The 1983–84 BHL season was the second season the British Hockey League. This season saw the introduction of the Premier League and First Division format that would continue until the disbandment of the British Hockey League in 1996. Nine of the fifteen teams which had taken part the previous season joined the Premier League.
The 1983–84 season also saw the reintroduction of the Autumn Cup and the first season of sponsorship by Heineken.
Kohler Engines Autumn Cup
Scotland
In Scotland the winner of the group stage automatically progressed to the final.
Scotland GP W T L GF GA Pts Dundee Rockets 8 7 0 1 82 30 14 Murrayfield Racers 8 5 0 3 51 38 10 Ayr Bruins 8 4 0 4 56 43 8 Glasgow Dynamos 8 3 0 5 30 64 6 Fife Flyers 8 1 0 7 27 71 2
England English clubs were divided into two groups; North and South. The winner of each group would play an English Final, the winner going on to play in the final.
Group stage
England North GP W T L GF GA Pts Durham Wasps 6 4 1 1 69 34 9 Whitley Warriors 6 4 0 2 71 45 8 Cleveland Bombers 6 3 0 3 54 50 6 Crowtree Chiefs 6 0 1 5 31 96 1
England South GP W T L GF GA Pts Streatham Redskins 8 8 0 0 73 17 16 Nottingham Panthers 8 4 1 3 49 43 9 Solihull Barons 8 4 1 3 51 48 9 Southampton Vikings 8 2 0 6 30 67 4 Peterborough Pirates 8 1 0 7 24 52 2
English final
Streatham Redskins 10-3 Durham Wasps
Final The final was played at Streatham Ice Rink.
Dundee Rockets 6-6 Streatham Redskins (Dundee win after penalty shots)
League Premier League GP W T L GF GA Pts Dundee Rockets 32 24 2 6 294 185 50 Durham Wasps 32 23 1 8 282 208 47 Streatham Redskins 32 19 3 10 211 169 41 Ayr Bruins 32 17 4 11 204 177 38 Murrayfield Racers 32 15 2 15 206 175 32 Whitley Warriors 32 12 1 19 235 277 25 Fife Flyers 32 9 2 21 217 237 20 Nottingham Panthers 32 9 2 21 183 277 20 Cleveland Bombers 32 6 1 25 170 297 13
Playoffs
The top six teams entered the playoffs. They were divided into two groups of three. Group A was made up of Dundee, Streatham and Murrayfield while Group B was made up of Durham, Ayr and Whitley. The top two sides in each group advanced to next round. The semi finals and final were played over a single weekend at Wembley Arena.
Group A Group A GP W T L GF GA Pts Murrayfield Racers 4 3 1 0 24 18 7 Dundee Rockets 4 2 1 1 31 15 5 Streatham Redskins 4 0 0 4 12 34 0
Group B England South GP W T L GF GA Pts Durham Wasps 4 4 0 0 44 26 8 Ayr Bruins 4 2 0 2 36 28 4 Whitley Warriors 4 0 0 4 21 47 0
Semi-finals Semi-final A: Winner A (Murrayfield) vs Runner Up B (Ayr) Murrayfield Racers 5-4 Ayr Bruins
Semi-final B: Winner B (Durham) vs Runner Up A (Dundee) Durham Wasps 8-10 Dundee Rockets
Final Dundee Rockets 5-4 Murrayfield Racers
References