British House Leagues
In Great Britain, House League competitions were often organized, featuring a small group of teams all based out of the same rink playing against one another.
Leagues
- Alpine House League
The Alpine House League was held at the outdoor Wembley Alpine Ice Rink in 1939-40. Four teams participated: Panthers, Beavers, Dukes, Royals. It was won by the Panthers.
- Belfast House League
Three incarnations of the Belfast House League were contested at Kings Hall Ice Rink from 1940-1942 (Balmoral Tigers, Harlandic Wolves, Short Brothers Raiders, Thornton Wasps); 1951-1954 (Harlandic Wolves, Balmoral Wasps, Racers, Shorts Redwings); and 1966-1969. The competition was for the Gaston Cup. The Racers won the regular season championship in 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69. In 1966-67, the Redwings and Racers were set to meet in the cup final on April 13. In 1967-68, the Racers beat the Wasps 5-4, and the Wolves defeated Shorts Redwings in the semifinals, with the Racers triumphing over the Wolves in the Gaston Cup final on April 4. In 1968-69, the Redwings and Wasps met in the finals on April 26.
Hockey was re-launched in Belfast in April 1966, with several friendly matches:
- 4/13: Wasps - Racers 6:5
- 4/27: Wasps - Racers 4:4
League results:
1966-67
- 2/17: Racers - Wolves 5:1
1967-68
- 3/8: Wolves - Shorts Redwings 4:3
1968-69
- 2/11: Racers - Shorts Redwings - first game of season
- 3/5: Shorts Redwings - Wasps - third game of season; Redwings were searching for first win while Wasps were hoping to cut the Racers lead at the top of the table
- Grimsby Town League
See the separate article on the Grimsby Town League for details.
- North East League
See the separate article on the North East League for details.
- Southampton House League
The Southampton House League (or Rink League) operated briefly in the fall of 1931. Participating teams: Bassett, New Forest, Shirley, United Insurance. The better local players formed a representative team (known simply as Southampton) that played in the English League Division 2 from 1931-1933.
- 9/23: Bassett - Shirley 5:2 - goals: Lister (2), Living (2), Kirby/Yates, Mitchell - exhibition
- 10/7: Shirley - United Insurance 2:2 - goals: Richardson, Kirby/Falck, Cooper
- 10/14: Shirley - New Forest 3:2 - goals: Richardson, Kirby, Curtis/Lister (2)
- 10/21: United Insurance - Bassett 3:1 - goals: Lister (2), Alec Bennett/Isard
- 10/27: Bassett - Shirley 6:1 - goals: Living (4), Lister, Falck/Curtis
- 11/4: Shirley - United Insurance 4:0 - goals: Isard (3), Lister
- 11/11: Bassett - Shirley 2:1 - goals: Goulden, Mitchell/Living
- 11/18: Shirley - United Insurance 3:1 - goals: Living (2), Lister/Isard
- Spalding Trophy
A five-team house league competition for the Spalding Trophy, spearheaded by Stan Bookbinder, was held at the Manchester Ice Palace for three years commencing in 1930. The trophy was won by the Eagles, Medicals, and Falcons.
1929-30
Five teams competed - the Bats, Eagles, Hawks, Snipes, and Swifts. The Eagles won the league, and the Snipes finished second.
- 3/19: Eagles - Hawks 5:0 - it was noted the Eagles were 2-0 with a goal differential of 8:1 after game
- 4/16: Rest of League - Eagles 4:0
1930-31
- 11/19: Hawks - Eagles 2:1
- 11/?: Hawks - Bats
- 11/27: Bats - Eagles 2:1
- 12/3: Swifts - Snipes 4:3
- 12/10: Bats - Snipes
1931-32
- 12/9: Bats - Eagles 3:1
- 2/4: Snipes - Liverpool Falcons 3:1
- 2/10: Swifts - Hawks 2:0
"The local league fixtures are arousing the keenest interest and at present the Bats, the Swifts, and the Snipes are striving to find the leadership. The Falcons are ready to swoop on the title and Bridge's merry men won a grand game against the Hawks-minus their skipper Norman Schofield-by four goals to two."-Manchester Evening News, 1932-02-24
- Sunday League
The Sunday League was a house league competition held at the Earls Court Ice Rink in 1936-37. The Marlboroughs, Kestrels, All-Blacks, St. Thomas Hospital, and Barclays Bank took part in the competition. It was succeeded by the London-Provincial League the following year.
