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United Hockey League

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United Hockey League
Logo of the UHL from 1997–2006
SportIce hockey
Founded1991
Ceased2010
Replaced byCentral Hockey League (partial)
Countries United States
 Canada
Last
champion(s)
Fort Wayne Komets
Most titlesFort Wayne Komets & Muskegon Fury (4)

The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league,[1][2][3] with teams in the United States and Canada. The league was headquartered in Rochester, Michigan, and, in its last year, consisted of seven teams.[4] It folded in 2010, with most of its teams joining the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League teams still operating in 2014 were then added to ECHL. The only former CoHL/UHL/IHL teams still active as of 2024 are the Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings.

History

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The UHL was originally formed in 1991 as the Colonial Hockey League and had teams in Brantford, Ontario; Detroit, Michigan; Flint, Michigan; St. Thomas, Ontario; and Thunder Bay, Ontario; the avowed goal of the league organizers was to fill the low-level niche in the Great Lakes area abandoned by the original International Hockey League as the latter league engaged in upmarket expansion. As time passed, the CoHL moved eastward, into places like Glens Falls, NY; Danbury, CT; Utica, NY; Binghamton, NY; and Richmond, VA. During that expansion, the league was renamed "United Hockey League" (UHL) and the headquarters was moved to Lake St. Louis, Missouri in 1997.

The 2006–07 season was the last season of play for the league under the UHL name. Following the 2006–07 season, the league lost half of its ten teams. The franchises in Moline and Rockford, Illinois moved to the American Hockey League, the team in Elmira, New York, went to the ECHL, and the franchises in Chicago, Illinois and Port Huron, Michigan ceased operations. In June 2007, at the league’s annual meeting, the UHL announced that it was changing its name to the "International Hockey League" (IHL). Paul L. Pickard was named the first president and CEO of the new IHL. During that summer, the UHL headquarters moved from Lake St. Louis, Missouri to Rochester, Michigan. The UHL's rebranding was intended to evoke the original IHL, which had ceased operations in 2001 and covered much of the new IHL's footprint. The Fort Wayne Komets were a longtime member of the original league while the Kalamazoo Wings and Flint Generals franchises were revived names of the original Kalamazoo and Flint IHL teams.[5][6]

On July 13, 2010, the league announced an agreement with the Central Hockey League, the effects of which saw five IHL teams – the Bloomington PrairieThunder, Dayton Gems, Evansville IceMen, Fort Wayne Komets and Quad City Mallards – absorbed into the CHL.[7][8] The remaining two franchises from the league's last season that were not absorbed into the CHL, the Flint Generals and the Port Huron Icehawks, folded.[9]

Governance

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UHL's IHL logo from 2007 until 2010

Dennis Hextall was named as the president and commissioner of the International Hockey League on September 2, 2009.[10] Hextall was preceded by Paul Pickard, who served as commissioner for the first two years of the renamed league (2007–2009).

Several UHL teams had affiliations with the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, and the All American Hockey League.

