended for the 08–09 and 09–10 seasons and dissolved)
• Macon Trax
  Macon Trax
  The Macon Trax were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Macon, Georgia. They played in the low minor leagues Atlantic Coast Hockey League , World Hockey Association 2 and Southern Professional Hockey League , playing their home games at the Macon Coliseum...
  
   (2004–05)
• Pee Dee Cyclones (2005–07; moved to Winston-Salem, NC)
• Richmond Renegades
  Richmond Renegades
  The Richmond Renegades was a SPHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia. The team, owned by Allan B. Harvie Jr., the founder of the former ECHL Renegades franchise, began play in October 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum. The team's first head coach was John Brophy...
  
   (2006–09)
• Twin City Cyclones
  Twin City Cyclones
  Originally called the Pee Dee Cyclones, the Twin City Cyclones were a minor league ice hockey team based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They began play in the Southern Professional Hockey League in the 2005-2006 season...
  
   (2007–09)
• Winston-Salem Polar Twins
  Winston-Salem Polar Twins
  The Winston-Salem Polar Twins is a name held by two professional hockey franchises in Winston-Salem, NC. The first Polar Twins franchise operated in the 1970s before folding. They were followed by the Carolina Thunderbirds...
  
   (2004–05)

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.

President's Cup

2004–05 2004–05 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2004–05 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 29, 2004, and ended April 1, 2005, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Columbus Cottonmouths
2005–06 2005–06 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2005–06 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the second season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 21, 2005, and ended April 12, 2006, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07 2006–07 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2006–07 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the third season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 27, 2006, and ended April 18, 2007, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Fayetteville FireAntz
2007–08 2007–08 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2007–08 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the fourth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 25, 2007, and ended April 13, 2008, after a 52-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09 2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the fifth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began August 24, 2008, and ended April 16, 2009, after a 60-game regular season and a four-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10 2009–10 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2009–10 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the sixth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The season began October 22, 2009, and ended April 17, 2010, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Huntsville Havoc
2010–11 2010–11 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2010–11 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the seventh season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The season began October 21, 2010, and ended April 15, 2011, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Mississippi Surge

William B. Coffey Trophy

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.

2004–05 2004–05 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2004–05 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 29, 2004, and ended April 1, 2005, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2005–06 2005–06 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2005–06 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the second season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 21, 2005, and ended April 12, 2006, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2006–07 2006–07 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2006–07 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the third season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 27, 2006, and ended April 18, 2007, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Columbus Cottonmouths
2007–08 2007–08 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2007–08 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the fourth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began October 25, 2007, and ended April 13, 2008, after a 52-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2008–09 2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2008–09 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the fifth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The regular season began August 24, 2008, and ended April 16, 2009, after a 60-game regular season and a four-team playoff...	Knoxville Ice Bears
2009–10 2009–10 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2009–10 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the sixth season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The season began October 22, 2009, and ended April 17, 2010, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Mississippi Surge
2010–11 2010–11 Southern Professional Hockey League season The 2010–11 Southern Professional Hockey League season was the seventh season of the Southern Professional Hockey League. The season began October 21, 2010, and ended April 15, 2011, after a 56-game regular season and a six-team playoff...	Mississippi Surge

See also

• List of developmental and minor sports leagues
• List of ice hockey leagues
• Minor league
  Minor league
  Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
  
  

External links

• Southern Professional Hockey League website