Pacific Hockey League (1994)

Last updated
For the late 1970s ice hockey league, see Pacific Hockey League.
Pacific Hockey League
Formerly Pacific Southwest Hockey League
Pacific Northwest Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Founded 1994
Ceased 1995
Replaced by West Coast Hockey League (partial)
No. of teams 6
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Last
champion(s)		 Alaska Gold Kings
Most titles Alaska Gold Kings (1)

The Pacific Hockey League (PHL) was a short lived semi-professional ice hockey league in the western United States in the 1990s. The league was formed by a merger of two previous semi-professional leagues, the Pacific Southwest Hockey League and Pacific Northwest Hockey League. Several PHL teams became charter members of the professional West Coast Hockey League in 1995.

Ice hockey team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually consisting of six players each: one goaltender, and five players who skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team.

The Pacific Southwest Hockey League was a semi-professional ice hockey league that operated in California, Nevada and Alaska starting in 1972 and ran through 1995, when its members were incorporated into the upstart professional West Coast Hockey League. The league operated as the California-Nevada Hockey League from 1968 to 1972.

The Pacific Northwest Hockey League was an amateur mixed-level ice hockey league in British Columbia in the 1970s and 1980s. The teams that played in the league were of both the Junior and Intermediate level due to the distances between towns in the area. It operated within the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association. There were teams in Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, Smithers, Burns Lake, Houston, Granisle, Fraser Lake, and Vanderhoof.

The PHL played only one season, 1994–95. In addition to its league schedule the Anchorage Aces played several out-of-league games, while the Fresno Falcons also played opponents from the Florida-based Sunshine Hockey League. The Fairbanks-based Alaska Gold Kings were the league's sole champions.

Alaska Aces (ECHL) ice hockey team

The Alaska Aces, known as the Anchorage Aces until 2003, were a minor league ice hockey team in Anchorage, Alaska. Home games were played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. The Aces won three Kelly Cup championships, with their last championship following the 2013–14 ECHL season.

Fresno Falcons ice hockey team

The Fresno Falcons are a defunct minor league hockey team. They were charter members of several long standing leagues in the western United States including the Pacific Southwest Hockey League and the West Coast Hockey League. In their final years, they were members of the ECHL. They were located in Fresno, California.

The Sunshine Hockey League (SuHL) was a low-minors professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 to 1995. The league was based in Florida and consisted of five teams in its inaugural 1992-93 season. Each team's initial Head Coaches were former NHL players including Bill Nyrop, West Palm Beach; Rocky Saganiuk, Daytona Beach; Jim Mikol, Lakeland Warriors; and Lou Francheschetti, Jacksonville Bullets.

After the season three PHL teams, the Aces, Falcons and Gold Kings, joined the WCHL. A fourth team, the Los Angeles Bandits, briefly joined the dubious North American League before folding. [1]

Teams

Northwest Division

Team name City
Alaska Gold Kings Fairbanks, Alaska
Anchorage Aces Anchorage, Alaska
Vancouver Thunderbirds Vancouver, Washington
(played in Seattle) [1]

Pacific Southwest Division

Team name City
California Hawks Anaheim, California [2]
Fresno Falcons Fresno, California
Los Angeles Bandits Los Angeles, California

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References

  1. 1 2 Pacific Hockey League (1994-1995) history and statistics, hockeyDB.com. (accessed 11 June 2015)
  2. ↑ Klein, Gary. "Background Helped Callahan Sharpen His Skills for Blades", Los Angeles Times , July 7, 1994. (accessed 11 June 2015)
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