Humberside Seahawks later known as Humberside Hawks and then Kingston Hawks, were an English
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
club from
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
. Founded in 1988, the club played their home games at
Hull Arena
Hull Arena (originally Humberside Ice Arena and known locally as the Hull Ice Arena) is an ice rink, in the city of Kingston upon Hull, England. It has a capacity of 3,750 people. The Hull Arena is also a concert venue, playing host to numero ...
. The club went through several name changes due to council influence before dissolving in 1999. Since that time, the club was followed first by
Hull Thunder
The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, it competed in the now defunct British National League playing its home games at the Hull Arena.
The club replaced the Humberside Seahawks, whic ...
from 1999 until 2002, the
Hull Stingrays
Hull Stingrays were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull who was a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League from 2003 until 2015. They played their home games at Hull Arena.
The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Humberside Seahawks ( ...
from 2003 until 2015 and the
Hull Pirates
The Hull Seahawks are an ice hockey team based in Kingston upon Hull and their home ice is the Hull Arena. They compete in the NIHL National Division.
Formation
The Hull Pirates were formed when the Hull Stingrays went into liquidation in Ju ...
since 2015.
History
Early years
The Humberside Seahawks were founded in 1988 under the ownership of
Humberside County Council
Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England.
History
Humberside was a non-metropolitan county governed by Humberside County Council and nine non-metropolitan district councils. ...
and the management of Adrian Florence. Beginning life in the old Heineken League Division 2, Canadian player-coach Dale Lambert quickly led the fledgling Seahawks to glory, winning the Division 2 title (and promotion to Division 1) in their inaugural season. Just two seasons later, in 1990/91, the Seahawks lost just three games in winning the Division 1 title, which they followed up by winning their play-off group and gaining promotion to the Heineken League Premier Division after just three years in the league.
In their first season in the top flight the Seahawks quickly made their mark. Thrilling home wins against reigning champions,
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps were 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. The Newcas ...
, and runners up,
Cardiff Devils
The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team play at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay.
Cardiff are the reigning EIHL play-off champions, winning their third title in a row after beating ...
, backed up bench coach
Peter Johnson's bold claim that they would be battling in the top four, not against relegation. He was true to his word, leading the team to fourth place and the final of the Autumn Cup, a 5–7 defeat to the Nottingham Panthers, in the first final staged at the brand new 10,000 seat
Sheffield Arena
Sheffield Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Utilita Arena Sheffield, is a multi-purpose arena located in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Meadowhall and lies between Sheffield city centre and Rotherham town centre.
Opened in 1991 ...
. Few doubt the season might have been more successful had it not been for long-term injuries to star imports
Jim Lynch
James Robert Lynch (August 28, 1945 – July 21, 2022) was an American football linebacker. Lynch played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he was named an All-American and won the Maxwell Award in 1966. Lynch is a memb ...
, Scott Morrison and Ross Lambert, who was also fined and suspended for threatening revenge on Wasp
Stephen Cooper.
"Think Humberside Seahawks, think 1992/93, think Wembley!" – ''Malcolm Richardson, Hull Daily Mail.''
1992/93 was to be Seahawks last. Fittingly it was also their most successful. Despite finishing 7th in the league – a feat no doubt inspired by the pre-season turmoil that saw first Ross Lambert and then Peter Johnson assume the role of head coach – Seahawks secured a 6–5 victory over the Wasps to win the Castle Eden Cup, a traditional two-day tournament held in February and featuring four teams based in the North East of England.
More impressive, however, was the tenacity that saw the team overcome the Bees and
Whitley Warriors
Whitley Warriors are an ice hockey team based in Whitley Bay in the north east of England. Founded in 1957 as the Bees, they changed their name to Whitley Warriors in 1964. Warriors played at the highest level of British ice hockey for much of ...
in the play-offs to create history as the first seventh place team to reach the end of season finals weekend, then held at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...
.
The semi-final against the
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society.
