The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by

Bill Coffey Bill Coffey is a businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur. He is one of the founders of the ECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League). Founded in 1988, the ECHL is a minor professional ice hockey league that serves as a develo ...

. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. According to a 1985 ''Montreal Gazette'' article, rookies were paid "$150 a week plus $35 for a victory" and veterans were paid "as much as $300 a week." League regulations also said that half the roster (eight out of fifteen players) must be rookie Americans.

Formation

The ACHL's roots can be traced back to the former Eastern Hockey League (EHL) of the late 1970s and early 1980s. With a meeting of several EHL owners, the league decided to fold on July 19, 1981, and reorganize as the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. Teams and cities that were previous members of the Eastern Hockey League were interested in rejoining the league. Because the Mohawk Valley team being the most northern, the league was interested in inviting a sixth team to bridge the gap. Johnstown previously had an EHL team affiliated with the Red Wings and were the intended sixth team but due to the owner being ill, they were removed from the list. Richmond expressed interest, but due to questions about the financial stability of the league, they also dropped out. The Boston Bruins, along with several investors, were approached about putting a team in nearby

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. After an investor dropped out, Cape Cod Coliseum and WWF owner

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

purchased the rights to the franchise for $15,000.

Inaugural season

The ACHL opened with seven teams: *

Salem Raiders The Salem Raiders were a professional hockey team that played in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). They were originally the Utica Mohawks from 1978 to 1980 then became the Salem Raiders for the 1980–81 seas ...

Winston-Salem Thunderbirds The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. T ...

* Mohawk Valley Stars *

Baltimore Skipjacks The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Skipjacks originated in 1979, and played as the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern Hockey League for two seasons. The team was ...

Cape Cod Buccaneers The Cape Cod Buccaneers were a professional ice hockey team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. They were an inaugural member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League and were owned by future WWE CEO Vince McMahon. History McMahon ...

Fitchburg Trappers The Fitchburg Trappers are a defunct minor league professional ice hockey team based in Fitchburg, Massachusetts that played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that o ...

* Schenectady Chiefs. From the opening night of the season, McMahon was not happy with how the league was run. Schenectady and Fitchburg were owned by the same person. Fitchburg was placed under a league suspension and would fold after 6 games. Schenectady would fold after 9 games. In January 1982, McMahon tried to borrow $15,000 from the league, citing "slow cash flow". When the league denied his loan, McMahon folded his franchise. With the league now down to 4 teams, the league decided to end the season early and set the playoffs by geographical area to save on expenses. Coincidentally, the matchups did end up having the first and fourth place teams meet, along with the second vs third place teams. The Salem Raiders defeated the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, and the Mohawk Valley Stars defeated the Baltimore Skipjacks. The Raiders and Stars played in the league final, with the Mohawk Valley Stars defeating the Raiders for the Bob Payne Trophy. On July 24, 1987, Commissioner Ray Miron announced that the league would be suspending operations for the 1987–88 season. The Troy Slapshots had folded earlier in the previous season, and the Mohawk Valley Comets in

Utica, NY Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot ...

had been replaced with an

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

. This left the league with only three teams—Erie, Virginia, and Carolina—not enough for it to make sense to operate. Erie would cease operations, but the Lancers and Thunderbirds would transfer to the

All-American Hockey League The All-American Hockey League (AAHL) was a minor professional hockey league formed in 1986 after the Continental Hockey League (CnHL) ceased operations. The league was created by the CnHL teams Danville, Dayton, and Troy adding the Downriver ...

ACHL to ECHL

Two teams from the current

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

have roots tracing back to the Atlantic Coast Hockey League Wheeling Nailers: *1981–82:

(ACHL) *1982–87:

Carolina Thunderbirds The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. T ...

(ACHL) *1987–88: Carolina Thunderbirds ( AAHL) *1988–89: Carolina Thunderbirds (

) *1989–92: Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (ECHL) *1992–96:

Wheeling Thunderbirds The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...

(ECHL) *1996–present:

Wheeling Nailers The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey Lea ...

(ECHL) Utah Grizzlies: *1981–1983:

Nashville South Stars The Nashville South Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) for the 1981–82 season. They then played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) for the 1982–83 season and part of the 1983–84 s ...

