Eastern Hockey League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league.

Contents

The league was founded in 1933 with seven teams as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Thomas Lockhart, who served as its commissioner from 1933 to 1972. Lockhart, who operated a small intramural hockey league at New York City's Madison Square Garden, offered his teams—and the use of the MSG ice—in exchange for joining the league.

Three teams folded after the first season, and the league reorganized, electing Frederick Rubien, secretary of the United States Olympic Association, as its new president.

Lockhart was a great promoter of the sport and equally great at finding trophies for the league. Initially, the league championship trophy was found by Lockhart in a pawn shop. The James J. Walker Trophy, was found in 1935 after being named and donated by New York City Mayor James J. Walker in 1926. Lockhart also collected the Hershey Cup, which was originally given to the Tri-State Hockey League by the Hershey candy company, and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy, originally given to the winner of the 1932 AAU hockey tournament winner by Atlantic City resort managers and hotel owners. In the late 1930s, the league divided the year into three sections and awarded a trophy to the winner of each one. First teams would play for the Hershey Cup, then play a tournament for the Boardwalk Trophy, then go on to play another tournament for the Walker Cup.[1][2]

There was no 1948-49 season, but the league returned for the 1949-50 season with eight teams. The league again did not operate during the 1953-54 season.


  • 1953-54 — DID NOT OPERATE
  • 1952-53 — Johnstown Jets
  • 1951-52 — Johnstown Jets
  • 1950-51 — Atlantic City Sea Gulls
  • 1949-50 — New York Rovers
  • 1948-49 — DID NOT OPERATE
  • 1947-48 — Baltimore Clippers
  • 1946-47 — Boston Olympics
  • 1945-46 — Boston Olympics
  • 1944-45 — Boston Olympics
  • 1943-44 — Boston Olympics
  • 1942-43 — U.S. Coast Guard
  • 1941-42 — New York Rovers
  • 1940-41 — Atlantic City Sea Gulls
  • 1939-40 — Baltimore Orioles
  • 1938-39 — New York Rovers
  • 1937-38 — Atlantic City Sea Gulls
  • 1936-37 — Atlantic City Sea Gulls
  • 1935-36 — Baltimore Orioles
  • 1934-35 — New York-Hamilton Crescents
  • 1933-34 — Baltimore Orioles


Note: This list is from the NHL-sanctioned book Total Hockey, edited by Dan Diamond, et al. It does not always accurately list the teams that were considered to be the league champions. For example, the Hershey B'ars won the 1935-36 league championship,[3] while the Orioles finished in last place.

The league started back up for the 1954-55 season and changed its name to the Eastern Hockey League.

The league operated between 1954 and 1973. It began with five teams and grew into two divisions for the 1959-60 season. The league reached it peak in terms of team number in the 1967-68 when it had twelve teams in two divisions. In its final season the league had twelve teams split into three divisions.

The EHL ceased operations after the 1972-73 season, after which it was succeeded by the North American Hockey League and the Southern Hockey League, both of which consisted mostly of previous EHL teams.


  • 1972-73 — Syracuse Blazers
  • 1971-72 — Charlotte Checkers
  • 1970-71 — Charlotte Checkers
  • 1969-70 — Clinton Comets
  • 1968-69 — Clinton Comets
  • 1967-68 — Clinton Comets
  • 1966-67 — Nashville Dixie Flyers
  • 1965-66 — Nashville Dixie Flyers
  • 1964-65 — Long Island Ducks
  • 1963-64 — Clinton Comets
  • 1962-63 — Greensboro Generals
  • 1961-62 — Johnstown Jets
  • 1960-61 — Johnstown Jets
  • 1959-60 — Johnstown Jets
  • 1958-59 — Clinton Comets
  • 1957-58 — Washington Presidents
  • 1956-57 — Charlotte Checkers
  • 1955-56 — New Haven Blades
  • 1954-55 — New Haven Blades


In 1979 the Eastern Hockey League name was revived. This league was not successful and folded after only two seasons.

  • 1980-81 — Erie Blades
  • 1979-80 — Erie Blades

  1. ^ Chuck Miller. "From Atlantic City to Toronto: The Boardwalk Trophy and the Eastern Hockey League", Hockey Ink! Vol. III, Iss. 2-3. Retrieved on 2007-08-10. 
  2. ^ "Five clubs enter Eastern U.S. loop," The Globe and Mail, September 23, 1939, p. 14.
  3. ^ "Hersheys all alone, have title cinched," Toronto Star, February 20, 1936, p. 16
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Hockey_League"
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.