The Roanoke Valley Rebels were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the

Roanoke Valley The Roanoke Valley ( ) in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, as well as the ...

in Virginia. The team first played in the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart, ...

and then joined the Southern Hockey League. The team was originally known as the Salem Rebels from 1967 to 1970, playing at the

Salem Civic Center The Salem Civic Center is a 6,820-seat multi-purpose arena in Salem, Virginia. It was built in 1967 and is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex (named after a former mayor of Salem), which also includes the Salem Football ...

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...

. In 1971, the Rebels began splitting home games between Salem at the newer and larger

Roanoke Civic Center Berglund Center (originally called the Roanoke Civic Center) is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road, Roanoke, Virginia, Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971. It was the former home to ...

in Roanoke. The team name recalled

Johnny Reb Johnny Reb is the national personification of the common soldier of the Confederacy. During the American Civil War and afterwards, Johnny Reb and his Union counterpart Billy Yank were used in speech and literature to symbolize the common sol ...

, a

national personification A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda. Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations ...

of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. The team logo resembled the '' Battle Flag'' of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. The Rebels were founding members of the Southern Hockey League in 1973 after the Eastern Hockey League ceased operations, and won the James Crockett Cup in 1974. After nine seasons of play, the team ceased operations in 1976.

History

The first Salem Rebels game was played October 24, 1967, and Salem won 3–1 over the

Jacksonville Rockets The Jacksonville Rockets were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1964–1972, when they folded. They were the first professional hockey team to be based in Flo ...

. Most of the players lived in a mobile home park across, near the

Lakeside Amusement Park Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado, adjacent to Denver. Originally named White City, it was opened in 1908 as a popular amusement resort adjacent to Lake Rhoda by the Denver Tramway, making it a tro ...

. Dave Lucas was coach the team's first coach, but struggled for the first two seasons and missed the playoffs both years. Colin Kilburn was brought in to coach in 1969, and improved the team to second place in the southern division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Kilburn coached the next two seasons to third place finishes, and first round playoff losses. The Rebels affiliated with the

Philadelphia Blazers The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the 1972–73 WHA season based in Philadelphia. The team's home ice was the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center. The franchise was origina ...

in 1972 and the parent club assigned

Gregg Pilling Gregg Pilling (born September 25, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He was named coach of the year by the International Hockey League in 1977–78 season, after he led the Fort Wayne Komets to the Fred A. Hu ...

to coach. The Rebels finished first place in the southern division, won two playoff series, and finished runners-up in the 1973 EHL finals. In 1973, the Rebels became a charter team in the Southern Hockey League due to travel costs to the multiple northern teams in the EHL for the 1973–74 season. Pilling stayed on as coach and the team roster featured eleven

French Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

, including the league's most valuable player, Claude Piche. The Rebels finished first place in the regular season, and won the James Crocket Cup in the playoffs. Pilling was named the SHL Coach of the Year for 1973–74. Bill Needham coached the 1974–75 season, and the team dropped to fourth place and a first round playoff loss. Team operator and league commissioner, Gene Hawthorne, filed for bankruptcy protection for the team July 14, 1975, and the Rebels were obtained by local oil distributor,

Henry Brabham Henry Brabham IV (April 29, 1929 – March 30, 2020) was a founder of the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the ECHL Hall of Fame. The Brabham Cup, first awarded in 1989, i ...

. Player-coach

Jack Chipchase Jack Chipchase (born April 5, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA). He played part of the 1972–73 WHA season for the Philadelphia Blazers. He served as the head coa ...

led the Rebels in the 1975–76 season, finishing fourth place, and a first round playoff loss. The Rebels ceased operations after the season. Salem eventually got another team in the

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 ...

of the restarted

in 1980 and the Rebels branding was revived for an

East Coast Hockey League 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 ...

team from 1990 to 1992.

Major league affiliations

The Rebels were affiliated with the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

in the 1971–72 season, and with the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

from 1972 to 1976.