(CHL/ACHL) *1983–1990:

Virginia Lancers The Virginia Lancers were a minor league hockey team that played in several leagues from 1983 until 1990. Their home ice was the Vinton Sports Complex, which held 3400 people. Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1983–1987) The Virginia Lancers w ...

(ACHL/AAHL/ECHL) *1990–1992:

Roanoke Valley Rebels (ECHL) The Roanoke Valley Rebels were a minor league hockey franchise in the ECHL from 1990–92. The Rebels played their games at the LancerLot in Vinton, Virginia. The Rebels played from 1983–90 as the Virginia Lancers and were renamed the Roanoke V ...

*1992–1993:

Roanoke Valley Rampage The Roanoke Valley Rampage were a minor league hockey franchise in the ECHL during the 1992–93 season. The Rampage played their games at the LancerLot in Vinton, Virginia. The Rampage had played from 1983–90 as the Virginia Lancers, played as ...

(ECHL) *1993–1994:

Huntsville Blast The Huntsville Blast were a minor league professional ice hockey team and member of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Blast played at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the 1993–94 ECHL season. Previously the franchise p ...

(ECHL) *1994–2001:

Tallahassee Tiger Sharks The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played in Tallahassee, Florida, from 1994 to 2001 as members of the East Coast Hockey League. The Tiger Sharks home rink was the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center ...

(ECHL) *2001–2002:

Macon Whoopee (ECHL) The Macon Whoopee were a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) during the 2001–02 season. Based in Macon, Georgia, the team played its home games at Macon Coliseum. History Prior to the 2001–02 E ...

*2002–2003:

Lexington Men O' War The Lexington Men O' War were a minor league professional ice hockey team and member of the ECHL. The name Man o' War is from a thoroughbred race horse that was bred in Lexington, and also the name of a highly traveled road in Lexington. The Men ...

(ECHL) *2005–present:

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars ...

(ECHL)

Teams

(1981–1982) * Mohawk Valley Stars (1981–1985) *

(1981–1982) *

(1981–1982) * Winston-Salem/Carolina Thunderbirds (1981–82, 1982–87) * Schenectady Chiefs (1981–1982) *

(1981–1982) *

Erie Golden Blades The Erie Golden Blades were a minor league hockey team in Erie, Pennsylvania, which played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. The team's inaugural season was the Erie County Field House, which closed in 1983. The team relocated to Louis J. Tu ...

(1982–1987) *

Virginia Raiders The Salem Raiders were a professional hockey team that played in the Eastern Hockey League (1978–1981), Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). They were originally the Utica Mohawks from 1978 to 1980 then became the ...

(1982–1983) *

Hampton Roads Gulls The Hampton Roads Gulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Hampton, VA. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1982-83 season. Season-by-season results Notable players * Oren Koules, producer of Two And A Ha ...

(1982–1983) *

(1983–1987) * Pinebridge Bucks (1983–1985) * Birmingham Bulls (1983–1984), ''folded after 3 games'' *

Mohawk Valley Comets They Mohawk Valley Comets are a former professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York. They were a member of the North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the ...

(1985–1987) * New York Slapshots (1985–1986) *

Troy Slapshots The Troy Slapshots were a professional ice hockey team based in Troy, New York. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1985–86 season. History The Slapshots were based out of Staten Island during their inaugural season. By ...

(1986–1987), ''folded after 6 games''

Unnamed team

In December 1985, Recreational Ice of North Carolina (RINC) was granted an ACHL franchise. RINC general manager Bob Ohrablo had planned to put the franchise in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. The team was to play in a newly built arena, the 3200-seat Asheville Ice Garden. The arena was to be completed in October 1986 and the team was supposed to start play during the 1986–87 season. A name the team contest was to be held in February 1986, with the winner to be announced in March. It is unknown if a winner was ever announced.

