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Detroit Vipers
CityAuburn Hills, Michigan
LeagueInternational Hockey League
Operated1994–2001
Home arenaThe Palace of Auburn Hills
ColorsGreen, white, red, black, eggplant, aqua
AffiliateTampa Bay Lightning
Franchise history
1969–1994Salt Lake Golden Eagles
1994–2001Detroit Vipers
Championships
Division titles4
(1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98,
1998–99)
Turner Cups1
(1997)

The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

History[edit]

Beginning[edit]

The Vipers were originally formed as the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1969.[1] In 1994, the franchise was purchased by Palace Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Detroit Pistons and the Palace of Auburn Hills, and relocated for the 1994–95 season.[2][3][4] A sponsorship deal with Chrysler led to the naming of the team after their Dodge Viper.[5] A similar deal was in place with another Palace Sports-owned team, the Detroit Neon of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, which switched its sponsorship to GMC in its final year and renamed the team the Detroit Safari after yet another vehicle, the Safari.[6]

The team hired former Buffalo Sabres coach Rick Dudley as head coach and general manager.[2][3] Their first season was during the 1994–95 NHL lockout.[2] During said lockout, the Vipers took on the Ninety-Nines, an all-star team of locked-out NHL players led by Wayne Gretzky. The Vipers won, 4–3.[2][3] The team won the IHL's Central Division but were eliminated by the Kansas City Blades in five games in the first round of the playoffs.[7][8]

The 1995–96 season saw the notable signing of Washington Capitals star Peter Bondra for a brief time while he was locked in a holdout with Washington management.[9] The Vipers finished the season in second place in the Central Division.[10] In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Ice in five games, but the Vipers lost their second round playoff series to the Orlando Solar Bears in seven games.[11]

The Turner Cup Finals[edit]

During the off-season, Steve Ludzik succeeded Rick Dudley as head coach.[2][3][12] This off-season also saw the arrival of Russian phenom Sergei Samsonov and IHL All-Star Stan Drulia to the Vipers.[2][13] Samsonov would win Rookie of the Year honors as the Vipers won another division title.[2][14][15] Detroit would advance to their first Turner Cup Final, against the Long Beach Ice Dogs. Led by Samsonov and Peter Ciavaglia, the Vipers won the series 4–2 for their first Turner Cup.[2] That championship allowed Detroit to be the first city to capture two cups in the same calendar year as the Detroit Red Wings also won the Stanley Cup.[3][16]

Samsonov would go on to be selected by the Boston Bruins with the eighth overall pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft, but the slack was picked up in 1997–98 by Dan Kesa, who scored 40 goals, as the Vipers won their third division title in four years.[2][17][18] They would advance to the Turner Cup Finals against the Chicago Wolves. After going up 3–2, the Vipers would only score one goal in the final two games, losing the series 4–3.[2][3][19] The season also saw a two-shift comeback from Gordie Howe, making him the only person to play hockey in six different decades as a professional.[2] Following the season, Rick Dudley left the team to become the general manager of the Ottawa Senators.[2][3]

Demise[edit]

The 1998–99 season saw another division title for the Vipers and they became the first team in professional hockey to have 100 points in the standings in each of their first five years. However, they were defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Solar Bears in seven games, after a questionable call by referee Matt Pilgrim. In 1999, Palace Sports & Entertainment purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning and made the Detroit Vipers their top farm club. Vipers coach Steve Ludzik was moved to Tampa Bay as part of Palace's effort to rebuild the struggling NHL club. Paulin Bordeleau took over as Vipers coach.

The Lightning remained barely competitive, prompting a mass transfer of talent from Detroit to Tampa throughout the season. This drained the Vipers of the strength and stability that they had experienced through the first five years of their existence. It also led to a swift, sudden and near-total collapse; the Vipers plummeted from the second-best record a year earlier to dead last in the league.

The Vipers' woes were nothing, however, compared to the worsening health of the IHL. The league had overexpanded itself throughout the decade, and was paying the price in red ink. Additionally, strained relations with the NHL cost a number of IHL teams their NHL affiliations–and with it, their subsidized salaries. By the start of the 2000–01 season, the Vipers were one of only four IHL teams affiliated with NHL teams. That season saw the Vipers finish dead last in the league in standings and attendance. The impending demise of the IHL, combined with the plummeting attendance led Palace Sports to find a new affiliate for the Lightning. On June 4, 2001, both the International Hockey League and the Detroit Vipers ceased operations.

Players[edit]

Notable players[edit]

Affiliates

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stubbs, Dave (April 19, 2024). "Utah 'ready for hockey,' local historian says". NHL.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Manasso, John (March 8, 2015). "Sunday Long Read: Forgotten Vipers rocked Detroit". NHL.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Custance, Craig (September 24, 2017). "Ode to an era: The oral history of the Detroit Vipers". The Athletic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Reynolds, Kevin (April 22, 2024). "Fights, fiascos and mayhem: How the Golden Eagles first made Salt Lake love hockey". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Foley, Aaron (January 2, 2014). "A Short History Of Chrysler's Short-Lived Sponsored Sports Teams". Jalopnik. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "Safari Soccer Launches New Relationship With GMC Safari; Unveiling Logo, Team Colors CISL Season to Begin June 13 at The Palace". The Auto Channel. May 28, 1997. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  7. ^ Stone, Mike; Regnar, Art (2008). The Great Book of Detroit Sports Lists. Running Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0786741717. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  8. ^ "1994-95 IHL Playoff Results". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Hochberg, Len (September 27, 1995). "2 PLAYERS BOLT CAPS FOR IHL". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "1995-96 International Hockey League Standings". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "1995-96 IHL Playoff Results". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Russo, Michael (June 8, 2003). "PALS WEATHERED LIGHTNING STORM". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^
  14. ^ "1996-97 International Hockey League Standings". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  15. ^ "Ice Dogs Lose Series Opener, 5-3". Los Angeles Times. May 31, 1997. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Lapointe, Joe (June 8, 1997). "A City's Spirit Roars Back With the Red Wings". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Detroit Vipers 1997-98". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  18. ^ "1997-98 International Hockey League Standings". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  19. ^ "1997-98 IHL Playoff Results". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 18, 2024.

External links[edit]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Vipers

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