North Eastern Hockey League
Encyclopedia
The North Eastern Hockey League was a semi-professional ice hockey
league from 2003 until 2008. It was created by entrepreneur Jim Cashman, who served as league president. The NEHL was built to focus on giving players that were not quite ready for the ECHL
, United Hockey League
, and the Central Hockey League
a place to play and develop after their Junior and college careers had finished. In the 2003-04 season, nine total players moved up to the "AA" level and remained there and six of those players came from the York IceCats alone.
, Pennsylvania
, Jamestown Titans
out of Jamestown
, New York
, Mohawk Valley Comets
out of Whitestown
, New York
and the Poughkeepsie Panthers out of Poughkeepsie, New York. After very low attendance in the first few games in Poughkeepsie, the team was to be relocated to Connecticut and renamed the Connecticut Cougars but negotiations with an arena broke down and the Cougars finished as a road team for the remainder of the season.
When concerns of Comets players not being available for the final month of the season due to their summer jobs starting, Coach Brett Boake requested a schedule change and the season was shortened a month. The Comets decided two days before the playoff weekend that they were not going to participate as not enough players were available and they had financial concerns.
With the Comets as the league regular season leaders, they were to get a bye straight to the finals, which was to be played on Sunday. York and Jamestown (the second and third place teams) were to play on the Saturday to see who went on to face the Comets. Once the Comets had informed the league that they would not be playing, the league changed the playoff structure. York and Jamestown would play a two-game series that weekend. If there were a tie after the two games they would play a mini-game lasting twenty minutes.
York won the opening game, 8-5. Jamestown defeated York 9-1 in the second game and then won a 20-minute tiebreaker game 6-1. As league champions, the Titans received the Herb Brooks
Memorial Trophy.
The league went dark for the 2004-05 season, then attempted to return in 2005-06 as the Continental Professional Hockey League with teams in Canada
and the United States
.
The regular 44-game season was supposed to start in early November 2005, was postponed, saw six games played, and was cancelled in mid-December 2005.
In the 2006-2007 season, The New England Stars finished first with a record of 20-0, and cruised in the Championship series beating the Mohawk Valley Icecats 2 games to 0 (8-5 and 9-2) to capture the 2006-2007 NEHL Crown.
The league announced on January 23, 2008 that it was suspending operations for the remainder of the 2007-08 season.
2005–2006
(teams only played six games until the league suspended operations for a season)
2006–2007
2007–08
for the 1979-80 season.
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...
league from 2003 until 2008. It was created by entrepreneur Jim Cashman, who served as league president. The NEHL was built to focus on giving players that were not quite ready for the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
, United Hockey League
United Hockey League
The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...
, and the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
a place to play and develop after their Junior and college careers had finished. In the 2003-04 season, nine total players moved up to the "AA" level and remained there and six of those players came from the York IceCats alone.
History
The League started with four franchises, the York IceCats out of YorkYork, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Jamestown Titans
Jamestown Titans
The Jamestown Titans was a semi-professional ice hockey team in North Eastern Hockey League based in Jamestown, New York.The Titans finished the 2003-04 regular season in second place behind the Mohawk Valley Comets. In the playoffs, Jamestown played the York IceCats a 2 game series for the league...
out of Jamestown
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Mohawk Valley Comets
Mohawk Valley Comets
They Mohawk Valley Comets are a former professional ice hockey team based in Utica, NY. They were a member of the North American Hockey League from 1973 to 1977.-Season-by-season results:...
out of Whitestown
Whitestown, New York
Whitestown is a town in Oneida County, New York, USA. The population was 18,635 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Judge Hugh White, an early settler.The Town of Whitestown is immediately west of Utica, New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and the Poughkeepsie Panthers out of Poughkeepsie, New York. After very low attendance in the first few games in Poughkeepsie, the team was to be relocated to Connecticut and renamed the Connecticut Cougars but negotiations with an arena broke down and the Cougars finished as a road team for the remainder of the season.
When concerns of Comets players not being available for the final month of the season due to their summer jobs starting, Coach Brett Boake requested a schedule change and the season was shortened a month. The Comets decided two days before the playoff weekend that they were not going to participate as not enough players were available and they had financial concerns.
With the Comets as the league regular season leaders, they were to get a bye straight to the finals, which was to be played on Sunday. York and Jamestown (the second and third place teams) were to play on the Saturday to see who went on to face the Comets. Once the Comets had informed the league that they would not be playing, the league changed the playoff structure. York and Jamestown would play a two-game series that weekend. If there were a tie after the two games they would play a mini-game lasting twenty minutes.
