The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shoc ...

. Their mascot was a polar bear named Vipe-bear.

History

Beginning

The Vipers were originally formed as the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

in 1969. In 1994, the franchise was purchased by Palace Sports and Entertainment (owners of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

and the Palace of Auburn Hills) and relocated for the 1994–95 season. A sponsorship deal with the Chrysler Corporation led to the naming of the team after their

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two- ...

, although the team's logo primarily featured a common

Viperidae The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs th ...

venomous snake Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...

). A similar deal was in place with another Palace Sports-owned team, the

Detroit Neon The Detroit Safari (founded as the Detroit Neon) was a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League that played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their owners, the Palace Sports Group were awarded a franchise on November 4, 1993. Their star player ...

of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, which switched its sponsorship to GMC in its final year and renamed the team the

Detroit Safari The Detroit Safari (founded as the Detroit Neon) was a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League that played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their owners, the Palace Sports Group were awarded a franchise on November 4, 1993. Their star player ...

after yet another vehicle, the Safari. The team hired former

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Rick Dudley Richard Clarence Dudley (born January 31, 1949) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive, former coach and former player. Dudley is presently serving as a Senior Advisor for the Florida Panthers. Dudley has previously served as an executiv ...

as head coach. Their first season was during the

NHL lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...

, and this, combined with a liberal amount of free ticket vouchers distributed at local stores, helped the Vipers break IHL attendance records that season with nearly 17,000 per game on average. On December 1, the Vipers took on the

Ninety-Nines The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...

, an all-star team of locked-out NHL players led by

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

. The Vipers won, 4–3, with future NHL star Miroslav Satan scoring the winning goal for Detroit. (Three Detroit Red Wings players, Steve Yzerman,

Sergei Fedorov Sergei Viktorovich Fyodorov (; born December 13, 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current head coach of CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During his playing career, for which he is best known fo ...

, and

Paul Coffey Paul Douglas Coffey (born June 1, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for nine teams over 21 seasons in the National Hockey League. Known for his speed and scoring prowess, Coffey ranks second all-time among ...

, did not appear in this game.) Led by a franchise-record 44 goals from

Daniel Shank Daniel Shank (born May 12, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League. After playing four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Shank made his professional debut with the Adiron ...

, the Vipers won the IHL's Central Division but were eliminated by the

Kansas City Blades The Kansas City Blades were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1990 until 2001, when the league folded. The Blades were based in Kansas City, Missouri, at Kemper Arena. Team history Russ and Diane Pa ...

in five games in the first round of the playoffs. Detroit Vipers

The 1995–96 season saw the notable signing of

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...

star

Peter Bondra Peter Bondra (; born 7 February 1968) is a Ukrainian-born Slovak former professional ice hockey player. He was the general manager of the Slovakia national team from 2007 to 2011. A two-time 50-goal scorer, Bondra became the 37th player in Nati ...

for a brief time, while he was locked in a holdout with Washington management, as well as the departure of

to take the general manager's position with the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

, replaced by assistant coach Steve Ludzik for the final 32 games. The Vipers finished the season in second place in the Central Division and led the league in attendance again. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the

Indianapolis Ice The Indianapolis Ice were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that played in the International Hockey League from 1988 to 1999 and in the Central Hockey League from 1999 to 2004. Their original home arena ...

in five games, but the Vipers lost their second round playoff series to the

Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of t ...

in seven games.

The Turner Cup Finals

1996–97 saw the arrival of Russian phenom

Sergei Samsonov Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov (russian: Серге́й Ви́кторович Самсо́нов, ''Sergej Viktorovič Samsonov''; born October 27, 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey forward who is now a scout for the Carolina Hurric ...

and IHL All-Star Stan Drulia to the Vipers. Drulia led the team in scoring and Samsonov would win Rookie of the Year honors as the Vipers won another division title. Detroit would advance to their first

Turner Cup The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...

