United Hockey League

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 2020 are the Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings.

"Colonial Hockey League" redirects here. For the NCAA Division III collegiate hockey conference, see Colonial Hockey Conference.
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)

History

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. 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.

Governance
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.[7] 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

Expansion
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 Chatham → Saginaw Wheels
St. Thomas → London Wildcats
 Utica Blizzard (Bulldogs)
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
Winston-Salem IceHawks		 Utica Blizzard Dayton Ice Bandits
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)[8]
Franchises merged into CHL:
Bloomington PrairieThunder
Dayton Gems
Evansville IceMen
Fort Wayne Komets
Quad City Mallards		 Muskegon Lumberjacks → Evansville IceMen (June 23, 2010)

Timeline
Quad City MallardsPort Huron IcehawksBloomington PrairieThunderPort Huron Flags (UHL)Motor City MechanicsKansas City OutlawsDanbury TrashersChicago HoundsRichmond RiverDogsColumbus StarsRoanoke Valley VipersPort Huron BeaconsNew Haven KnightsElmira JackalsMissouri River OttersKalamazoo WingsMadison KodiaksFort Wayne KometsAdirondack FrostbiteWinston-Salem IceHawksB.C. IcemenKnoxville SpeedMadison MonstersFlint GeneralsMuskegon Lumberjacks (1992–2010)Saginaw Gears (UHL)Chatham WheelsMohawk Valley ProwlersDayton Ice BanditsLondon WildcatsSt. Thomas WildcatsRockford IceHogs (UHL)Thunder Bay Thunder CatsPort Huron Border CatsDetroit Falcons (CoHL)Utica BlizzardFlint BulldogsAsheville SmokeAsheville Smoke

History of teams

Colonial/Turner Cup champions

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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gollark: Also, that number is me picking a vaguely plausible round number, and I imagine they can be acquired more cheaply.
gollark: You don't need to repurchase them all every year.
gollark: On the other hand, giving people useless things they discard after 295 attoseconds helps with social bonding, and because something something decision fatigue giving people more options may actually be mean.
gollark: Therefore, you should just not transfer gifts.

See also

References
  1. "Report: AHL hockey team moving from Omaha to the Quad-Cities / QCTimes.com". 26 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009.
  2. "Mallards call conference / QCTimes.com". 26 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2009.
  3. "Gauntlet Sports - The improbable and fantastic journey of Drayton Valley's Eric Schneider". 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008.
  4. "Welcome to the IHL". The International Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. dhamm@pantagraph.com, Douglas Hamm. "UHL becomes IHL, adds team". pantagraph.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
  7. "IHL Honored to Announce Hextall as New Leader" – IHL-Hockey.com Archived October 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Flint Generals are history as Perani Arena chooses to give lease to NAHL's Michigan Warriors instead". mlive. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-01-07. Retrieved 2015-03-30.
  9. Jackals moved to ECHL – http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=show_news&cat=1&id=10749 Archived January 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Wings moved to ECHL – http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=show_news2&id=19007
  11. Had assets bought out by Rockford IceHogs of American Hockey League – http://www.theahl.com/news/league/index.html?article_id=7559 Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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