Durham Wasps

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Durham Wasps
The Big Blue Machine
Durham Wasps.jpg
City: Durham, England
League: British National League
Founded: 1947
Home Arena: Durham Ice Rink
Capacity: 2860
Ice size: 184ft x 85ft, 56m x 26m
Colors: Royal Blue and Gold

The Durham Wasps were an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighboring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996. The Newcastle team, after several changes became known as the Newcastle Vipers.

History

The Durham Wasps began their prosperous start to hockey just after the war, and were started by Michael Davey of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, along with a few other Canadians, who after the war made their homes in Durham.

Ice hockey remained popular in the sixties and seventies, but it exploded with popularity between the eighties and nineties, and the period from around 1982 to 1992 was one to remember for the Wasps. In this period alone they won the Heineken Championship four times, the league championship six times, the Norwich Cup three times, and other trophies like the Autumn and Castle Eden Cups on many other occasions. The Durham Wasps dominated the British League for over 10 years. There was an intense local rivalry with both the Whitley Warriors and the Billingham Bombers. It was a golden period for hockey in the North East with derby matches against the Warriors often resulting in crowds which exceeded the stated capacity of the rink by a considerable margin.

With the rise of teams such as the Cardiff Devils and Sheffield Steelers, the Wasps started to struggle to fund a competitive team. At the same time, the rink was in need of significant investment. Around this time, John Hall, then owner of Newcastle United Football Club, laid plans to form a centre of sporting excellence in Newcastle. As part of this he purchased the team with the intention of moving them to a new ice rink in Newcastle. In the meanwhile, the team temporarily played out of the Crowtree Leisure Centre in Sunderland.

This proved very divisive amongst Wasps fans with many to this day refusing to watch ice hockey in Newcastle. A replacement team was established in Durham called the Durham City Wasps who played in the English League. This featured some players who the new Wasps owners decided not to retain, as well as players from the junior teams. Unfortunately the team only lasted one season before the costs of maintaining the rink came to a head and the rink was sold to be redeveloped.

The plans for a new rink in Newcastle came to nothing so a deal was made which resulted in the Whitley Warriors being evicted from the Telewest Arena to make way for the team. After a season of playing out of Crowtree, Wasps were taken to Newcastle and renamed the Newcastle Cobras. In the next few years they changed owners and names from the Cobras, to the Riverkings, to the Jesters, however, the franchise folded soon after.

A new unrelated team, the Newcastle Vipers were founded in 2002 to keep the city's ice hockey heritage alive, but due to low crowds and problems getting regular ice time at the Arena, in November 2010 the Vipers were forced to move in with the 'old enemy' and play for part of their final season out of the Hillheads rink in Whitley Bay. It proved impossible to keep the team going and the 2010/11 season was the last featuring a Newcastle team.

1947-48 games
  • 10/25: Durham Wasps - Ayr Spitfires 8:6
  • 11/8: Durham Wasps - Dundee Tiger Cubs 2:0
  • 11/15: Glasgow Mohawks - Durham Wasps 8:4
  • 12/6: Durham Wasps - Perth Blackhawks 4:0
  • 12/20: Dunfermline Royals - Durham Wasps 3:2
  • 12/27: Nottingham Wolves - Durham Wasps 7:6
  • 1/31: Durham Wasps - London All-Stars 5:2
  • 3/5: Durham Wasps - Streatham Indians 7:6
  • 5/22: Kirkcaldy Flyers - Durham Wasps 11:3

Honours

Heineken Premier League Champions

  • 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992

Heineken British Championship Winners

  • 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992

Autumn Cup Winners

  • 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991

Castle Eden Cup Winners

  • 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995.

British Ice Hockey Association Cup

  • 1950

Northern Ice Hockey League Champions

  • 1950

Images

External links

Preceded by
Dundee Rockets
Premier League Champions
1984-85, 1985-86
Succeeded by
Murrayfield Racers
Preceded by
Dundee Rockets
Autumn Cup Winners
1984-85
Succeeded by
Murrayfield Racers
Preceded by
Murrayfield Racers
Playoff Champions
1986-87, 1987-88
Succeeded by
Nottingham Panthers
Preceded by
Nottingham Panthers
Autumn Cup Winners
1987-88, 1988-89
Succeeded by
Murrayfield Racers
Preceded by
Murrayfield Racers
Premier League Champions
1988-89
Succeeded by
Cardiff Devils
Preceded by
Cardiff Devils
Premier League Champions
1990-91, 1991-92
Succeeded by
Cardiff Devils
Preceded by
Cardiff Devils
Playoff Champions
1990-91, 1991-92
Succeeded by
Cardiff Devils
Preceded by
Murrayfield Racers
Autumn Cup Winners
1990-91
Succeeded by
Nottingham Panthers