- 11/1: All-Blacks - Kestrels 3:1 - goals: W. Beer (2), S. Preston/C. Tickner
- 11/22: Earl's Court Marlboroughs - All-Blacks 6:0
- 11/29: St. Thomas Hospital - Barclays Bank 5:3
- 12/6: Barclays Bank - All-Blacks 2:2
Perivale Rovers intended to compete, but dropped out of league in mid-December.
Standings as of 1/20
- Earl's Court Marlboroughs 4-0-0-8 26:3
- St. Thomas Hospital 3-0-1-6 14:12
- All-Blacks 1-3-2-5 9:18
- Kestrels 1-1-3-3 9:17
- Barclays Bank 0-2-3-2 10:18
Exhibitions
- 11/30: Perivale Rovers - All-Blacks 4:4
- 12/6: Perivale Rovers - Earl's Court Marlboroughs 3:2
- 12/20: Guy's Hospital - Richmond Falcons 4:4 @ Harringay
- 12/27: All-Blacks - Perivale Rovers
- 1/10: All-Blacks - Perivale Rovers
- 1/24: Earl's Court Marlboroughs - Perivale Rovers
- 2/14: Perivale Rovers - Dagenham Brigands
- 2/28: Earl's Court Marlboroughs - Cambridge University
- 2/28: Perivale Rovers - Dagenham Brigands 5:3 - Rovers "revenged their earlier defeats by soundly trouncing the visitors from Dagenham"
- 3/7: Perivale Rovers - Queens (Bayswater)
- 3/7: Earl's Court Marlboroughs - Richmond Red Wings
- 3/12: Perivale Rovers - Dagenham Brigands 3:3
- 3/14: All-Blacks - Wembley Dukes
- 3/21: All-Blacks - Richmond Falcons
- 3/31: Perivale Rovers - Dagenham Brigands
There were also plans for Sunday Leagues to be staged at Harringay (featuring Oxford University, Guy's Hospital and several junior teams) and Richmond (consisting of Cambridge University, Falcons and Redwings). Streatham, with many young players, planned to form their own tournament. The champions of each rink were intended to play off in March.
- Sussex House League
The Brighton Tigers did not play in the English National League in 1939-40, but the Sussex House League was organized at their rink instead. The teams were the Spitfires, Hurricanes, Demons, and Furies. The Sussex Tigers were formed as a representative team in March 1940. The league resumed in 1941.
1939-40
- Spitfires - Demons 5:1
- 11/27: Spitfires - Furies 2:1
- 12/3: Demons - Spitfires 3:0
A new competition, known as the Brighton League, began in January 1940.
- 1/21: Hurricanes - Furies 4:3
- 1/28: Furies - Demons 5:2
- 2/11: Demons - Hurricanes 6:1
- 2/18: Spitfires - Furies 6:6
- Wembley Junior League
In 1936-37, the Wembley Cubs, Wembley Princes and Richmond Hawks Juniors were active. There was a junior league played at Wembley in 1937-38 and 1938-39. In 1937-38, the Wembley Princes, Wembley Cubs, Wembley Panthers, and Wembley Wolves participated. In 1938-39, the Wembley Cubs, Wolves and Panthers were among the competitors.
Sources
- Homes of British Ice Hockey, Martin C. Harris (2007).
- British Ice Hockey Records 1896-2023
- Belfast News-Letter
- Daily/Evening News (London)
- Manchester Evening News
- Southern Daily Echo