Awards

Bob Payne Trophy

The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the playoff champion at the end of each season. The trophy is named after Bob Payne, an executive with several teams in the Southern Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League. The trophy was loaned to the winning team for one year and was returned at the start of the following year's playoffs. The

were the only multiple winners of the trophy, having won it three of the six years, including back-to-back wins in 1984–85 and 1985–86. *1981–82: Mohawk Valley Stars *1982–83:

*1983–84:

*1984–85: Carolina Thunderbirds *1985–86: Carolina Thunderbirds *1986–87:

Regular season champions

*1981–82:

*1982–83:

*1983–84: Carolina Thunderbirds *1984–85: Carolina Thunderbirds *1985–86: Carolina Thunderbirds *1986–87:

ACHL All-Stars

*1981–82: Jim Stewart, G, Baltimore (1st team) *1982–83:

Dave Watson David Watson (born 20 November 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a defender from 1980 to 2001. He played his entire career for Norwich City and Everton. With the Toffees he played in ...

, W, Carolina (1st team); Michel Lanouette, W, Carolina (1st team);

Ron Carter Ronald Levin Carter (born May 4, 1937) is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded nu ...

, RW, Nashville/Virginia (2nd team);

Brian Carroll Brian Carroll (born July 20, 1981) is an American retired soccer player who last played for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He is currently the only player in MLS history to have won 4 consecutive Supporter Shields. Career Youth an ...

, W, Carolina (2nd team); Randy Irving, D, Carolina (2nd team) *1983–84: Pierre Hamel, G, Carolina (1st team); Randy Irving, D, Carolina (1st team);

Darrell May Darrell Kevin May (born June 13, 1972) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. Career May's professional baseball career began when the Atlanta Braves drafted him in the 46th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft. ...

, G, Erie (2nd team);

Paul O'Neil Paul Joseph O'Neil (born August 24, 1953) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round, 67th overall, of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft. He was also drafted by the Houston Aeros in ...

, C, Virginia (2nd team); Frank Perkins, Head Coach, Pinebridge (1st team); Barry Tabobondung, D/LW, Erie (2nd team) *1984–85: Ray LeBlanc, G, Pinebridge (1st team);

Bob Hagan Robert F. Hagan (born March 31, 1949) is an American politician and member of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Party who held a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives for the 58th District from 2007 to 2014. He represented the ...

, Carolina (1st team); Randy Irving, D, Carolina (1st team);

Paul Mancini Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, LW, Erie (1st team); Barry Tabobondung, D/LW, Erie (1st team) *1985–86: Ray LeBlanc, G, Carolina (1st team);

, LW, Erie (1st team); Jim Cowell, Erie (2nd team);

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

, Virginia (2nd team); Randy Irving, D, Carolina (2nd team) *1986–87: Pete DeArmas, RW, Virginia (1st team); Jeff Eatough, RW, Mohawk Valley (2nd team)

ACHL MVP

* 1981–82:

Dave MacQueen Dave MacQueen (born February 8, 1959) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. MacQueen most recently served as the head coach of Austria's Dornbirn Bulldogs. Playing career Prior to becoming a coach, MacQueen played seven years of profe ...

, Salem Raiders * 1982–83: Rory Cava, Carolina Thunderbirds * 1983–84:

, Virginia Lancers * 1984–85: Barry Tabobondung, Erie Golden Blades * 1985–86: Joe Curran, Carolina Thunderbirds * 1986–87: Pete DeArmas, Virginia Lancers

ACHL Playoff MVP

* 1984–85: Brian Carroll, Carolina Thunderbirds * 1985–86: Bob Doré, Carolina Thunderbirds

ACHL Rookie Of The Year

* 1984–85: Todd Bjorkstrand, Pinebridge Bucks; Kurt Rugenius, Mohawk Valley Stars (tie) * 1985–86:

Bobby Williams Robert Vann Williams (born November 21, 1958) is an American football coach who most recently served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at the University of Oregon from 2018 to 2021. Williams served as the head coach at Mich ...

, New York Slapshots * 1986–87: Scott Knutson, Carolina Thunderbirds; Scott Curwin, Virginia Lancers

Seasons

* 1981–82 ACHL season *

1982–83 ACHL season The 1982–83 Atlantic Coast Hockey League season was the second season of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, a North American minor professional league. Six teams participated in the regular season. The Salem Raiders, under new ownership from Henry ...

* 1983–84 ACHL season *

1984–85 ACHL season The 1984–85 Atlantic Coast Hockey League season was the fourth season of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded ...

* 1985–86 ACHL season *

1986–87 ACHL season The 1986–87 Atlantic Coast Hockey League season was the sixth season of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded ...

References

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