Notable players

Notable players for the Salem Rebels (EHL 1967–1970), the Roanoke Valley Rebels (EHL 1970–1973), and the Roanoke Valley Rebels (SHL 1973–1977), who also played in either the National Hockey League or the World Hockey Association. *

Randy Andreachuk Randy Andreachuk (born July 19, 1954) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in two World Hockey Association games with the Winnipeg Jets (1972–96), Winnipeg Jets during the 1974–75 WHA season, 1974–75 seas ...

* Yves Archambault * Ron Ashton * Jamie Bateman *

Serge Beaudoin Serge Beaudoin (born November 30, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 332 games in the World Hockey Association and 3 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Phoenix Roadrunners, Cincinnati Stinger ...

* John Bennett * Michel Boudreau * Brian Bradley *

Brian Bye Brian Eldon Bye (born June 27, 1954) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Drafted in the eighteenth round of the 1974 NHL amateur draft by the New York Islanders, Bye opted to play ...

* Rychard Campeau * Mike Chernoff *

* Howie Colborne * Pete Donnelly * Guy Dufour * George Gardner * Jean-Claude Garneau *

Sam Gellard Sam Gellard (born March 15, 1950 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) is a retired Canadian ice hockey left winger. He played 28 games for the Vancouver Blazers, Philadelphia/Vancouver Blazers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). As a youth, h ...

Merv Haney Merv Haney (born August 13, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. During the 1972–73 season, Haney played seven games in the World Hockey Association with the Ottawa Nationals The Ottawa Nationals were a professio ...

* Derek Harker * Pierre Henry * Ted Hodgson *

Ralph Hopiavuori Ralph Hopiavuori (born July 15, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Hopiavuori played parts of three WHA seasons with the Cleveland Crusaders and Indianapolis Racers. He was d ...

Ed Humphreys Ed Humphreys (born June 5, 1953) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Humphreys was born in Eston, Saskatchewan, Canada. He played 30 games in the World Hockey Association with the Calgary Cowboys and Quebec Nordiques T ...

* Dave Hutchison *

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

* Jimmy Jones *

Joe Junkin Joseph Brian Junkin (September 8, 1946 – January 11, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in one National Hockey League game for the Boston Bruins during the 1968–69 season, and 68 games in the World Hockey Assoc ...

* Doug Kerslake * Roger Lafreniere * Camille LaPierre * Dave Lucas * Peter McNamee * Denis Meloche * John Migneault *

Wayne Mosdell Wayne Mosdell (born December 4, 1944) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Mosdell played part of the 1972–73 WHA season with the Philadelphia Blazers. References External links ...

* Murray Myers * Billy Orr * Pierre Paiement *

Michel Plante Michel Plante (born January 19, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the World Hockey Association (WHA). Drafted in the fifth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Plante opted to play i ...

Jan Popiel Jan Popiel (born October 9, 1947) is a Danish-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 296 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Chicago Cougars, Denver Spurs, Houston Aeros and Phoenix Roadrunners. He is t ...

Rich Pumple Rich Pumple (born February 11, 1948 in Lachine, Quebec) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey forward. He played 128 games in the World Hockey Association with the Indianapolis Racers and Cleveland Crusaders The Cleveland Crusaders ...

* Michel Rouleau * Claude St. Sauveur * Dave Schultz * Gord Smith *

Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...

* Jean Tétreault

Results

As recorded in the Internet Hockey Database:

References

External links

The Eastern Hockey League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roanoke Valley Rebels) 1967 establishments in Virginia 1976 disestablishments in Virginia Calgary Cowboys minor league affiliates Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Eastern Hockey League teams Houston Aeros minor league affiliates Ice hockey clubs established in 1967 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1976 Ice hockey teams in Virginia Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates San Diego Mariners minor league affiliates Southern Hockey League (1973–1977) teams Sports in Roanoke, Virginia Sports in Salem, Virginia Winnipeg Jets minor league affiliates