Final, against the

Long Beach Ice Dogs The Long Beach Ice Dogs were an American professional ice hockey team based in Long Beach, California at the Long Beach Sports Arena. They played until the end of the 2006–07 ECHL season. History The Ice Dogs trace their origins to the San Di ...

. Led by Samsonov and Peter Ciavaglia, the Vipers won the series four games to two for their first Turner Cup. That championship allowed the city of Detroit to be the first city to capture two cups in the same season as the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. Samsonov would be a high first round draft pick of the

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 ...

, but the slack was picked up in 1997–98 by 40 goals from

Dan Kesa Dragan "Dan" Kesa (born November 23, 1971) is a Serbian-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Career Dra ...

as the Vipers won their third division title in four years. They would advance to the Turner Cup Finals against the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

, but after going up three games to two, would only be able to score one goal in the final two games and lost four games to three. 1997–98 also saw a one-shift comeback from

Gordie Howe Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...

, making him the only person to play hockey in six different decades as a professional.

Demise

The 1998–99 season saw another division title for the Vipers and they became the first team in professional hockey to have 100 points in the standings in each of their first five years. However, they were defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Solar Bears in seven games, after a questionable call by referee Matt Pilgrim. In 1999, Palace Sports and Entertainment purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning and made the Detroit Vipers their top farm club. Vipers coach Steve Ludzik was moved to Tampa Bay as part of Palace's effort to rebuild the struggling NHL club.

Paulin Bordeleau Paulin Joseph Bordeleau (born January 29, 1953) is a Canadian-born French former professional ice hockey forward. Playing career Born in Noranda, Quebec, Bordeleau started his National Hockey League career with the Vancouver Canucks in 1973. He ...

took over as Vipers coach. The Lightning remained barely competitive, prompting a mass transfer of talent from Detroit to Tampa throughout the season. This drained the Vipers of the strength and stability that they had experienced through the first five years of their existence. It also led to a swift, sudden and near-total collapse; the Vipers plummeted from the second-best record a year earlier to dead last in the league. The Vipers' woes were nothing, however, compared to the worsening health of the IHL. The league had overexpanded itself throughout the decade, and was paying the price in red ink. Additionally, strained relations with the NHL cost a number of IHL teams their NHL affiliations–and with it, their subsidized salaries. By the start of the 2000–01 season, the Vipers were one of only four IHL teams affiliated with NHL teams. That season saw the Vipers finish dead last in the league in standings and attendance. The impending demise of the IHL, combined with the plummeting attendance led Palace Sports to find a new affiliate for the Lightning. On June 4, 2001, both the International Hockey League and the Detroit Vipers ceased operations.

Front office and player personnel

The Vipers were owned by

William Davidson William or Bill Davidson may refer to: Businessmen * Bill Davidson (businessman) (1922–2009), Michigan businessman and sports team owner ** William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, named in honor of Bill Davidson * William Davidson ...

, a Detroit businessman with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion with holdings under the banner of Palace Sports and Entertainment. Davidson holdings included the

and the

. With Robert Sosnick and

David Hermelin David B. Hermelin (December 27, 1936 – November 22, 2000) was United States ambassador to Norway and a Detroit area philanthropist and entrepreneur and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. The David B. Hermelin ...

, his partners in Arena Associates, he co-owned

DTE Energy Music Theater Pine Knob Music Theatre (formerly DTE Energy Music Theatre) is an outdoor amphitheater located in Independence Township, Michigan, approximately northwest of Detroit (it has a Clarkston, Michigan mailing address). Built by the Nederlander Organ ...

and the Palace of Auburn Hills (the Pistons and Vipers home arena). Davidson would later add or purchase the

Detroit Fury The Detroit Fury were an arena football team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. History The team was a member of the Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004 and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Th ...

, Detroit Shock, and 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 ...

