View source for English National League

''For the current league see [[English National Ice Hockey League]]''

The '''English National League''' was an early ice hockey league in [[England]]. It operated from 1935 to 1954, with an intermission due to [[World War II]] between 1940 and 1946.  

==History==
It was founded in 1935 by four of the teams who had previously competed in the [[English League]]. [[Streatham]], [[Wembley Lions]], [[Wembley Canadians]], and the [[Richmond Hawks]] of the English League were joined by three new sides, the [[Earl's Court Rangers]], [[Brighton Tigers]], and [[Kensington Corinthians]], to form the English National League.

The league's membership rose to 11 teams the following year, as it admitted the [[Harringay Greyhounds]], [[Harringay Racers]], [[Earl's Court Royals]] (who had previously been the Kensington Corinthians), [[Manchester Rapids]], and the [[Southampton Vikings]]. Manchester and Southampton began the season in [[France]] as the [[Rapides de Paris]] and [[Français Volants]], respectively, but relocated to England in November 1936. 

The spike in teams was short-lived, as three of the previous season's new members (Earl's Court, Manchester, and Southampton), along with founding member Richmond Hawks, did not return for the 1937-38 season. The league's membership further decreased over the next two seasons, leaving only five teams remaining for the final pre-war season in 1939-40. 

It was suspended during the Second World War, but returned in 1946. The first post-war season consisted of seven teams, buoyed by the return of the [[Brighton Tigers]] and the addition of the [[Nottingham Panthers]]. The 1946-47 season also saw the introduction of end-of-year playoffs. The [[Harringay Greyhounds]] won the playoff championship in the only year they were held.

Membership fluctuated between five and eight teams for the entirety of the post-war period. In 1954 the league merged with the [[Scottish National League (1932–1954)|Scottish National League]] to form the [[British National League (1954–1960)|British National League]].

==Champions==
===Regular season winners===
:1936: [[Wembley Lions]]
:1937: Wembley Lions
:1938: [[Harringay Racers]]
:1939: [[Harringay Greyhounds]]
:1940: Harringay Greyhounds
:1947: [[Brighton Tigers]]
:1948: Brighton Tigers
:1949: Harringay Racers
:1950: [[Streatham Redskins|Streatham]]
:1951: [[Nottingham Panthers]]
:1952: [[Wembley Lions]]
:1953: Streatham
:1954: Nottingham Panthers
===Playoff winners===
:1947: Harringay Greyhounds
==References==
*[http://www.azhockey.com/ A to Z encyclopaedia of ice hockey]

==See also==

*[[British ice hockey league champions]]

{{English National League seasons}}
{{Wikipedia}}
[[Category:Ice hockey leagues]]