York won the opening game, 8-5. Jamestown defeated York 9-1 in the second game and then won a 20-minute tiebreaker game 6-1. As league champions, the Titans received the Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks
Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. He notably coached the United States' men's hockey team to a 4-3 upset of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York on February 22, 1980...
Memorial Trophy.
The league went dark for the 2004-05 season, then attempted to return in 2005-06 as the Continental Professional Hockey League with teams in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The regular 44-game season was supposed to start in early November 2005, was postponed, saw six games played, and was cancelled in mid-December 2005.
In the 2006-2007 season, The New England Stars finished first with a record of 20-0, and cruised in the Championship series beating the Mohawk Valley Icecats 2 games to 0 (8-5 and 9-2) to capture the 2006-2007 NEHL Crown.
The league announced on January 23, 2008 that it was suspending operations for the remainder of the 2007-08 season.
Teams
2003–2004- Jamestown TitansJamestown TitansThe Jamestown Titans was a semi-professional ice hockey team in North Eastern Hockey League based in Jamestown, New York.The Titans finished the 2003-04 regular season in second place behind the Mohawk Valley Comets. In the playoffs, Jamestown played the York IceCats a 2 game series for the league...
- Mohawk Valley CometsMohawk Valley CometsThey Mohawk Valley Comets are a former professional ice hockey team based in Utica, NY. They were a member of the North American Hockey League from 1973 to 1977.-Season-by-season results:...
(resurrected as the Copper City Chiefs 2007-08) - Poughkeepsie Panthers (later known as the Connecticut Cougars)
- York IceCats (relocated to St. Catharines, ON for 05-06)
2005–2006
(teams only played six games until the league suspended operations for a season)
- Philadelphia Comets (travel team)
- Pittsburgh Pounders (became Danville Pounders for 06-07)
- St. Catharines IceCats
- Sault Ste. Marie Stampede
2006–2007
- Danville Pounders (relocated to Detroit/Brighton, Michigan for 2007–2008)
- Findlay FreedomFindlay FreedomThe Findlay Freedom was a semi-professional ice hockey team. The team was a member of the now defunct NEHL team based in Findlay, Ohio. They played their home games at The Clauss Ice Arena on the campus of University of Findlay The Freedom finished the 2006-07 regular season second in the NEHL to...
: (Findlay, OhioFindlay, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
) - Mohawk Valley IceCats(relocated to Simcoe, ON for 2007–2008)
- New England StarsNew England StarsThe New England Stars were a North Eastern Hockey League team based in Danbury, Connecticut who started play at the end of 2006. The team filled the void when the Danbury Trashers left the Danbury Ice Arena, after the Trashers folded due to involvement in illegal business...
2007–08
- Copper City ChiefsCopper City ChiefsThe Copper City Chiefs were a low-level professional ice hockey team located in Rome, New York. The team was owned by Wayne Premo.-Franchise History:...
: (Rome, New YorkRome, New YorkRome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
) - Findlay FreedomFindlay FreedomThe Findlay Freedom was a semi-professional ice hockey team. The team was a member of the now defunct NEHL team based in Findlay, Ohio. They played their home games at The Clauss Ice Arena on the campus of University of Findlay The Freedom finished the 2006-07 regular season second in the NEHL to...
: (Findlay, OhioFindlay, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
) - Kensington Valley PoundersKensington Valley PoundersThe Kensington Valley Pounders was a semi-professional ice hockey team in the North Eastern Hockey League. The team was based in Brighton, Michigan in the greater Detroit metropolitan area, and was temporarily known as the Detroit Pounders before adopting the Kensington Valley moniker...
: (Brighton, MichiganBrighton, MichiganBrighton is a principal satellite city of Metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area...
) - Norfolk IceCatsNorfolk IceCatsThe Norfolk IceCats were a semi-professional hockey team in the North Eastern Hockey League based in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada owned by Jim Cashman. The franchise was previously known as the York IceCats until a move to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2005; however, the league suspended...
: (Simcoe, OntarioSimcoe, OntarioSimcoe is an unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada located near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County....
)
Previous NEHL
A previous league was also known as the North Eastern Hockey League during the 1978-79 season. This league renamed itself the Eastern Hockey LeagueEastern Hockey League
-Eastern Amateur Hockey League :The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League . The league was founded by Thomas Lockhart, who served as its commissioner from 1933 to 1972...
for the 1979-80 season.