. The CEO of Palace Sports and Entertainment, Tom Wilson, oversaw the daily business operations of the Vipers. The Vipers were aggressive in marketing and player acquisitions. The team acquired minor league free agents with prior success in the AHL/IHL, including Peter Ciavaglia, Stan Drulia,

Lonnie Loach Lonnie Loach (born April 14, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Loach spent the majority of his career in the IHL but also played briefly in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. ...

and

. The Vipers also made hockey headlines by signing star NHL players in the midst of contract holdouts, such as

and

Michal Pivonka Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Juda ...

of the

in 1995–96, and

Bryan Smolinski Bryan Anthony Smolinski (born December 27, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey center. The Boston Bruins drafted him 21st overall in 1990. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islander ...

of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

in 1996–97. The Vipers also served as a launching site for young

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

players looking to adjust to the NHL-style game, which involved a slightly smaller rink and more aggressive play. These players included Petr Sykora, Stan Neckar, Miroslav Satan, Krysztof Oliwa and Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov in particular was a popular player who made his Vipers debut in 1996 at age 17, and was widely regarded as a phenom. He was drafted off the Vipers by the

following the season as the eighth pick of the first round of the

1997 NHL Entry Draft The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997. As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton. Selections ...

and would win the

Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...

as the NHL's best rookie in 1997–98. Veteran NHL players concluded their playing career with the Vipers, including Dan Quinn,

Gerard Gallant Gerard Gallant (born September 2, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously served as the head coach for the Columbus Blue ...

, Brad Shaw,

Brent Fedyk Brent Anthony Fedyk (born March 8, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He was drafted in the first round, 8th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. Born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Fedyk pla ...

Jimmy Carson James Charles Carson (born July 20, 1968) is an American former professional hockey player. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League with five different teams. In 1988, he became only the second teenager in NHL history to score 50 goals ...

Michel Petit Michel Petit (born February 12, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from the 1982–83 NHL season to the 1998–99 NHL season. Upon his retirement Petit had played for a then- ...

and

Shawn Burr Shawn Christopher Burr (July 1, 1966 – August 5, 2013) was a professional ice hockey left winger. Burr played in the NHL for parts of 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000. Playing career Burr was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the De ...

. The Vipers made headlines in 1997–98 by signing Hockey Hall of Fame winger

to a one-day contract. Howe, 69 years old at the time of the game, suited up for the Vipers and played one shift. The

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...

was intended to drum up interest in the club as well as afford Howe the opportunity to play a professional hockey game in six consecutive decades. In 1999, Davidson purchased the

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 ...

. The Vipers were named as an affiliate of the Lightning and served as such until the league ceased operations in 2001.

Players

Phil Bourque Phillipe Richard Bourque (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft; instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 1982. He is a distan ...

Dan Cloutier Daniel Cloutier (born April 22, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. In his 10-year National Hockey League (NHL) career, Cloutier played with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles K ...

* Stan Drulia *

Ian Herbers Ian Herbers (born July 18, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, and former assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. Draft Herbers was drafted in the tenth round, 190th overall, by the Buffa ...

Johan Hedberg Johan "Moose" Hedberg (born 5 May 1973) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career that lasted from 1993 to 2014 he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Atlanta Thrashers, and New Jer ...

Sami Salo Sami Sakari Salo (born 2 September 1974) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey defenceman of the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his professional career with TPS of the SM-liiga before being selected by the Ottawa Senators with the ...

* Miroslav Satan *

* Petr Sykora * Tim Thomas *

Kevin Weekes Kevin Weekes (born April 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now a studio analyst for NHL Networks' ''On the Fly'', '' NHL Tonight'', and ESPN's The Po ...

Affiliates *

(1997-1998) *

(1999-2001)

References

External links

Detroit Vipers statistics at Hockey Database
{{IHL (1945–2001) Professional ice hockey teams in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1994 International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams V Sports in Auburn Hills, Michigan Sports clubs disestablished in 2001 Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Sports in Oakland County, Michigan Ottawa Senators minor league affiliates Tampa Bay Lightning minor league affiliates 1994 establishments in Michigan 2001 disestablishments in Michigan