The 1973–74 Southern Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Hockey League. The league was formed when the Eastern Hockey League split in two; the southern teams became the Southern Hockey League, and the northern teams became the North American Hockey League. Four of the six founding members of the SHL came from the EHL, including the Charlotte Checkers, Greensboro Generals, Roanoke Valley Rebels, and the Suncoast Suns. Two expansion teams were added to complete the league, including the Macon Whoopees, and the Winston-Salem Polar Twins.
Six teams began the season, but two did not complete the schedule due to financial trouble. The Suncoast Suns folded on December 19, 1973. The Macon Whoopees forfeited a game against Charlotte on January 17, 1974 when players refused to play because of not being paid. The team eventually folded on February 15, 1974. The remaining four teams made the playoffs, with the Roanoke Valley Rebels finishing as James Crockett Cup champions.
Standings Final standings of the regular season.
GP W L T GF GA Pts Roanoke Valley Rebels 72 53 19 0 366 244 106 Charlotte Checkers 72 44 27 1 309 22786 Greensboro Generals 71 33 37 1 285 310 67 Winston-Salem Polar Twins 72 26 44 2 283 363 54 Macon Whoopees 62 22 38 2 244 290 46 Suncoast Suns 31 9 22 0 123 176 18
WHA/NHL affiliations Southern Hockey League franchises were primarily affiliated with World Hockey Association teams, however some also had agreements with National Hockey League teams. Summary of WHA/NHL affiliation agreements:
SHL team WHA parent clubs NHL parent clubs Charlotte Checkers none Buffalo Sabres Greensboro Generals Los Angeles Sharks none Macon Whoopees Houston AerosCleveland Crusaders none Roanoke Valley Rebels Vancouver Blazers none Suncoast Suns Minnesota Fighting SaintsNew England Whalers none Winston-Salem Polar Twins Edmonton OilersNew York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights none
Scoring leaders Top 10 SHL points scoring leaders.
RankPlayerTeamGoalsAssistsPoints1Garry Swain Charlotte 3464982 Claude Piche Roanoke Valley4450943Camille LaPierreRoanoke Valley4843914 Wayne Chrysler Charlotte 2861895Howie Heggedal Greensboro 5135866 Guy Burrowes Charlotte 2952816Howie Colborne Winston-Salem 3348816Michel Boudreau Roanoke Valley3348819Kirk Bowman Greensboro 2355789Brian Carlin Winston-Salem 364278
Playoffs James Crockett Cup playoffs.
References