The franchise had previously been owned by John Hall 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.
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 and play for part of their final season out of the Hillheads rink in Whitley Bay.
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,[1] 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."
From September 2009 until March 2011 the students of Gateshead College's ND Media Production course filmed every home game and produced a weekly edited highlights package for the team website.
