The Detroit Vipers were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the International Hockey League (IHL). Originally founded in 1969 as the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, the team was purchased by Palace Sports & Entertainment and relocated to

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is home to ...

in 1994. The rebranding to the Vipers was influenced by a sponsorship deal with the

Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...

, aligning the team's name with the company's popular

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by Street & Racing Technology, SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer Chrysler from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2011 to 20 ...

sports car, though the team’s logo featured a venomous snake rather than the vehicle. In their first five seasons, the Vipers were highly successful, achieving 100 points each year and making two appearances in the Turner Cup Finals, winning the championship in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

. In 1999, Palace Sports acquired the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL), and the Vipers became their top minor league affiliate. However, the team struggled over the next two seasons before both the Vipers and the IHL ceased operations in 2001.

History

Beginning

The Vipers were originally founded as the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

in 1969. In 1994, the franchise was purchased by Palace Sports & Entertainment, owners of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and the Palace of Auburn Hills, and relocated for the 1994–95 IHL season. A sponsorship deal with

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

led to the naming of the team after their

. A similar deal was in place with another Palace Sports-owned team, the Detroit Neon of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

, which switched its sponsorship to GMC in its final year and renamed the team the Detroit Safari after yet another vehicle, the

Safari A safari (; originally ) is an overland journey to observe wildlife, wild animals, especially in East Africa. The so-called big five game, "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, African leopard, leopard, rhinoceros, African elephant, elep ...

. The team hired former

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

coach Rick Dudley as head coach and general manager. Their first season was during the

1994–95 NHL lockout The 1994–95 NHL lockout was a lockout that came after a year of National Hockey League (NHL) hockey that was played without a collective bargaining agreement. The lockout was a subject of dispute as the players sought collective bargaining a ...

. During said lockout, the Vipers took on the

Ninety-Nines The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...

, an all-star team of locked-out

players led by

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

. The Vipers won, 4–3. The team won the IHL's Central Division but were eliminated by the

Kansas City Blades The Kansas City Blades were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League (IHL) from 1990 until 2001, when the league folded. The Blades were based in Kansas City, Missouri, at Kempe ...

in five games in the first round of the playoffs. Detroit Vipers

The 1995–96 season saw the notable signing of

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

star Peter Bondra for a brief time while he was locked in a holdout with Washington management. The Vipers finished the season in second place in the Central Division. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the

Indianapolis Ice The Indianapolis Ice were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indian ...

in five games, but the Vipers lost their second round playoff series to the

Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at Kia Center (formerly Amway Center) in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa ...

in seven games.

The Turner Cup Finals

During the off-season, Steve Ludzik succeeded Rick Dudley as head coach. This off-season also saw the arrival of Russian phenom

Sergei Samsonov Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov (; born October 27, 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey forward who is now a scout for the Carolina Hurricanes. He played in the NHL with six teams from 1997 to 2011, most notably for the Boston Bruins. I ...

and IHL All-Star Stan Drulia to the Vipers. Samsonov would win Rookie of the Year honors as the Vipers won another division title. They advanced to their first appearance in the Turner Cup Finals against the

Long Beach Ice Dogs The Long Beach Ice Dogs were an American professional ice hockey team based in Long Beach, California, at the Long Beach Sports Arena. They played until the end of the 2006–07 ECHL season. History The Ice Dogs trace their origins to the San ...

. Led by Samsonov and Peter Ciavaglia, the Vipers won the series 4–2. That championship allowed Detroit to become the first city to capture two cups in the same calendar year as the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

also won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

. Samsonov would go on to be selected by the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

with the eighth overall pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft, but the slack was picked up in 1997–98 by

Dan Kesa Dragan "Dan" Kesa (born November 23, 1971) is a Serbian-Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Career Dra ...

, who scored 40 goals, as the Vipers won their third division title in four seasons. They also became the first professional hockey team to have 100 points in each of their first four seasons. The Vipers advanced to the Turner Cup Finals against the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena ...

. After going up 3–2, the Vipers only scored one goal in the final two games, losing the series 4–3. The season also saw a one-shift comeback from Gordie Howe, making him the only person to play hockey in six different decades as a professional. Following the season, Rick Dudley left the team to become the general manager of the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

Demise

The 1998–99 season saw John Torchetti hired as general manager. The Vipers won another division title and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Solar Bears. The Vipers became the first and only team in IHL history to lose a best-of-seven playoff series after being up 3–0. During the off-season, Palace Sports & Entertainment purchased the

and made the Vipers their top minor league affiliate. As a result, Steve Ludzik was promoted as Lightning head coach in an effort by ownership to rebuild the struggling NHL club. Paulin Bordeleau took over as Vipers head coach. The Lightning remained barely competitive, prompting a mass transfer of talent from Detroit to Tampa throughout the season. This drained the Vipers of the strength and stability that they had experienced through the first five seasons of their existence. It also led to a swift, sudden and near-total collapse; the Vipers plummeted from having the second-best record a season prior to being dead last in the league. The Vipers' woes were nothing, however, compared to the worsening health of the IHL as the league was experiencing high travel costs, salary issues, and an inability to establish a sustainable relationship with the NHL. By the 2000–01 season, the Vipers were only one of eleven IHL teams still remaining. That season saw Brad Shaw take over as head coach. However, the Vipers finished dead last in the league in standings and attendance. The impending demise of the IHL, combined with the plummeting attendance, led Palace Sports to find a new affiliate for the Lightning. On June 4, 2001, both the IHL and the Vipers ceased operations.

Players

Notable players

* Peter Bondra * Phil Bourque * Jimmy Carson * Peter Ciavaglia *

Dan Cloutier Daniel Cloutier (born April 22, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who has recently taken on an Executive position with the Ontario Hockey League , OHL Guelph Storm, the team he completed his Junior Career. In his 10- ...

* Stan Drulia * Gerard Gallant * Ian Herbers * Johan Hedberg * Gordie Howe *

* Michal Pivonka * Wayne Presley * Sami Salo *

* Miroslav Satan * Bryan Smolinski * Petr Sykora * Tim Thomas *

Kevin Weekes Kevin Weekes (born April 4, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is now a studio analyst for NHL Network, appearing on shows like ''On the Fly'' and '' NHL T ...

Affiliates *

(1997–1998) *

(1999–2001)

References

External links

Detroit Vipers statistics at Hockey Database
{{IHL (1945–2001) 1994 establishments in Michigan 2001 disestablishments in Michigan Defunct ice hockey teams in Michigan Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2001 Ice hockey clubs established in 1994 V International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Ottawa Senators minor league affiliates Sports in Auburn Hills, Michigan Sports in Oakland County, Michigan Tampa Bay Lightning minor league affiliates