Humberside Seahawks
Founded	1988
History	Humberside Seahawks 1988–1993 Humberside Hawks 1993–1996 Kingston Hawks 1996–1999 Hull Thunder Hull Thunder The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena .... 1999–2003 Hull Stingrays Hull Stingrays Hull Stingrays are a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks 1988–1992... 2003–present
Arena	Hull Arena
Capacity	2,000
City	Hull Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Team Colours	White, Black & Silver

Humberside Seahawks later known as Humberside Hawks and then Kingston Hawks, were an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 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...

 club from Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

. Founded during 1988 the club played their home games at Hull Arena. The club went through several name changes due to council influence. Since 1999, the club was followed by first Hull Thunder

Hull Thunder

The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena ....

 and then Hull Stingrays

Hull Stingrays

Hull Stingrays are a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks 1988–1992...

 who currently represent the city in the Elite Ice Hockey League

Elite Ice Hockey League

Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...

.

Early years

The Humberside Seahawks were founded in 1988 under the ownership of Humberside County Council and the management of Adrian Florence. Beginning life in the old Heineken League Division 2, Canadian player-coach Dale Lambert quickly led the fledgling Seahawks to glory, winning the Division 2 title (and promotion to Division 1) in their inaugural season. Just two seasons later, in 1990/91, the Seahawks lost just three games in winning the Division 1 title, which they followed up by winning their play-off group and gaining promotion to the Heineken League Premier Division after just three years in the league.

In their first season in the top flight the Seahawks quickly made their mark. Thrilling home wins against reigning champions, Durham Wasps

Durham Wasps

The Durham Wasps was 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...

, and runners up, Cardiff Devils

Cardiff Devils

The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...

, backed up bench coach Peter Johnson's bold claim that they would be battling in the top four, not against relegation. He was true to his word, leading the team to fourth place and the final of the Autumn Cup, a 5-7 defeat to the Nottingham Panthers, in the first final staged at the brand new 10,000 seat Sheffield Arena. Few doubt the season might have been more successful had it not been for long-term injuries to star imports Jim Lynch, Scott Morrison and Ross Lambert, who was also fined and suspended for threatening revenge on Wasp Stephen Cooper.


"Think Humberside Seahawks, think 1992/93, think Wembley!" - Malcolm Richardson, Hull Daily Mail.


1992/93 was to be Seahawks last. Fittingly it was also their most successful. Despite finishing 7th in the league - a feat no doubt inspired by the pre-season turmoil that saw first Ross Lambert and then Peter Johnson assume the role of head coach - Seahawks secured a 6-5 victory over the Wasps to win the Castle Eden Cup, a traditional two day tournament held in February and featuring four teams based in the North East of England.

More impressive, however, was the tenacity that saw the team overcome the Bees and Whitley Warriors in the play-offs to create history as the first seventh place team to reach the end of season finals weekend, then held at Wembley Arena

Wembley Arena

Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...

.

The semi-final against the Nottingham Panthers

Nottingham Panthers

The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

 was a see-saw affair which saw the Seahawks leading 4-2 in the third period when a section of the surrounding Plexi-glass was broken, necessitating a 25 minute stoppage in play. Panthers returned from the dressing room to dominate the remainder of the third period and tie the score at 4-4. In overtime, Nottingham continued to dominate play, with star forward Paul Adey

Paul Adey

Paul Adey is the head coach of Renon Ritten Sport Hockey in the Italian Serie A. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers during the 2000–01 season...

 spurning a couple of good chances to win the match. With both sets of fans on the edge of their seats (and the overtime period causing the live snooker coverage to be delayed on BBC1) a Panthers turnover fell to Seahawks' Dan Dorion

Dan Dorion

Daniel Norman Dorion is a retired American ice hockey right winger who played four games with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League between 1985–86 and 1987–88...

 (and ex-Panther himself) who was cruising the blue line. Dorion skated towards the Panthers' zone with the puck and laid in a pinpoint pass to Kevin McNaught, who round the Panthers' goaltender and put away the sudden death winner and send the Seahawks into the final.

A 7-4 defeat to the Cardiff Devils in the final the following day did little to dampen the Hull fans' spirits. Despite the knowledge that a sponsorship with British Aerospace was to see the team renamed the Hawks for the 1993-94 season, the Seahawks' place in the history books was assured. To the fans of Hull the likes of Dan Dorion, Kevin McNaught, the Johnsons et al. were, and always will be, heroes.

New Beginnings

In 1994 the Humberside Hawks were born but that was not the only change. Founder Dale Lambert was released as the club began what continues to be a deep fascination with the riches of Eastern Europe. Ukrainians Alexei Kuznetsov and Alexandr Koulikov joined returning heroes Frank Killen, Brian Cox, Mike Bishop and the Johnson brothers, to inspire what has since become the norm in Hull - a season that began with such high hopes but quickly evaporated into one of spectacular failure. Ice hockey in Hull has never truly captured the imagination of the fans since the time of the Seahawks. Sell out crowds and the Seahawks' trumpeter have long since become memories as years of financial hardship have repeatedly taken their toll.

