1973–74 Southern Hockey League season

Southern Hockey League
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300km
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Winston-Salem
Suncoast
Roanoke
Macon
Greensboro
.
Charlotte
The original six teams in 1973–74.
Teams from the EHL Expansion teams

The 1973–74 Southern Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Hockey League. The league was formed when the Eastern Hockey League split in two; the southern teams became the Southern Hockey League, and the northern teams became the North American Hockey League. Four of the six founding members of the SHL came from the EHL, including the Charlotte Checkers, Greensboro Generals, Roanoke Valley Rebels, and the Suncoast Suns. Two expansion teams were added to complete the league, including the Macon Whoopees, and the Winston-Salem Polar Twins.[1]

Six teams began the season, but two did not complete the schedule due to financial trouble. The Suncoast Suns folded on December 19, 1973.[2] The Macon Whoopees forfeited a game against Charlotte on January 17, 1974 when players refused to play because of not being paid. The team eventually folded on February 15, 1974.[1] The remaining four teams made the playoffs, with the Roanoke Valley Rebels finishing as James Crockett Cup champions.

Standings

Final standings of the regular season.[2]

GP W L T GF GA Pts
Roanoke Valley Rebels 72 53 19 0 366 244 106
Charlotte Checkers 72 44 27 1 309 227 86
Greensboro Generals 71 33 37 1 285 310 67
Winston-Salem Polar Twins 72 26 44 2 283 363 54
Macon Whoopees 62 22 38 2 244 290 46
Suncoast Suns 31 9 22 0 123 176 18

WHA/NHL affiliations

Southern Hockey League franchises were primarily affiliated with World Hockey Association teams, however some also had agreements with National Hockey League teams. Summary of WHA/NHL affiliation agreements:

SHL team WHA parent clubs NHL parent clubs
Charlotte Checkers[3] none Buffalo Sabres
Greensboro Generals[4] Los Angeles Sharks none
Macon Whoopees[5] Houston Aeros
Cleveland Crusaders		 none
Roanoke Valley Rebels[6] Vancouver Blazers none
Suncoast Suns[7] Minnesota Fighting Saints
New England Whalers		 none
Winston-Salem Polar Twins[8] Edmonton Oilers
New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights		 none

Scoring leaders

Top 10 SHL points scoring leaders.[9]

Rank Player Team Goals Assists Points
1 Garry Swain Charlotte 34 64 98
2 Claude Piche Roanoke Valley 44 50 94
3 Camille LaPierre Roanoke Valley 48 43 91
4 Wayne Chrysler Charlotte 28 61 89
5 Howie Heggedal Greensboro 51 35 86
6 Guy Burrowes Charlotte 29 52 81
6 Howie Colborne Winston-Salem 33 48 81
6 Michel Boudreau Roanoke Valley 33 48 81
9 Kirk Bowman Greensboro 23 55 78
9 Brian Carlin Winston-Salem 36 42 78

Playoffs

James Crockett Cup playoffs.[10]

Semifinals Final
      
1 Roanoke Valley Rebels 4
4 Winston-Salem Polar Twins 3
1 Roanoke Valley Rebels 4
2 Charlotte Checkers 3
2 Charlotte Checkers 4
3 Greensboro Generals 2

References

  1. ^ a b "Southern Hockey League [1973-1977] history and statistics". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "1973-74 Southern Hockey League [SHL] standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  3. ^ "Charlotte Checkers Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  4. ^ "Greensboro Generals Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Macon Whoopees Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  6. ^ "Roanoke Valley Rebels Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  7. ^ "Suncoast Suns Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  8. ^ "Winston-Salem Polar Twins Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  9. ^ "SHL 1973–74 League Leaders". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  10. ^ Mancuso, Jim (2005). Hockey in Charlotte. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 75–77. ISBN 0-7385-4230-X.