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 were founded as the result of the Nashville South Stars relocating in December 1983, halfway into the 1982–83 season of the ACHL. They continued to play in the ACHL from 1983 until 1987.

John Tortorella John Francis Tortorella (born June 24, 1958) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He currently serves as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tortorella was previously the head ...

, a former Lancer forward, stepped behind the bench in the 1986–87 season, leading the team to the league's best record and the Bob Payne Trophy, which is given to the team who wins the league championship.

All-American Hockey League (1987–1988)

The Lancers transferred to the All-American Hockey League (AAHL) for the 1987-88 season. Coach Tortorella led the team to a 37-5-0-1 record and the best record in the league, but they lost the league championship to Carolina Thunderbirds. After the season, both Virginia and Carolina left the league to form the

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 ...

(ECHL), along with the newly-formed Johnstown Chiefs and the AAHL folded a season later.

East Coast Hockey League (1988–1990)

With a new coach and a new league, the Lancers found themselves outside of the postseason in their initial ECHL season. Finishing 22-30-8 put them in fifth place out of five teams. The Lancers found a replacement coach in Dave Allison for the 1989 season, and the team responded by finishing 36-18-6 with 76 points. The Lancers finished in third place out of four teams and faced fourth place Greensboro Monarchs in the playoffs. The Lancers lost the best-of-five series three games to one, which included back to back losses at Greensboro in Games 3 and 4.

Name changes and relocation (1990–present)

Prior to the 1990–1991 season, the name was changed to the Roanoke Valley Rebels. They used this name for two seasons, and then became the Roanoke Valley Rampage for the 1992–93 season. Despite the name changes, the franchise remained in the same location throughout. After the 1992–93 season, the franchise was moved to Alabama and became the

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 ...

. The Blast remained in Huntsville for one season before transferring to Tallahassee and being renamed the

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 ...

, where they played until the 2000–01 season. The Tiger Sharks ceased operations in 2001 but leased the team to the Macon Sports Group in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

and played as the Macon Whoopee for one season. Poor attendance and lack of corporate sponsorship caused the Whoopee to fold and the rights to the franchise were transferred to what eventually became the Lexington Men O' War. Attendance was also a problem in Lexington and the franchise went dormant in 2003. In 2005, the franchise was transferred and is currently playing as the

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 ...

Playoffs

*1983–84: Lost to Erie 4-1 in semifinals. *1984–85: Lost to

Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

4-0 in semifinals. *1985–86: Lost to Erie 4-1 in semifinals. *1986–87: Defeated

4-1 in semifinals; defeated

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...

4-3 to win championship. *1987–88: * 1988–89: Did not qualify. * 1989–90: Lost to Greensboro 3-1 in quarterfinals.

Notable personnel

Pierre Lagace Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French language, French form of the name Peter (given name), Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via ...

– former Quebec Nordiques and

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

draft pick. Played 38 games for the Nordiques in 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) ...

over two seasons. *

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 ...

– former player-coach who coached the Lancers from 1983–85. Played for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

of 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 ...

and played one game for the Birmingham Bulls of the

. *

Mario Roberge Joseph Mario Roberge (born January 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 112 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens between 1990 and 1995. Playing career Roberge was born in Quebe ...

– former Lancers forward who went on to play 112 games with the

of the

from 1991–1995. Roberge was a member of the 1993 Stanley Cup-winning Canadiens team. *

John Torchetti John Torchetti (born July 9, 1964) is a former American ice hockey player and coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers. Torchetti has been an interim head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida ...

– former Lancers forward who has coached in the QMJHL and NHL. He also served as an assistant coach with the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

, interim head coach for the Florida Panthers, interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, and as an assistant coach of the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

. *

– former player who coached the team from 1986 to 1988, finishing both seasons with the best record in the league. After leaving the Lancers, he later coached the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

of the

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 ...

and Tampa Bay Lightning, where he led his teams to their respective championships. He has also coached the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

and

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

of the National Hockey League.

References

{{ECHLdefunct All-American Hockey League teams Defunct ECHL teams Sports in Roanoke, Virginia Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Ice hockey clubs established in 1983 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1990 Defunct ice hockey teams in Virginia 1983 establishments in Virginia 1990 disestablishments in Virginia