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Sport | Ice hockey |
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Founded | 1996 |
Ceased | 2005 |
No. of teams | 12 (peak) |
Country | ![]() |
Last champion(s) | Dundee Stars |
Sponsor(s) | Findus (2000–03) |
The British National League (BNL) was the second tier of the professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2005. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have been a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague (later replaced by the Elite Ice Hockey League) and above that of the English National Ice Hockey League and the Scottish National League (and later, following its creation, the English Premier Ice Hockey League). Fife Flyers and Guildford Flames were the only two teams to consistently feature in the BNL during every season of the league's history.
The league was founded in 1996 to replace the first division of the British Hockey League following the split between the two divisions of the league; the premier division having been replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague at the same time. For its first season only the BNL was split into the Northern Premier League and the Premier League. From 2000 until 2003, it was sponsored by Findus.
The BNL was disbanded at the end of the 2004/05 season, Edinburgh Capitals and Newcastle Vipers both left the league and applied to join the first tier EIHL (with whom the BNL had conducted a crossover competition with during its final season). Both the Capitals and the Vipers then withdrew their applications so as to let the remaining five BNL teams submit applications to join the EIHL with them. However, the terms set by the EIHL were deemed unacceptable by the other teams, and so the Capitals and the Vipers both resubmitted their own applications and were accepted into the EIHL. With only five teams remaining, the BNL folded; leaving all of its remaining five clubs to join other leagues. Bracknell Bees, Guildford Flames, and Hull Stingrays all joined the EPIHL; which replaced the BNL as the second tier of English hockey (it having previously been the third tier), whilst Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers joined the EPIHL's Scottish counterpart; the Scottish National League. All of these teams, with the exception of Bracknell Bees, became members of the EIHL in later seasons, with Hull Stingrays making the move in 2006, before being joined by Dundee Stars in 2010, Fife Flyers in 2011 and Guildford Flames in 2017.
The Guildford Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Guildford, Surrey and they play their home games in the Guildford Spectrum. They compete in the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom, the Elite Ice Hockey League.
The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom.
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.
The Bees Ice Hockey Club are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey.
The Fife Flyers are a Scottish professional ice hockey team in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Established in 1938, the Flyers are the oldest still-extant club in the country.
The English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) was an ice hockey league of 10 teams, all of which were based in England. Headquartered in Blackpool, the EPIHL was one of two professional ice hockey leagues in the United Kingdom. A total of 27 teams played in the league at one time or another. Swindon Wildcats were the only team to have consistently featured in the EPIHL from its inaugural season in 1997-98. In 2017, the league was disbanded, with its teams either joining the top-tier Elite Ice Hockey League or the second-tier National Ice Hockey League.
The Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England playing in the NIHL South Division 1. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough and joined the first division of the British League. With the help of Gary Stefan who had previously been with Streatham Redskins, the Slough Jets were formed.
Hull Stingrays were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull who was a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League from 2003 until 2015. They played their home games at Hull Arena.
Mark Dutiaume, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger, who played in the minor leagues and in Europe.
The Dundee Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in the Scottish city of Dundee. They were formed in 2001 and play their home games at the Dundee Ice Arena, situated off the city's main Kingsway dual carriageway. The current title sponsor of the team is 'Trade-Mart'.
Paul Dixon is a former ice hockey defenceman and player-coach from Sunderland, England. He is currently the head coach for the Guildford Flames of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the top-tier of hockey in the United Kingdom.
Joe Watkins is a retired English ice hockey goaltender from Durham. He spent four seasons with the Guildford Flames between 2005 and 2009. He was awarded the British Ice Hockey Writers Association British Netminder of the Year award in 2002–03 and 2005–06 while with the Flames and Bracknell Bees, respectively.
Adam Walker is a Scottish professional ice hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Paisley Pirates of the Scottish National League. He previously in the British Elite Ice Hockey League for the Cardiff Devils, Manchester Phoenix and the Braehead Clan.
Stephen James Murphy is a British former professional ice hockey goaltender.
The 1999–2000 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the fourth season of the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).
Nathan Rempel is a retired Semi professional ice hockey player, Rempel was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Martin Máša is a Czech ice hockey left winger who plays for Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League. He has previously played for teams in France, England, Czech Republic, and North America.
Ryan Watt is a Scottish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Bracknell Bees of the National Ice Hockey League.
The 2003–04 British National League season was the eighth season of the British National League, the second level of ice hockey in Great Britain. Seven teams participated in the league, and the Guildford Flames won the championship.
The 2017–18 EIHL season was the 15th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 9 September 2017 and ended on 25 March 2018. The reigning league champions were the Cardiff Devils, who won the championship for the first time in 2016–17. The Devils retained their regular season title, with a 3–2 victory away at the Belfast Giants on 16 March 2018. The Devils also won the playoff title, beating the Sheffield Steelers – who had defeated the Devils 12 months prior in a 6–5 double overtime game – 3–1 in the final, winning a first playoff title since 1998–99.