Durham City Wasps

Last updated

Durham City Wasps
City Durham, England
League English League
Founded1995
Dissolved1996
Home arena Durham Ice Rink
Capacity: 2860
Ice size: 180ft x 80ft
Colours   
White, Blue, and Gold
Owner(s)Durham Wasps Enterprises
Head coachRoly Barrass

Durham City Wasps were formed during the summer of 1995 after the sale and subsequent relocation of Durham Wasps from Durham Ice Rink announced in May of that year. [1]

The "City Slickers" as they were to become known were pulled together by manager Brian Cooper, father of former Wasps Ian and Stephen Cooper. The team, which played in the English Division 1 (North) was made up primarily of former Wasps, players from Durham's under-19 squad and recreational players.

The team first took to the ice at Sheffield's Queen's Road Ice Rink against the Sheffield Scimitars on 10 September 1995.

The squad was bolstered in January 1996 with the arrival of Zac George - the City Wasps only import player. The team finished fourth in their conference and went on to play against Southern champions Wightlink Raiders in both the League and Cup finals.

Despite attracting sizeable crowds for the level of ice hockey, the team was disbanded in the summer of 1996 after the announcement that their Riverside Rink was to close, ending a 56-year history of ice hockey in Durham.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Panthers</span> Ice hockey club in Nottingham, England

The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Steelers</span> Ice hockey club in Sheffield, England

The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (title) sponsor is Sheffield Window Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Arena</span> Arena in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Wasps</span> Ice hockey team in Durham, England

The Durham Wasps were an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996. The Newcastle team, after several changes became known as the Newcastle Jesters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Vipers</span> Ice hockey team in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

From 2002–2011 the Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The club was a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League, and the British National League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in England

The Utilita Arena Newcastle is a large indoor arena in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Owned and operated by The LA Fund and sponsored by Utilita Energy, it hosts music, entertainment, sports and business events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Keynes Lightning</span> Ice hockey team in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 and then again in 2019 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. The Lightning previously turned up in the top tier Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) from 2017–2019, and the tier-3/tier-2 English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) from 2002–2017. Their home rink is 2,200-seat Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes, known locally as the MK Arena or the Thunderdome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fife Flyers</span> Scottish ice hockey team

The Fife Flyers are a Scottish ice hockey club in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Established in 1938, the Flyers are the oldest still-extant club in the country.

The British League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League. Note that the league never had 'hockey' in its title. 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 and NE England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slough Jets</span> Ice hockey team in Slough, Berkshire

The 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.

Anthony Hand MBE is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986.

The 2006–07 Elite Ice Hockey League season commenced on September 9, 2006 and concluded on April 8, 2007. It was the Elite League's fourth season of competition.

The British ice hockey league champions are the winners of the regular season of the highest ice hockey league in the United Kingdom, currently the Elite Ice Hockey League. Previously, the highest league has been the British National League (1954–60), the Premier Division (1983–96) and the Ice Hockey Superleague (1996–2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackpool Seagulls</span> Ice hockey team in Blackpool, England

Blackpool Seagulls are an English ice hockey team, founded in 1951, who played at the Pleasure Beach Ice Rink, Blackpool. They folded in 1993.

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.

Richard Joseph "Rick" Brebant is a retired ice hockey player who played mainly in Great Britain. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff Devils</span> Welsh ice hockey team

The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh professional ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team play at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay, currently known as Vindico Arena for sponsorship reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altrincham Aces</span> Ice hockey team in Altrincham, Greater Manchester

The Altrincham Aces are a semi-professional and amateur ice hockey team of the English National Ice Hockey League, based out of the Altrincham Ice Dome, situated on Oakfield Road in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billingham Stars</span> Ice hockey team in Billingham, England

The Billingham Stars are an ice hockey team from the town of Billingham in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham. They are currently members of the National Ice Hockey League playing in its Moralee Conference. The Stars play their home games at the Billingham Forum.

Relocation of professional sports teams in the United Kingdom is a practice which involves a sports team moving from one metropolitan area to another, although occasionally moves between municipalities in the same conurbation are also included. For relocations in other part of the world see Relocation of professional sports teams.

References

  1. Wilson, Scott. "The Wasps are back for one night only". thenorthernecho.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.