The Nottingham Panthers have won four ...
was a see-saw affair which saw the Seahawks leading 4–2 in the third period when a section of the surrounding Plexi-glass was broken, necessitating a 25-minute stoppage in play. Panthers returned from the dressing room to dominate the remainder of the third period and tie the score at 4–4. In overtime, Nottingham continued to dominate play, with star forward
Paul Adey
Paul Adey (born August 28, 1963) is a former ice hockey player and coach. Adey enjoyed a notable playing career in British ice hockey, playing 11 seasons for the Nottingham Panthers between 1988 and 1999 and 29 games for the Sheffield Steelers du ...
spurning a couple of good chances to win the match. With both sets of fans on the edge of their seats (and the overtime period causing the live snooker coverage to be delayed on BBC1) a Panthers turnover fell to Seahawks'
Dan Dorion
Daniel Norman Dorion (born March 2, 1963) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played four games with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985–86 and 1987–88. The rest of his career, ...
(and ex-Panther himself) who was cruising the blue line. Dorion skated towards the Panthers' zone with the puck and laid in a pinpoint pass to
Kevin McNaught, who round the Panthers' goaltender and put away the sudden death winner and send the Seahawks into the final.
A 7–4 defeat to the Cardiff Devils in the final the following day did little to dampen the Hull fans' spirits. Despite the knowledge that a sponsorship with British Aerospace was to see the team renamed the Hawks for the 1993–94 season, the Seahawks' place in the history books was assured.
New beginnings
In 1994 the Humberside Hawks were born but that was not the only change. Founder Dale Lambert was released as the club began what continues to be a deep fascination with the riches of Eastern Europe. Ukrainians Alexei Kuznetsov and Alexandr Koulikov joined returning heroes Frank Killen, Brian Cox, Mike Bishop and the Johnson brothers, to inspire what has since become the norm in Hull – a season that began with such high hopes but quickly evaporated into one of spectacular failure. Ice hockey in Hull has never truly captured the imagination of the fans since the time of the Seahawks. Sell out crowds and the Seahawks' trumpeter have long since become memories as years of financial hardship have repeatedly taken their toll.
96–97 began with the end of the Johnson dynasty and ended with the death of the Hawk. John Griffith replaced the popular Peter Johnson, his sons, Stephen, Anthony and Shaun, quickly showing their anger by returning home to Tyneside and the newly renamed
Newcastle Wasps. Uncertainty of a future was doubled when it was announced that Humberside County Council was to be abolished – and the team's funding with it. Humberside was to be no more, but like the Seahawks before, uncertainty only served to inspire a glorious ending.
Griffith's tenure was inconsistent although his sacking immediately before the play-offs came as a surprise as his side had never slipped below 5th place. His team was also easily the best since the Wembley class of 92–93, the Brit pack of John Wolfe, naughty Norman Pinnington and the re-classified Bishop and Graham Garden, combining well with veterans Andy Steel and Paul Simpson, and imports Phil Huber, Barclay Pearce, and ex-NHLers Derek Laxdal and Bruce Bell. His replacement, ex-Bees coach Keith Milhench, utilised these resources to full effect, overcoming the loss of Bell. This time the yellow brick roaded ended in a 3–6 semi-final defeat to
Sheffield Steelers
The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 (see 1991 in sport) and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. ...
. Once again though the end ensured the Hawks would never be forgotten.
Name changes
Since the days of the Hawks, Ice Hockey in Hull has undergone major surgery with contrasting results. Keith Milhench's Kingston Hawks joined the newly formed Premier League and once again dared belief amongst the loyal as successive pre-season victories over the Superleague
Manchester Storm suggested the likes of Chris Eimers, Oleg Synkov and Danuse Bauba might be able to emerge from the shadows of Hull greats and restore the city to the countries elite. Instead what has happened is repeated optimism and failure, the big name signings and returns of the likes of Dale Lambert, Mike Bishop and
Ron Shudra
Ronald James Shudra (born November 28, 1967) is a Canadian-British retired professional ice hockey player. Most of his career, which lasted from 1987 to 2009, was mostly spent in the United Kingdom, though he also played 10 games in the National ...
failing to compensate the constant name changes and poor league positions that until recently had become near permanent. Following the Hawks came the
Hull Thunder
The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, it competed in the now defunct British National League playing its home games at the Hull Arena.
