Southern Hockey League (1974-1977)
American Hockey League (1977-1978)
Tombstone
Born: October 1974: The Fayetteville Arsenal relocates to Hampton, VA
Folded: January 31, 1977
Re-Born: 1977
Folded Again: February 10, 1978
First Game: October 22, 1974 (W 7-4 @ Winston-Salem Polar Twins)
Last Game: February 5, 1978 (T 5-5 vs. Philadelphia Firebirds)
SHL Championships: None
Calder Cup Championships (AHL): None
Arena
Hampton Coliseum
Opened: 1969
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1974: Bill Raue
- 1975-1978: Charles Wornom
WHA Affiliation:
- 1977-78: Cincinnati Stingers and Edmonton Oilers
Attendance
We are missing Hampton Gulls attendance records for the club’s three seasons in the Southern Hockey League.
The Gulls dropped out of the AHL just over the halfway point in the 1977-78 season. While their total partial season attendance of 81,981 fans ranked last among the AHL’s nine clubs, their partial season average crowd of 3,153 per game would have ranked 8th (ahead of the Nova Scotia Voyageurs) had the Gulls completed the year at that figure.
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Sources:
- 1994-95 American Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (1977-78 Gulls & AHL figures)
Background
Virginia’s Hampton Gulls hockey team formed in 1974 as an expansion franchise in the tiny Southern Hockey League. The club was intended for Fayetteville, North Carolina but arena problems there led to the hasty relocation to Hampton just days before the start of the 1974-75 season. Hampton’s 10,000-seat Coliseum was available because the American Hockey League’s Virginia Red Wings vacated the building that fall to move to the nearby Norfolk Scope.
The Southern Hockey League worked as a farm system to the World Hockey Association, the 1970’s major league rival to the NHL. The WHA’s Cincinnati Stingers served as the parent club of the Gulls.
The Gulls offered their head coaching job to 41-year old John Brophy. Often cited as the inspiration for Paul Newman’s Reggie Dunlop character in Slap Shot, Brophy was a legendary minor league enforcer over 18 seasons in the Eastern Hockey League. The Gulls job was Brophy’s first full-time coaching gig and he would stay with the Gulls for the team’s entire run in Hampton. He later became a head coach in both the WHA (Birmingham Bulls) and the NHL (Toronto Maple Leafs).
The Gulls played for the Southern Hockey League championship in the spring of 1976, losing to the Charlotte Checkers in the finals.
Gulls Fold Twice in 13 Months
The Southern Hockey League folded on January 31, 1977, midway through the circuit’s fourth season. The Gulls were in first place with a 32-16-2 when the league closed its doors.
The Gulls re-grouped to join the American Hockey League for the 1977-78 season, but their stay was a short and unhappy one. The franchise folded on February 10th, 1978 after playing just 46 games of an 81 game calendar. The Gulls had the worst record in the AHL at 15-28-3 when they closed their doors.
Pro hockey returned to the Hampton Coliseum 11 months later with the formation of the Hampton Aces of the Northeastern Hockey League.
John Brophy returned to the region to coach the Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League in 1989. The Admirals, who played out of the Scope in Norfolk, won three ECHL championship under Brophy during the 1990’s.
Hampton Gulls Shop
Contains Affiliate Links
Gulls Logo T-Shirt by VintageIceHockey.com
Gulls 1974-1977 T-Shirt from VintageIceHockey.com
In Memoriam
Ex-Gulls coach John Brophy died in his sleep on May 23, 2016 at age 83. CBC Obituary.
Former Gulls owner Charles Wornom died on February 26, 2017 at the age of 88. The Daily Press obituary.
Links
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One Response
Hello:
I am trying to track down former Hampton Gulls player Danny Arndt. If you have contact info for him, would you be so kind as to have him contact me.
Thanks!
Norm Dueck
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