96-97 began with the end of the Johnson dynasty and ended with the death of the Hawk. John Griffith replaced the popular Peter Johnson, his sons, Stephen, Anthony and Shaun, quickly showing their anger by returning home to Tyneside and the newly renamed Newcastle Wasps. Uncertainty of a future was doubled when it was announced that Humberside County Council was to be abolished - and the teams funding with it. Humberside was to be no more, but like the Seahawks before, uncertainty only served to inspire a glorious ending.

Griffith's tenure was inconsistent although his sacking immediately before the play-offs came as a surprise as his side had never slipped below 5th place. His team was also easily the best since the Wembley class of 92-93, the Brit pack of John Wolfe, naughty Norman Pinnington and the re-classified Bishop and Graham Garden, combining well with veterans Andy Steel and Paul Simpson, and imports Phil Huber, Barclay Pearce, and ex-NHLers Derek Laxdal and Bruce Bell. His replacement, ex-Bees coach Keith Milhench, utilised these resources to full effect, overcoming the loss of Bell. This time the yellow brick roaded ended in a 3-6 semi-final defeat to Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield Steelers

The Sheffield Steelers are a British ice hockey club, from Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Sheffield Arena. They are currently members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

. Once again though the end ensured the Hawks would never be forgotten.

Name Changes

Since the days of the Hawks, Ice Hockey in Hull has undergone major surgery with contrasting results. Keith Milhench's Kingston Hawks joined the newly formed Premier League and once again dared belief amongst the loyal as successive pre-season victories over the Superleague Manchester Storm

Manchester Storm

The Manchester Storm were an ice hockey team from Manchester, England. The team formed in 1995, playing their home games at the then newly built Nynex Arena . Storm won the British Hockey League Division One in their first season, watched by an average crowd of 6,342...

 suggested the likes of Chris Eimers, Oleg Synkov and Danuse Bauba might be able to emerge from the shadows of Hull greats and restore the city to the countries elite. Instead what has happened is repeated optimism and failure, the big name signings and returns of the likes of Dale Lambert, Mike Bishop and Ron Shudra

Ron Shudra

Ronald Shudra is a retired professional ice hockey player who holds dual Canadian and British nationality. In 2010 he was inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.-Draft:...

 failing to compensate the constant name changes and poor league positions that until recently had become near permanent. Following the Hawks came the Hull City Hawks, Hull Thunder

Hull Thunder

The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena ....

 and most recently the Hull Stingrays

Hull Stingrays

Hull Stingrays are a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks 1988–1992...

. None have come close to rivalling the Seahawks in terms of size and success although Mike and Sue Pack have at least restored security and a place in the Elite League. The Stingrays debuted at 9th place. On 11 August 2010, they closed the club due to financial problems, but six days later it was taken over by the owners of Coventry Blaze

Coventry Blaze

Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

.

Honours

• English League
  English League (ice hockey)
  The English League was an early ice hockey league in England. It was founded in 1931 and operated until 1936 when it disbanded, being replaced by the English National League.A new league of the same name was founded during 1988 and continued on until 1997....
  
  
  • Champions (1): 1988–89

• British Championship
  British Championship
  The British Championship is the most prestigious ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition. It has been run under various formats and titles since 1930 and contested annually since 1966...
  
  
  • Runners-up (1): 1993

• Autumn Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1991

Noted players

Scott Morrison

Morrison joined the Seahawks from Whitley Warriors in 1989, scoring 159 points in 39 games. Widely considered to be the finest player to grace the ice in Hull, Morrison scored another 220 points before an argument saw him transfer to the Billingham Bombers

Billingham Bombers

The Billingham Bombers are an ice hockey team from the town of Billingham in the Stockton-on-Tees borough of Teesside. They are currently members of the English National Ice Hockey League and the Northern League. The Bombers play their home games at the Billingham Forum Ice Rink.The Bombers were...

, and then back to the Warriors. In 95-96 the chain-smoking sniper returned as a Hawk, netting 89 goals and 187 points in 60 games. He left with Peter Johnson. enjoying a successful, nomadic career that took in the Basingstoke Bison

Basingstoke Bison

The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...

 and Ayr Scottish Eagles

Ayr Scottish Eagles

The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main sponsor was Barr Construction...

 amongst others.

