History
The league was founded in 1996 to replace the first division of the British Hockey League following the split between the two divisions of the league; the premier division having been replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague at the same time. For its first season only the BNL was split into the Northern Premier League and the Premier League. From 2000 until 2003, it was sponsored by Findus.
The BNL was disbanded at the end of the 2004/05 season, Edinburgh Capitals and Newcastle Vipers both left the league and applied to join the first tier EIHL (with whom the BNL had conducted a crossover competition with during its final season). Both the Capitals and the Vipers then withdrew their applications so as to let the remaining five BNL teams submit applications to join the EIHL with them. However, the terms set by the EIHL were deemed unacceptable by the other teams, and so the Capitals and the Vipers both resubmitted their own applications and were accepted into the EIHL. With only five teams remaining, the BNL folded; leaving all of its remaining five clubs to join other leagues. Bracknell Bees, Guildford Flames, and Hull Stingrays all joined the EPIHL; which replaced the BNL as the second tier of English hockey (it having previously been the third tier), whilst Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers joined the EPIHL's Scottish counterpart; the Scottish National League. All of these teams, with the exception of Bracknell Bees, became members of the EIHL in later seasons, with Hull Stingrays making the move in 2006, before being joined by Dundee Stars in 2010, Fife Flyers in 2011 and Guildford Flames in 2017.
The Guildford Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and they play their home games in the Guildford Spectrum. They compete in the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom, the Elite Ice Hockey League.
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Premier Sports Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom. The league operate three competitions for members; the play-offs determine the national champion, following a regular season league competition for which separate champions are also crowned. Finally, a stand-alone cup competition, the Challenge Cup, is also held annually, beginning with the group stages followed by a knock-out format.
The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the Scottish National League (SNL). They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The team play at the Murrayfield Ice Rink, close to Murrayfield Rugby stadium.
The Bees Ice Hockey Club are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey.
Fife Flyers is the oldest professional ice hockey club in the UK, established in 1938. The Flyers play their home games at Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy which has a capacity of just over 3000. The arena is home to not only Fife Flyers, who play in the Elite Ice Hockey League but also to Kirkcaldy Junior Ice Hockey Club. Traditionally many of the Flyers' players have come up through the junior ranks to play at a professional level.
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1980 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League. The league replaced three regional leagues: the Inter-City League in southern England, the English League North in northern England and the Northern League in Scotland.
Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England playing in the NIHL South Division 1. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough and joined the first division of the British League. With the help of Gary Stefan who had previously been with Streatham Redskins, the Slough Jets were formed.
Hull Stingrays were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull who was a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League from 2003 until 2015. They played their home games at Hull Arena.
The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) is a set of professional ice hockey leagues administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is currently the second tier of British ice hockey, below the Elite Ice Hockey League. Formerly called the English National Ice Hockey League (ENIHL), it was renamed in 2012 to recognise the inclusion of several teams from Scotland and Wales.
Mark Dutiaume, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger, who played in the minor leagues and in Europe.
The Dundee Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in the Scottish city of Dundee. They were formed in 2001 and play their home games at the Dundee Ice Arena, situated off the city's main Kingsway dual carriageway. The current title sponsor of the team is 'Trade-Mart'.
Paul Dixon is a former ice hockey defenceman and player-coach from Sunderland, England. He is currently the head coach for the Guildford Flames of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom.
Joe Watkins is a retired English ice hockey goaltender from Durham.
Adam Walker is a Scottish professional ice hockey player. He is currently the player-head coach of the Paisley Pirates of the Scottish National League. He previously in the British Elite Ice Hockey League for the Cardiff Devils, Manchester Phoenix and the Braehead Clan.
Stephen James Murphy is a former professional ice hockey goaltender born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.
The 2004–05 Elite Ice Hockey League season was the second season of the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Manchester Phoenix did not ice due as they could not agree a deal with the Manchester Evening News Arena.
The 1999–2000 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fourth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).
The 2000–01 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fifth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).
Ryan Watt is a Scottish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Bracknell Bees of the National Ice Hockey League.
The 2017–18 EIHL season was the 15th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 9 September 2017 and ended on 25 March 2018. The reigning league champions were the Cardiff Devils, who won the championship for the first time in 2016–17. The Devils retained their regular season title, with a 3–2 victory away at the Belfast Giants on 16 March 2018. The Devils also won the playoff title, beating the Sheffield Steelers – who had defeated the Devils 12 months prior in a 6–5 double overtime game – 3–1 in the final, winning a first playoff title since 1998–99.
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