Ice hockey in Great Britain
Elite Ice Hockey League (2003-present)

Belfast Giants - Cardiff Devils - Coventry Blaze - Dundee Stars - Fife Flyers - Glasgow Clan - Manchester Storm - Nottingham Panthers - Sheffield Steelers

National Ice Hockey League (1997-present)

National League: Berkshire Bees - Bristol Pitbulls - Hull Seahawks - Leeds Knights - Milton Keynes Lightning - Peterborough Phantoms - Raiders - Sheffield Steeldogs - Solway Sharks - Swindon Wildcats

North Division 1: Billingham Stars - Blackburn Hawks - Nottingham Lions - Solihull Barons - Sutton Sting - Whitley Warriors

South Division 1: Cardiff Fire - Chelmsford Chieftains - Invicta Dynamos - Milton Keynes Thunder - Oxford City Stars - Raiders 2 - Slough Jets - Solent Devils - Streatham IHC

North Division 2: Altrincham Aces - Blackburn Hawks 2 - Bradford Bulldogs - Deeside Dragons - Hull Jets - Sheffield Senators - Telford Tigers 2 - Widnes Wild

South Division 2: Basingstoke Buffalo - Guildford Phoenix - Haringey Huskies - Invicta Mustangs - Lee Valley Lions - Peterborough Phantoms 2 - Solent Devils 2 - Streatham Hawks - Swindon Wildcats 2

Scottish National League (2000-present)

Aberdeen Lynx - Dundee Comets - Dundee Tigers - Edinburgh Capitals - Kilmarnock Thunder - Kirkcaldy Kestrels - North Ayrshire Wild - Paisley Pirates

Other current competitions

League Championship - Playoff Championship - Challenge Cup - British Universities Ice Hockey Association - Ice Hockey Varsity Match - Northern League - Women's Elite Ice Hockey League - Scottish Cup

Defunct competitions

Airlie Trophy - Ahearne Cup - Anderson Trophy - Autumn Cup - Association Cup - Bairns Trophy - British Hockey League - British Home Tournaments - British National League (1954–1960) - British National League (1996–2005) - Christmas Cup - Coronation Cup - Coronation Gold Cup - English Club Championship - English League - English League North - English National League - English Premier Ice Hockey Cup - English Premier Ice Hockey League - Findus Challenge Cup - Ice Hockey Superleague - Inter-City League - London Cup - Millenium Cup - Mitchell Trophy - Northern League (1966-1982) - Northern League (2005–2011) - Planet Ice Challenge League - President's Pucks - Scottish Canada Cup - Scottish Cup (1930s-1950s) - Scottish League Flag Trophy - Scottish National League (1929–1954) - Scottish National League (1981-1982) - Scottish Premier Hockey League - Southern League - Winter Cup

Defunct teams

Aldershot Bullets - Amateur Skating Club - Argyll Ice Hockey Club - Ayr Bruins - Ayr Scottish Eagles - Blackburn Eagles - Blackpool Seagulls - Brighton Ambassadors - Brighton Ice Hockey Club - Brighton Tigers - Cardiff Rage - Castlereagh Knights - Dumfries Vikings - Dunfermline Vikings Dundee Rockets - Durham City Wasps - Durham Wasps - Earls Court Rangers - Edinburgh Capitals (SNL) - Flintshire Freeze - Fylde Flyers - Harringay Greyhounds - Harringay Racers - Hull Pirates - Hull Stingrays - Hull Thunder - Humberside Seahawks - Kilmarnock Storm - Lancashire Raptors - Liverpool Leopards - London Canadians - London Lions - London Knights - London Racers - Manchester Minotaurs - Manchester Phoenix - Manchester Rapids - Manchester Storm - Medway Bears - Milton Keynes Kings - Moray Typhoons - Murrayfield Racers - Murrayfield Racers (2018-2022) - Newcastle Jesters - Newcastle Vipers - Niagara Ice Hockey Club - Oxford Blades - Oxford Canadians - Peterborough Pirates - Princes Ice Hockey Club - Richmond Flyers - Richmond Hawks - Royal Engineers Ice Hockey Club - Sheffield Lancers - Sheffield Scimitars - Slough Jets ENL - Southampton Vikings - Sunderland Chiefs - TDC Northern Stars - Wembley Lions - Wembley Monarchs - Wightlink Raiders - Wightlink Tigers

Governing bodies

English Ice Hockey Association - Ice Hockey UK - Northern Ireland Ice Hockey Association - Scottish Ice Hockey - British Ice Hockey Association (defunct) - National Ice Skating Association (defunct)

Other

British National Team - Women's British National Team - British Junior National Team - British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame - Ice Hockey Journalists UK

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