Dale Lambert

The big Canadian defender originally joined the Seahawks as player-coach from the Medway Bears, helping GM Adrian Florence mould the team into a successful franchise. Rugged and likeable, he quickly became to the Seahawks what Shannon Hope

Shannon Hope

Shannon Hope is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defender who played for the Peterborough Pirates and the Cardiff Devils as well as for the Great Britain national team, for whom he was the captain between 1995 and 1997...

 was to the Devils and Shudra to the Steelers - vacating his coaching duties in 1993 only to concentrate on playing. But Wembley was to be his swansong, the love affair ending as a trade to the Solihull Barons

Solihull Barons

Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey team from the town of Solihull who play at Solihull Ice Rink on Hobbs Moat Road. They were formed in 2005, although they are named after the team of the same name who played at the same ice rink between 1972 and 1996...

 was followed by spells in Milton Keynes, Durham, Newcastle, and Phoenix in the WCHL. He finally returned as coach of the Kingston Hawks in 1999-2000. A broken leg and less gifted players meant the good times were not to be repeated.
Dan Dorion

The skilful American forward first joined the Seahawks in 92-93, the former Panther and 91-92 player of the year quickly inspiring Humberside to a six game winning streak that guaranteed seventh position and a play-off place. The New York native scored 86 points in just 27 games, with 9 goals and 12 assists in the Seahawks march to Wembley. Although he left for the ECHLs Roanoke Express in 1994 he again answered Peter Johnson's call and returned to replace the injured Hawk Kuznetsov, once again inspiring an immediate change in the clubs fortunes. Despite 98 points in 34 games however, he could not bring about a return to the promised land.

Shaun Johnson

Youngest of the Johnson brothers, "Shuggy" was a crowd favourite ever since his arrival with the Johnson clan from Durham in 1990. Living in his brothers shadows he first emerged as a future star in 1991-92 - receiving the first of many GB caps - and 94-95 when he won the Player's Player of the Year Award at the age of 21. In 95-96, the winger joined his brothers in returning to the Wasps, where he quickly turned from a young star into experienced professional. After spells with Newcastle and Coventry he is now back home with the Vipers in the Elite League, rivals to the Stingrays. He is one of the most respected players in Britain and is the last remaining member of the Johnson dynasty.

Stephen Johnson

"Quacks" Johnson is the eldest and by far the most popular of the Johnson brothers in Hull. His number 10 shirt was retired in tribute to his time at the club, much of which was spent as captain. He was also the first brother to return after his family's infamous split with the Hawks - returning from the Wasps in 1998-99 to play in the British National League with Kingston, Thunder and finally the Stingrays. At the time of his retirement he had scored more than 1000 points and 600+ goals in all games. his number 10 shirt is the only one so far retired by the Hull organisation.

Anthony Johnson

Middle brother and AC for the Seahawks, "Tant" gave his all in the no.12 shirt, combining hard graft and commitment with the skill and vision that complemented his brothers so well. Like the others he remains one of the countries finest, he is up there with the likes of Tony Hand

Tony Hand

Tony Hand MBE is a Scottish ice hockey player who became the first British-raised player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986. He is currently player-coach of the Manchester Phoenix...

, Ian

Ian Cooper (ice hockey)

Ian Edward Cooper is a retired British ice hockey player. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and is the younger brother of fellow Hall of Fame member, Stephen Cooper.-Club:...

 and Stephen Cooper et al. Despite his departure, like his brother he claimed he would never have left Hull were it not for the mistreatment of their father. He returned in the white and purple of the Thunder in 1999-2000, effectively ending his career in his spiritual home.

Squads

(1992–93) - Scott Morrison (I)(F), Todd Bidner (I)(F), Ross Lambert (I)(F), Sylvain Naud (I)(F), Bobby Brown (I)(F), Ransom Drcar (I)(F), Stephen Johnson (F), Anthony Johnson (F), Shaun Johnson (F), Nigel Rhodes (F), Grant Slater (F), Andy Steel (F), Jim Lynch (I)(D), Dale Lambert (PC)(I)(D), Paul Dixon (D), Mark Pallister (D), Paul Simpson (D), Stewart Carvil (D), Bobby McEwen (D), Lee Barley (D), Frankie Killen (NM), Andy Donald (NM), Ian Young (NM), David Selby (NM). Peter Johnson (Bench Coach)

(1993–94) - Dan Dorian (I)(F), T.Bidner, B.Brown, Chris Hobson (F), Arren Burn (F), Danny Parkin (F), A.Johnson, St.Johnson, Sh.Johnson, G.Slater, Mike Bishop (I)(D), Kevin McNaughton (RI)(D/F), D.Lambert, Gavin De Jonge (F), Andy Giles (F), Craig Bowles (D), P.Simpson, S.Carvil, L.Barley, Brian Cox (NM), Paul Cast (NM), Kenny Johnson (NM), F.Killen, Lee.Wilson(D).

Others

Mike Andrews, Rick Strachan,