Jacksonville Bullets
Encyclopedia
The Jacksonville Bullets were a professional minor league ice hockey
team based in Jacksonville, Florida
. They played in the Sunshine Hockey League
, later renamed the Southern Hockey League, from 1992–1996. They played their games at Jacksonville Coliseum and Skate World, now known as Jacksonville Ice & Sportsplex.
, a tiny league with six teams mostly based in Florida
. They were the first ice hockey
team to be based in Jacksonville in nearly twenty years, since the Jacksonville Barons of the American Hockey League
had folded in 1974. They played alternately at the Jacksonville Coliseum and Skate World, a skating rink on Jacksonville's Southside.
The team played barely above the .500 mark in its first season, yet found themselves in the 1993 Sunshine Cup final. In the final the Bullets lost to the powerhouse West Palm Beach Blaze
. Though often successful on the ice the Bullets struggled with attendance and finances throughout their run. In 1994 they were bought by the owners of Skate World, one of whom was Bob Sabourin
, who had been the coach of Jacksonville's first professional hockey team, the Jacksonville Rockets
. They remained in the league when its name was changed to the Southern Hockey League in 1995. However, their difficulties in attracting fans were exacerbated that year with the arrival of another hockey team, the Jacksonville Lizard Kings
. The Lizard Kings played in the more formidable East Coast Hockey League and had a substantially more effective marketing campaign, and were able to lease the Coliseum for their games. The Bullets managed to survive through the season, but folded along with the league at the end of the 1995-96 season.
.
Brigance died due to a heart attack on November 29, 2004. He was 65 years old.
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...
team based in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. They played in the Sunshine Hockey League
Sunshine Hockey League
The Sunshine Hockey League 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....
, later renamed the Southern Hockey League, from 1992–1996. They played their games at Jacksonville Coliseum and Skate World, now known as Jacksonville Ice & Sportsplex.
History
The Bullets were founded in 1992 as one of the inaugural franchises of the Sunshine Hockey LeagueSunshine Hockey League
The Sunshine Hockey League 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....
, a tiny league with six teams mostly based in 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...
. They were the first 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...
team to be based in Jacksonville in nearly twenty years, since the Jacksonville Barons of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
had folded in 1974. They played alternately at the Jacksonville Coliseum and Skate World, a skating rink on Jacksonville's Southside.
The team played barely above the .500 mark in its first season, yet found themselves in the 1993 Sunshine Cup final. In the final the Bullets lost to the powerhouse West Palm Beach Blaze
West Palm Beach Blaze
The West Palm Beach Blaze were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in West Palm Beach, Florida. They played in the Sunshine Hockey League, later renamed the Southern Hockey League, from 1992–1996. They played their games at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, which is now known as the...
. Though often successful on the ice the Bullets struggled with attendance and finances throughout their run. In 1994 they were bought by the owners of Skate World, one of whom was Bob Sabourin
Bob Sabourin
Robert Sabourin is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. A left winger, he played one game in the National Hockey League , for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1951–52 NHL season. He later played in the minor leagues, eventually joining the Jacksonville...
, who had been the coach of Jacksonville's first professional hockey team, the Jacksonville Rockets
Jacksonville Rockets
The Jacksonville Rockets were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1964–1972, when they folded. They were the first professional hockey team to be based in Jacksonville or anywhere in Florida...
. They remained in the league when its name was changed to the Southern Hockey League in 1995. However, their difficulties in attracting fans were exacerbated that year with the arrival of another hockey team, the Jacksonville Lizard Kings
Jacksonville Lizard Kings
Jacksonville Lizard Kings were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formerly known as the Louisville Icehawks, they played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1995–2000...
. The Lizard Kings played in the more formidable East Coast Hockey League and had a substantially more effective marketing campaign, and were able to lease the Coliseum for their games. The Bullets managed to survive through the season, but folded along with the league at the end of the 1995-96 season.
Miscellaneous
The radio play-by-play announcer for the Jacksonville Bullets was Howard Brigance, who was one of the founders of amateur hockey in the Jacksonville area. Brigance also did play-by-play announcing for the nearby Jacksonville Lizard KingsJacksonville Lizard Kings
Jacksonville Lizard Kings were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formerly known as the Louisville Icehawks, they played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1995–2000...
.
Brigance died due to a heart attack on November 29, 2004. He was 65 years old.