British National League
Encyclopedia
- See also British National League (1954–1960) for the earlier ice hockey league.
The British National League (BNL) is a defunct second-level professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
league 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...
. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
(later replaced by the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
) and above that of the English National Hockey League and the Scottish National League
Scottish National League
The Scottish National League is the ice hockey league in Scotland.Seen as the third-tier of ice hockey, below the British Elite Ice Hockey League and the English Premier Ice Hockey League . However, its standard of play has been considered closer to the English National Ice Hockey Division One,...
.
The league was founded in 1996 to replace the first division of the British Hockey League
British 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...
and for its first season only was split into the Northern Premier League and the Premier League. From 2000 until 2003, it was sponsored by Findus
Findus
Findus is a company that produces and retails frozen food. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.- Origins :...
. It was disbanded at the end of the 2004/05 season, when the Edinburgh Capitals and Newcastle Vipers both left the league to join the rival Elite League.
Teams
- Basingstoke BisonBasingstoke BisonThe Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...
(98 - 03) - Blackburn HawksBlackburn HawksThe Blackburn Hawks , are a British ice hockey team based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are currently members of the ENIHL, and have previously played in the British National League and the English League Premier Division...
(96 - 97) - Bracknell BeesBracknell BeesThe Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...
(03 - 05) - Cardiff DevilsCardiff DevilsThe Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...
(01 - 03) - Castlereagh Knights (96 - 97)
- Coventry BlazeCoventry BlazeCoventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
(formerly Solihull Blaze 96 - 98) (99 - 03) - Dumfries Vikings (96 - 97)
- Dundee Texol StarsDundee Texol StarsThe Dundee Stars are an ice hockey sports team based in the Scottish city of Dundee.They play at the Dundee Ice Arena, situated just off the city's main Kingsway dual carriageway....
(01 - 05) - Edinburgh CapitalsEdinburgh CapitalsThe Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh...
(formerly Murrayfield Royals) (96 - 05) - Fife FlyersFife FlyersThe Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
(96 - 05) - Guildford FlamesGuildford FlamesThe Guildford Flames are an ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and their home ice is the Guildford Spectrum.Founded in October 1992, the team played for many years in the British National League...
(96 - 05) - Hull StingraysHull StingraysHull Stingrays are a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull. They were formed in 2003 and play their home games at Hull Arena.The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Hull Thunder 1999–2002, Kingston Hawks 1996–1998, Humberside Hawks 1993–1995, and Humberside Seahawks 1988–1992...
(formerly Hull Thunder) (99 - 05) - Kingston Hawks (96 - 98)
- Lancashire Hawks (97 - 98)
- Medway Bears (96 - 97)
- Milton Keynes KingsMilton Keynes KingsMilton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes from 1990 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2002. Following a dispute with the Planet Ice Arena in Milton Keynes, the team relocated to Solihull, where they became Solihull MK Kings for a while...
(later Solihull/Milton Keynes) (99 - 03) - Newcastle VipersNewcastle VipersThe Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the club previously held membership in the British National League.- History :...
(02 - 05) - Paisley PiratesPaisley PiratesThe Paisley Pirates were founded in 1946 and are one of the oldest ice hockey clubs in Scotland and the UK . The Pirates were the epitome of the game in Scotland during the 1950s...
(96 - 02) - Peterborough PiratesPeterborough PiratesPeterborough 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....
(96 - 02) - Slough JetsSlough JetsSlough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England. They are the current English Premier Ice Hockey League Cup champions for the 2010–11 season. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough. With the help of Gary Stefan who...
(96 - 02) - Swindon IceLords (96 - 97)
- Telford TigersTelford TigersThe Telford Tigers are an English Premier League ice hockey team that formed in 2001 under the name Telford Wild Foxes.A previous Telford Tigers team had existed between 1985 and 1999.- Early history :...
(98 - 99) - Whitley Bay WarriorsWhitley Bay WarriorsWhitley Warriors are an ice hockey team based in Whitley Bay in the north east of England. Founded in 1955 as the Bees, they changed their name to the Braves and then finally the Warriors. They currently play in the English National Hockey League...
(96 - 97)
Regular season champions
- 96/97 North - Fife FlyersFife FlyersThe Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
- 96/97 South - Swindon IceLords
- 97/98 Guildford FlamesGuildford FlamesThe Guildford Flames are an ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and their home ice is the Guildford Spectrum.Founded in October 1992, the team played for many years in the British National League...
- 98/99 Slough JetsSlough JetsSlough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England. They are the current English Premier Ice Hockey League Cup champions for the 2010–11 season. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough. With the help of Gary Stefan who...
- 99/00 Fife FlyersFife FlyersThe Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
- 00/01 Guildford FlamesGuildford FlamesThe Guildford Flames are an ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and their home ice is the Guildford Spectrum.Founded in October 1992, the team played for many years in the British National League...
- 01/02 Dundee Stars
- 02/03 Coventry BlazeCoventry BlazeCoventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
- 03/04 Fife FlyersFife FlyersThe Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
- 04/05 Bracknell BeesBracknell BeesThe Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...