The Newcastle Vipers were an 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 based in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

, 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...

. Former members of 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...

, the club previously held membership in the British National League

British National League

The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

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The club was founded August 2002 after a season without a professional ice hockey team in Newcastle. Previously, the city was represented by the Newcastle Jesters

Newcastle Jesters

The Newcastle Jesters were an ice hockey franchise based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. The team were members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and played their home games at the Telewest Arena .-Single Season of Jesters :...

, who were founded in 1999 by Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 businessman Harry Harkimo

Harry Harkimo

Harry "Hjallis" Harkimo is a Finnish businessman and sportsperson. He is the chairman of the board of the Helsinki-based ice-hockey team Jokerit,. He is also the developer of the team's home arena, Hartwall Areena, and as an investor in sports...

 who purchased the franchise from the Ice Hockey Superleague

Ice Hockey Superleague

The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...

.

The franchise had previously been owned by John Hall

John Hall (businessman)

Sir John Hall is a property developer in North East England. He is also life president and former chairman of Newcastle United.-Biography:...

 who had owned the club as part of his ambitious "Newcastle Sporting Club" project and known as the Newcastle Cobras and later the Newcastle Riverkings.