The club replaced the Humberside Seahawks, whic ...
and most recently the
Hull Stingrays
Hull Stingrays were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull who was a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League from 2003 until 2015. They played their home games at Hull Arena.
The Stingrays replaced previous clubs Humberside Seahawks ( ...
. None have come close to rivalling the Seahawks in terms of size and success although Mike and Sue Pack at least restored security and a place in the
Elite League. The Stingrays debuted at 9th place. On 11 August 2010, they closed the club due to financial problems, but six days later were taken over by the owners of
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and play their home games at SkyDome Arena. The club was founded in 1965 as the ''Solihull Barons'' and rena ...
, which secured their survival. However, on 24 June 2015, the Stingrays withdrew from the Elite League and folded due to financial problems. Afterwards, the
Hull Pirates
The Hull Seahawks are an ice hockey team based in Kingston upon Hull and their home ice is the Hull Arena. They compete in the NIHL National Division.
Formation
The Hull Pirates were formed when the Hull Stingrays went into liquidation in Ju ...
were founded as their replacement.
Honours
*
English League
**Champions (1): 1988–89
*
British Championship
**Runners-up (1): 1993
*
Autumn Cup The Autumn Cup was an ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom between 1946 and 2000. The competition was originally divided into English and Scottish competitions, known as the English Autumn Cup and the Scottish Autumn Cup between 1946 and 195 ...
**Runners-up (1): 1991
Noted players
Scott Morrison
Morrison joined the Seahawks from Whitley Warriors in 1989, scoring 159 points in 39 games. Widely considered to be the finest player to grace the ice in Hull, Morrison scored another 220 points before an argument saw him transfer to the
Billingham Bombers
The Billingham Stars are an ice hockey team from the town of Billingham in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham. They are currently members of the National Ice Hockey League playing in its Moralee Conference. The Stars play their ho ...
, and then back to the Warriors. In 95–96 the chain-smoking sniper returned as a Hawk, netting 89 goals and 187 points in 60 games. He left with Peter Johnson. enjoying a successful, nomadic career that took in the
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the NIHL National League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League.
History ...
and
Ayr Scottish Eagles
The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena (Prestwick), Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and t ...
amongst others.
Dale Lambert
The big Canadian defender originally joined the Seahawks as player-coach from the
Medway Bears
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to fo ...
, helping GM Adrian Florence mould the team into a successful franchise. Rugged and likeable, he quickly became to the Seahawks what
Shannon Hope
Shannon Hope (born November 25, 1962) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defender who played for the Peterborough Pirates and the Cardiff Devils as well as for the Great Britain national team, for whom he was the captain between 1995 ...
was to the Devils and Shudra to the Steelers – vacating his coaching duties in 1993 only to concentrate on playing. But Wembley was to be his swansong, the love affair ending as a trade to the
Solihull Barons
The Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey team from the town of Solihull who play at Solihull Ice Rink on Hobs Moat Road. The current team, which is the third incarnation of the Barons, was formed in 2005; they are named after the original te ...
was followed by spells in Milton Keynes, Durham, Newcastle, and Phoenix in the WCHL. He finally returned as coach of the Kingston Hawks in 1999–2000. A broken leg and less gifted players meant the good times were not to be repeated.
