Blackpool Seagulls
Encyclopedia
Blackpool Seagulls were an English
ice hockey
team, founded in 1951, who played at the Pleasure Beach Ice Rink
, Blackpool
.
, Durham Wasps
, Southampton Vikings
and Whitley Warriors and also included some teams who did not have a "home ice" at the time such as Harringay Racers
, Richmond Flyers
and Streatham Redskins
.
which was then the top-flight ice hockey league in England. Forward Brian Singer was named in the Southern A League, Midland Section, All-Star Team in 1975-76, and goaltender Dave Cartmell won the same honour for two consecutive seasons in 1977-78 and 1978-79.
. They were the English League North Champions two seasons running - 1980-81 and 1981-82. That season they also played in the English National League which had been revived, though it lasted just the one season. It was also one of the more successful seasons in the club's history as they reached the end-of-season British Championships as winners of the English League North alongside English League South champions, Streatham Redskins as well as the top two Scottish sides - Dundee Rockets
and Murrayfield Racers
, with the Seagulls game being shown on ITV
.
In the 1981-82 four out of the six players in the English League North All-Star team were Blackpool Seagulls players - goal tender Andy Sharples, defenceman Steve Currie and forwards (and twin brothers), Canadians Brian and Bruce Simms.
(BHL) which had replaced the three top flight regional leagues in the United Kingdom
, to form one top-flight league. In 1982-83 they finished second in Section C behind Altrincham Aces
.
The Seagulls then joined the newly created second tier of the BHL, the British Hockey League Division One. In their first season in the First Division, 1983-84 they finished in sixth place out of eleven teams. The following season was more successful as the Seagulls finished in third place behind champions Peterborough Pirates
and runners-up Solihull Barons
.
The 1986-87 season saw the Seagulls finish in the lower half of the Division One table, in 11th out of sixteen teams.
For the 1987-88 season, Division One was split into two regional leagues, each with eight teams. Blackpool were placed in Division One South. However, they had a poor season, ending up in 7th place with only Aviemore Blackhawks, who lost every match they played all season, finishing below them.
. But within a couple of years the Seagulls name was dropped completely.
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...
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...
team, founded in 1951, who played at the Pleasure Beach Ice Rink
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...
, Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
.
Early years
The Seagulls were formed in 1951 and played in the Midland Intermediate League from 1951 to 1955. In the 1955-56 season they lost just one match all year. In the 1960s with no official leagues in the UK, "non-league" ice hockey continued with mini-tournaments competed for at the ice rinks of Blackpool, Brighton TigersBrighton Tigers
The Brighton Tigers were an English ice hockey club based in Brighton. The team existed from 1935 until 1965 and were one of the United Kingdom's most successful sides during that period...
, Durham Wasps
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996...
, Southampton Vikings
Southampton Vikings
The Southampton Vikings were an ice hockey team from Southampton, England. Their home venue was Southampton Ice Rink.The Vikings were established following the collapse of French side Club Francais Volants. The name 'Vikings' was adopted due to the new team using the shirts of the old French club...
and Whitley Warriors and also included some teams who did not have a "home ice" at the time such as Harringay Racers
Harringay Racers
Harringay Racers was a British ice hockey club based in Harringay, England.The side was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Greyhounds at the Harringay Arena. Both sides entered the English National League, which Racers won in 1937/8. After a break during World War II, the...
, Richmond Flyers
Richmond Flyers
The Richmond Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team who were founded in 1977 as the London Phoenix Flyers, changing their name to Richmond Flyers in 1980...
and Streatham Redskins
Streatham Redskins
The Streatham Redskins are a British ice hockey club based in Streatham, London, England. Amongst the oldest British ice hockey teams still in existence, they were oginally founded in 1932 as Streatham, and added the name Redskins in 1974. During the 1980s, the club were one of the leading teams in...
.
Southern League
From 1970 to 1978 they played in the Southern LeagueSouthern League (ice hockey)
The Southern League was the top-flight ice hockey league in England from 1970, when it was formed as the counterpart to the Scottish Northern League...
which was then the top-flight ice hockey league in England. Forward Brian Singer was named in the Southern A League, Midland Section, All-Star Team in 1975-76, and goaltender Dave Cartmell won the same honour for two consecutive seasons in 1977-78 and 1978-79.
English League North
When the top flight was split into two regional competitions in 1978 they joined the newly formed English League NorthEnglish League North
The English League North was the top-flight ice hockey league in northern England from 1978, when it alongside the English League South it replaced the Southern League. In 1982, it was replaced by the British Hockey League, running on a national basis....
. They were the English League North Champions two seasons running - 1980-81 and 1981-82. That season they also played in the English National League which had been revived, though it lasted just the one season. It was also one of the more successful seasons in the club's history as they reached the end-of-season British Championships as winners of the English League North alongside English League South champions, Streatham Redskins as well as the top two Scottish sides - Dundee Rockets
Dundee Rockets
The Dundee Rockets were an ice hockey club based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1963, the club were founder members of the Northern League in 1967 and the British Hockey League in 1982. The club won eight titles before closing in 1987....
and Murrayfield Racers
Murrayfield Racers
The Murrayfield Racers were an ice hockey team in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1952 changing their name to the Racers in 1966. The team won the British Championship 4 times in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972...
, with the Seagulls game being shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
In the 1981-82 four out of the six players in the English League North All-Star team were Blackpool Seagulls players - goal tender Andy Sharples, defenceman Steve Currie and forwards (and twin brothers), Canadians Brian and Bruce Simms.
British Hockey League
In 1982 they joined the newly formed British Hockey LeagueBritish Hockey League
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League...
(BHL) which had replaced the three top flight regional leagues in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, to form one top-flight league. In 1982-83 they finished second in Section C behind Altrincham Aces
Altrincham Aces
The Altrincham Aces were a semi-professional and amateur ice hockey team based out of the old Altrincham Ice Rink, situated on Devonshire Road in Altrincham, a large town located just south of Manchester and Salford...
.
The Seagulls then joined the newly created second tier of the BHL, the British Hockey League Division One. In their first season in the First Division, 1983-84 they finished in sixth place out of eleven teams. The following season was more successful as the Seagulls finished in third place behind champions Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates was an English ice hockey team. It was established in 1982, as the senior adult semi-professional team of the newly formed Peterborough Ice Hockey Club....
and runners-up Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey team from the town of Solihull who play at Solihull Ice Rink on Hobbs Moat Road. They were formed in 2005, although they are named after the team of the same name who played at the same ice rink between 1972 and 1996...
.
The 1986-87 season saw the Seagulls finish in the lower half of the Division One table, in 11th out of sixteen teams.
For the 1987-88 season, Division One was split into two regional leagues, each with eight teams. Blackpool were placed in Division One South. However, they had a poor season, ending up in 7th place with only Aviemore Blackhawks, who lost every match they played all season, finishing below them.
Final years
In 1993, ice hockey came to an end in Blackpool after 42 years, because the rink at the Pleasure Beach was considered to be too small to host competitive ice hockey. For a short while the Seagulls name was retained as the club and some of its players moved to the Blackburn ArenaBlackburn Arena
Blackburn Arena is an Olympic size ice arena in Blackburn, England, and the home of Blackburn Hawks and Lancashire Raptors ice hockey clubs. The arena, which opened in 1991, holds 3,200 people and has an ice pad of ....
. But within a couple of years the Seagulls name was dropped completely.