From 2002–2011 the Newcastle Vipers were an

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 h ...

club based in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England. The club was a member of the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

, and the British National League.

History

Predecessors

Previously, the city was represented by the

Newcastle Jesters The Newcastle Jesters were an ice hockey sports franchising, franchise based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. The team were members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and played their home games at the Telewest Arena (now the Metro Radio Arena). Hi ...

, who were founded in 1999 by

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

businessman

Harry Harkimo Harry Juhani "Hjallis" Harkimo (born 2 November 1953) is a Finnish businessman, sportsperson, and a member of the Finnish Parliament. Previously a National Coalition Party MP, he now chairs his own political party, Movement Now. First elected t ...

who purchased the

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

from the

Ice Hockey Superleague The British Ice Hockey Superleague (BISL, also known as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague from 1998 to 1999 for sponsorship reasons) was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Devised in 1995, it replaced ...

. The franchise had previously been owned by

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

who had owned the club as part of his ambitious "Newcastle Sporting Club" project and known as the Newcastle Cobras and later the Newcastle Riverkings. The Cobras had previously played as the Durham Wasps who had moved to Newcastle upon Tyne Arena following a season at the Crowtree Leisure Centre in Sunderland as a result of Hall purchasing them after a number of years of financial problems. The Durham ice rink closed shortly thereafter.

Formation and playing history

The club was founded August 2002 after a season without a professional ice hockey team in Newcastle. After playing its first three seasons in the British National League, the Vipers joined the

in the 2005–06 season along with the

Edinburgh Capitals The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the Scottish National League (SNL). They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. The team play at the Murrayfield Ice Rink, close to Murrayfield Rugby stadium. In Apri ...

; a move which ultimately led to the dissolution of the BNL. During their first season the Vipers finished as runners-up to the

Belfast Giants The Belfast Giants (known officially as the Stena Line Belfast Giants due to sponsorship) are a professional ice hockey team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. They compete in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) and are the current cha ...

in the league and won the EIHL Play-Off Championship at the

National Ice Centre The National Ice Centre (NIC) is located in Nottingham, England. It is situated just east of the city centre, close to the historic Lace Market area. The NIC was the first twin Olympic-sized (60m x 30m) ice pad facility in the UK, "heralding ...

, defeating the

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. ...

2-1 in the Grand Final.

Demise of the club

Due to low crowds and problems getting regular ice time at the Arena, in November 2010 the Vipers were forced to move in with rivals

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 ...

and play for part of their final season out of the Hillheads rink in

Whitley Bay Whitley Bay is a seaside town in the North Tyneside borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It formerly governed as part of Northumberland and has been part of Tyne and Wear since 1974. It is part of the wider Tyneside built-up area, being around e ...

. On 6 May 2011, the EIHL confirmed that the Vipers would fold and not take part in the 2011-12 season after months of financial difficulty, leaving the North East with no top-flight ice hockey club for 2011-12. GM Jaimie Longmuir said he was "Incredibly sad to confirm that the Vipers will no longer participate in the Elite League following Tuesday's meeting."

Honours

* EIHL Play-Off Champions 2005-06 * Findus Cup Winners 2002-03, 2003–04 * Elite League Runners Up 2005-06 * EIHL First Team All-Stars ** 2005–06 Trevor Koenig, Jan Krajíček * EIHL Second Team All-Stars ** 2005–06 Jonathan Weaver ** 2006–07 Jonathan Weaver ** 2008–09

Andrew Verner Andrew Verner (born November 20, 1972) is a Canadians, Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender. He most recently played for Sheffield Steelers, in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. Playing career Verner was born in York, Toronto, York, Ontar ...

Retired jerseys

8. Shaun Johnson
34. Petri Rautiainen (retired by

Media coverage (Vipers Hockey TV)

From September 2009 until March 2011 the students of

Gateshead College Gateshead College is a further education college in the town of Gateshead, England. Established on November 15, 1955 at Durham Road in Low Fell, Gateshead. It was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. The original campus was closed as part of a pla ...

's ND Media Production course filmed every home game and produced a weekly edited highlights package for the team website.

External links

Newcastle Vipers News
from ChronicleLive {{British ice hockey Ice hockey teams in England Sport in Newcastle upon Tyne Ice hockey clubs established in 2002 Sports clubs disestablished in 2011 Former Elite Ice Hockey League teams 2002 establishments in England 2011 disestablishments in England