Dan Dorion
The skilful American forward first joined the Seahawks in 92–93, the former Panther and 91–92 player of the year quickly inspiring Humberside to a six-game winning streak that guaranteed seventh position and a play-off place. The New York native scored 86 points in just 27 games, with 9 goals and 12 assists in the Seahawks march to Wembley. Although he left for the ECHLs Roanoke Express in 1994 he again answered Peter Johnson's call and returned to replace the injured Hawk Kuznetsov, once again inspiring an immediate change in the club's fortunes. Despite 98 points in 34 games however, he could not bring about a return to the promised land.
Shaun Johnson
Youngest of the Johnson brothers, "Shuggy" was a crowd favourite ever since his arrival with the Johnson clan from Durham in 1990. Living in his brothers shadows he first emerged as a future star in 1991–92 – receiving the first of many GB caps – and 94–95 when he won the Player's Player of the Year Award at the age of 21. In 95–96, the winger joined his brothers in returning to the Wasps, where he quickly turned from a young star into experienced professional. After spells with Newcastle and Coventry he is now back home with the Vipers in the Elite League, rivals to the Stingrays. He is one of the most respected players in Britain and is the last remaining member of the Johnson dynasty.
Stephen Johnson
"Quacks" Johnson is the eldest and by far the most popular of the Johnson brothers in Hull. His number 10 shirt was retired in tribute to his time at the club, much of which was spent as captain. He was also the first brother to return after his family's infamous split with the Hawks – returning from the Wasps in 1998–99 to play in the British National League with Kingston, Thunder and finally the Stingrays. At the time of his retirement he had scored more than 1000 points and 600+ goals in all games. his number 10 shirt is the only one so far retired by the Hull organisation.
Anthony Johnson
Middle brother and AC for the Seahawks, "Tant" gave his all in the no. 12 shirt, combining hard graft and commitment with the skill and vision that complemented his brothers so well. Like the others he remains one of the country's finest, he is up there with the likes of
Tony Hand
Anthony Hand MBE (born 15 August 1967) is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986.
Nicknamed ''Two point Tony'', he holds sever ...
,
Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
and
Stephen Cooper et al. Despite his departure, like his brother he claimed he would never have left Hull were it not for the mistreatment of their father. He returned in the white and purple of the Thunder in 1999–2000, effectively ending his career in his spiritual home.
Squads
(1992–93) – Scott Morrison (I)(F), Todd Bidner (I)(F), Ross Lambert (I)(F), Sylvain Naud (I)(F), Bobby Brown (I)(F), Ransom Drcar (I)(F), Stephen Johnson (F), Anthony Johnson (F), Shaun Johnson (F), Nigel Rhodes (F), Grant Slater (F), Andy Steel (F),
Jim Lynch
James Robert Lynch (August 28, 1945 – July 21, 2022) was an American football linebacker. Lynch played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he was named an All-American and won the Maxwell Award in 1966. Lynch is a memb ...
(I)(D), Dale Lambert (PC)(I)(D), Paul Dixon (D), Mark Pallister (D), Paul Simpson (D), Stewart Carvil (D), Bobby McEwen (D), Lee Barley (D),Lee.Wilson(D), Frankie Killen (NM), Andy Donald (NM), Ian Young (NM), David Selby (NM). Peter Johnson (Bench Coach)
(1993–94) – Dan Dorian (I)(F), T.Bidner, B.Brown, Chris Hobson (F), Aaron Burn (F), Danny Parkin (F), A.Johnson, St.Johnson, Sh.Johnson, G.Slater, Mike Bishop (I)(D), Kevin McNaughton (RI)(D/F), D.Lambert, Gavin De Jonge (F), Andy Giles (F), Craig Bowles (D), P.Simpson, S.Carvil, L.Barley, Brian Cox (NM), Paul Cast (NM), Kenny Johnson (NM), F.Killen, Lee.Wilson(D).
Others
Mike Andrews, Rick Strachan,
Retired Shirts
10 – Stephen Johnson
{{Sport in Hull
Defunct ice hockey teams in the United Kingdom
Ice hockey teams in England
Sport in Kingston upon Hull
Ice hockey clubs established in 1988
Sports clubs disestablished in 1999