International Hockey League (1994-2001)
Tombstone
Born: March 22, 1994 – The Salt Lake Golden Eagles relocate to Detroit
Folded: June 4, 2001
First Game: September 30, 1994 (W 7-3 vs. Cleveland Lumberjacks)
Last Game: April 14, 2001 (W 3-2 vs. Orlando Solar Bears)
Turner Cup Champions: 1997
Arena
The Palace of Auburn Hills (20,804)11998-99 International Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book
Opened: 1988
Demolished: 2020
Marketing
Team Colors: Eggplant, Aqua, Red & Gold21998-99 International Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book
Ownership
Owner: William Davidson
Attendance
Heading into the IHL’s final season of 2000-01, the Vipers had reported each of the 29 largest crowds in the league’s history dating back to 1945, including 14 announced sell-outs of 20,804 fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
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Sources:
- Hockeydb.com (1995-96, 1996-97 & 1999-00 Vipers figures)
- 1998-99 International Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (1997-98 Vipers figure)
- 2000-01 International Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book (1994-95 & 1998-99 Vipers figures, All IHL league figures from 1994-95 through 1999-00 seasons)
Trophy Case
Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy (IHL Rookie of the Year)
- 1996-97: Sergei Samsonov
- 1999-00: Nils Ekman*
*Ekman split the season between the Vipers and the Long Beach Ice Dogs.
Our Favorite Gear
Detroit Vipers Replica Jersey
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Background
Here we have the old Detroit Vipers of the defunct International Hockey League (1945-2001). The Vipers were owned by Palace Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. For a time in the mid-to-late 1990’s, Vipers games at the suburban Palace at Auburn Hills were a popular take in hockey-crazed Detroit.
By 1999 the Vipers claimed 24 of the top 25 single-game crowds in the 50+ year history of the IHL. The team sold out the 20,000-seat Palace on more than twenty occasions between 1994 and 1999.
The Vipers appeared in back-to-back IHL Turner Cup championship series in 1997 and 1998. The Vipers won the 1997 Turner Cup in a six-game series against the Long Beach Ice Dogs. The Chicago Wolves foiled their attempt to repeat the following spring.
Alignment with Tampa Bay Lightning & Demise
The 1998-99 season was the last great season for the Vipers. In May of 1999, Palace Sports & Entertainment purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. Vipers Head Coach Steve Ludzik was promoted to the same position in Tampa Bay for the 1999-00 season and the previously independent Vipers became a farm club of the Lightning. With their top players shuttling back and forth to Tampa, the Vipers finished in last place in the IHL 1999-00 and against in 2000-01. Ralph Slate of Hockeydb.com charts the resulting crash of Vipers game attendance here.
The IHL folded after 56 years of operation on June 4, 2001. The Vipers shut down on the same day.
Detroit Vipers Shop
Snake Skins
Detroit Vipers Logo T-Shirt
The NHL lockout of 1994-95 and liberal free ticket policies made the minor league Vipers a popular attraction at the old Palace of Auburn Hills during the mid 1990’s.
By 1998, 24 of the 25 largest crowds in the history of the 50-year old International Hockey League were Vipers games at the Palace.
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Downloads
12-9-1998 Vipers vs. Las Vegas Thunder Game Notes
12-9-1998 Detroit Vipers vs Las Vegas Thunder Game Notes
3-28-1999 Vipers vs. Manitoba Moose Game Notes
Links
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2 Responses
The Vipers were my team growing up, nice to see a blurb about em on here…
How could you not mention Gordie Howe’s one game “comeback” with the Vipers????