Teams

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Season Teams Expansion Defunct Suspended Return from hiatus Relocated Name changes
Colonial Hockey League
1991–92
5 Brantford Smoke
Flint Bulldogs
Michigan Falcons
Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks
St. Thomas Wildcats
1992–93 7 Chatham Wheels
Muskegon Fury
Detroit Falcons (Michigan)
1993–94 8 Flint Generals Flint → Utica Bulldogs Thunder Bay Senators (Thunder Hawks)
1994–95 8 Utica Blizzard Utica Bulldogs Chatham → Saginaw Wheels
St. Thomas → London Wildcats
1995–96 9 Quad City Mallards
Madison Monsters
London Wildcats
1996–97 10 London Wildcats Detroit → Port Huron Border Cats
London → Dayton Ice Bandits
Saginaw Lumber Kings (Wheels)
Thunder Bay Thunder Cats (Senators)
United Hockey League
1997–98
10 B.C. Icemen Dayton Ice Bandits Utica → Winston-Salem IceHawks
1998–99 11 Dayton Ice Bandits Brantford → Asheville Smoke
Dayton → Mohawk Valley Prowlers
Saginaw Gears (Lumber Kings)
1999–2000 14 Fort Wayne Komets
Madison Kodiaks
Missouri River Otters
Madison → Knoxville Speed
Thunder Bay → Rockford Icehogs
Winston-Salem → Adirondack IceHawks
Saginaw → Ohio Gears (mid-season)
2000–01 15 Elmira Jackals
New Haven Knights
Ohio Gears
Mohawk Valley Prowlers (mid-season)
Madison → Kalamazoo Wings
2001–02 14
2002–03 10 Port Huron Beacons Asheville Smoke
B.C. Icemen
Knoxville Speed
New Haven Knights
Port Huron Border Cats
2003–04 12 Columbus Stars
Richmond RiverDogs
Columbus Stars (mid-season)
2004–05 14 Danbury Trashers
Kansas City Outlaws
Motor City Mechanics
Adirondack Frostbite (IceHawks)
2005–06 14 Port Huron Flags Kansas City Outlaws Port Huron Beacons → Roanoke Valley Vipers
2006–07 10 Bloomington PrairieThunder Adirondack Frostbite
Danbury Trashers
Missouri River Otters
Motor City Mechanics
Roanoke Valley Vipers
Richmond → Chicago Hounds
International Hockey
League
2007–08
6 Port Huron Icehawks Chicago Hounds
Elmira Jackals (moved to ECHL)
Port Huron Flags
Quad City Mallards
Rockford IceHogs (Replaced by an AHL team)
2008–09 6 Muskegon Lumberjacks (Fury)
2009–10 7 Dayton Gems
Quad City Mallards
Kalamazoo Wings (moved to ECHL)
After 09–10 season 0
(League folded
July 13, 2010)
Port Huron Icehawks (Folded June 10, 2010)
Flint Generals (Folded June 10, 2010)[11]
Franchises merged into CHL:
Bloomington PrairieThunder
Dayton Gems
Evansville IceMen
Fort Wayne Komets
Quad City Mallards
Muskegon Lumberjacks → Evansville IceMen (June 23, 2010)

Timeline

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Quad City MallardsDayton Gems (2009–)Port Huron IcehawksBloomington PrairieThunderPort Huron Flags (UHL)Motor City MechanicsKansas City OutlawsDanbury TrashersChicago Hounds (ice hockey team)Richmond RiverDogsColumbus StarsRoanoke Valley VipersPort Huron BeaconsNew Haven KnightsElmira JackalsMissouri River OttersKalamazoo WingsMadison KodiaksFort Wayne KometsB.C. IcemenQuad City Mallards (1995-2007)Knoxville SpeedMadison MonstersAdirondack FrostbiteWinston-Salem IceHawksUtica BlizzardFlint GeneralsMuskegon Lumberjacks (2008–2010)Ohio GearsSaginaw Gears (UHL)Chatham WheelsMohawk Valley ProwlersDayton Ice BanditsLondon WildcatsSt. Thomas WildcatsRockford IceHogs (UHL)Thunder Bay Thunder CatsPort Huron Border CatsDetroit Falcons (CoHL)Utica BulldogsFlint BulldogsAsheville SmokeBrantford Smoke

History of teams

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Colonial/Turner Cup champions

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The Colonial Cup was the league's championship trophy. The name was changed to the Turner Cup in 2007 to reflect the original IHL's championship trophy, also named the Turner Cup.

Awards

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ DeVrieze, Craig (May 15, 2007). "Report: AHL hockey team moving from Omaha to the Quad-Cities". Quad-City Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  2. ^ DeVrieze, Craig (May 23, 2007). "Mallards call conference". Quad-City Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  3. ^ Gallant, Collin; Flach, Mike (April 13, 2000). "The improbable and fantastic journey of Drayton Valley's Eric Schneider". Gauntlet Sports. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  4. ^ "Welcome to the IHL". International Hockey League. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
  5. ^ Cohn, Justin A. (June 21, 2007). "Komets, 5 others form IHL". The Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  6. ^ Hamm, Douglas (June 20, 2007). "UHL becomes IHL, adds team". The Pantagraph. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  7. ^ Egenes, Mike (June 10, 2010). "CHL will be a 17-team league". The Pantagraph. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  8. ^ "Evansville Moves up to IHL". OurSports Central. June 22, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Doxsie, Don (June 16, 2010). "Flint, Port Huron will not join new CHL". Quad-City Times. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "IHL HONORED TO ANNOUNCE HEXTALL AS NEW LEADER". International Hockey League. September 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  11. ^ Savage, Brendan (June 10, 2010). "Flint Generals are history as Perani Arena chooses to give lease to NAHL's Michigan Warriors instead". Michigan Live. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  12. ^ "Board Approves Expansion Membership For Elmira". ECHL. April 13, 2007. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  13. ^ [1] [dead link]
  14. ^ "Rockford to join AHL in 2007-08". American Hockey League. March 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
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