Hampton Gulls

Hampton Gulls
City	Hampton, Virginia
League	Southern Hockey League American Hockey League
Operated	1974–1977 in the SHL 1977–78 AHL season
Home arena	Hampton Coliseum
Championships
Regular season titles	one (1976–77 in the SHL)

The Hampton Gulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Hampton, Virginia and were a farm team for the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA. The Gulls were a member of the Southern Hockey League for three seasons from 1974–75 to 1976–77, and the American Hockey League for one season in 1977–78 as an independent franchise. John Brophy was the team's coach for all four seasons.

In 1974, the Fayetteville Arsenal, an expansion team in the SHL, failed to secure home ice and scheduled dates. The Arsenal wound up as the Hampton Gulls just as the season opened. The Gulls were able to secure plenty of available dates at the Hampton Coliseum, because the Virginia Wings of the AHL had changed their home arena across the Hampton Roads bay in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Gulls played three winning seasons in the SHL, and were the league's regular season champions in 1977. When the league folded after that season, the Gulls were approved as an expansion franchise in the AHL. Due to the financial strain in the higher league, the Gulls were unable to complete the 1977–78 schedule, folding on February 10, 1978.

Minor professional hockey would return five seasons later in 1982–83, as the Hampton Roads Gulls of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League.

This market was previously home to:

• Virginia Wings (1972–1975 of the American Hockey League)

The franchise was replaced by:

• Hampton Roads Gulls (1982–1983 ACHL)
• Hampton Roads Admirals of the ECHL (1989–2000)
• Norfolk Admirals of the AHL (2000–present)

Yearly results

• Hampton Gulls 1974–1977 (Southern Hockey League)
• Hampton Gulls 1977–1978 (American Hockey League)

Season	League	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Points	Winning Pct (%)	Goals for	Goals against	Standing
1974–75	SHL	72	43	28	1	87	0.604	323	262	2nd overall
1975–76	SHL	72	33	23	16	82	0.569	262	234	2nd overall
1976–77	SHL	50	32	16	2	66	0.660	198	152	1st overall
1977–78	AHL	46	15	28	3	33	0.359	142	171	5th South

External links

• SHL statistics - hockeydb.com
• AHL statistics - hockeydb.com