During its history, British ice hockey has operated under numerous different competition formats which have ranged from leagues encompassing the whole of the United Kingdom to no nationally-organised competition of any kind. Between 1954 and 1960, and again between 1983 and the present, the highest tier of British ice hockey has consisted of a national league with sides representing at least two of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom. These leagues have been the British National League, the British Hockey League Premier Division (1983–96), the Ice Hockey Superleague (1996–2003) and the current Elite Ice Hockey League.
In the 32 combined seasons in which these four leagues have operated, a total of 39 clubs have participated. Some of these clubs have seen name changes to reflect a change in ownership or the relocation to another town. If these are counted separately, a total of (00) have taken part. The team with the longest period of membership in the highest tier is the Nottingham Panthers, the only team to have been a member of all four leagues and to have played in every season where a British league championship has been contested. The club with the shortest period of membership is the Dunfermline Vikings, who played just eleven games of the British National League season in 1954–55 before collapsing due to financial problems.
The current Elite Ice Hockey League will operate with eight teams during the 2009–10 season. In its six completed seasons, it has had a total of 11 members.
History edit
Prior to 1954, ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom were organised at the English and Scottish level. In the 1953–54 season, the English National League operated with five teams, while eight participated in the Scottish National League. The British National League launched in 1954 as an amalgamation of these two leagues. Streatham refused to take part in the new competition, meaning the new league initially iced twelve sides in its inaugural season. These were Ayr Raiders, Brighton Tigers, Dundee Tigers, Dunfermline Vikings, Edinburgh Royals, Falkirk Lions, Fife Flyers, Harringay Racers, Nottingham Panthers, Paisley Pirates and the Perth Panthers.
Although the Dunfermline Vikings completed their fixtures in the Autumn Cup, they withdrew from the British National League after playing only eleven games of the season. The remaining Scottish clubs, with the exception of the Paisley Pirates, withdrew at the end of the 1954–55 to leave the league with five members. This fell to four in 1958 following the closure of Harringay Arena and the demise of the Racers, but increased again to five in 1959 when Streatham were admitted into the league. The British National League collapsed in 1960, leaving the United Kingdom without any national competition.
In 1982, after a number of years without any league competition (1960–66) and 16 years of regionalised leagues, the British Hockey League was founded. In its first season it operated on a regional basis before launching the national Premier Division in 1983. The nine founding members of this league were Ayr Bruins, Cleveland Bombers, Dundee Rockets, Durham Wasps, Fife Flyers, Murrayfield Racers, Nottingham Panthers, Streatham Redskins and Whitley Warriors. The league was expanded to ten members for the 1983–84 season with promotion and relegation also being introduced. The Premier Division continued to run with ten teams for the remainder of its existence, with the exception of 1989–90 when it operated with nine teams and for two seasons between 1993 and 1995 when twelve clubs participated. During its thirteen seasons, a total of (00) took part.
In 1996, the Premier Division was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague. This consisted of eight teams, with Premier Division sides Basingstoke Bison, Cardiff Devils, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers joining the league alongside First Division clubs Bracknell Bees and Manchester Storm and two new organisations, the Ayr Scottish Eagles and Newcastle Cobras. The league operated for seven seasons and peaked with nine teams taking part in the 2000–01. Two seasons later it disbanded with just five. Bracknell, Nottingham and Sheffield were the only teams to play in every season of the Superleague.
The Elite Ice Hockey League was formed as its replacement, consisting of former Superleague clubs Belfast Giants, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers, Basingstoke Bison, Cardiff Devils and Coventry Blaze from the second tier British National League and two new clubs, London Racers and Manchester Phoenix.