The Roanoke Valley Rebels were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the

Roanoke Valley The Roanoke Valley ( ) in southwest Virginia is an area adjacent to and including the Roanoke River between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Plateau to the west. The valley includes much of Roanoke County, as well as the ...

in Virginia. The team first played in the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

and then joined the Southern Hockey League. The team was originally known as the Salem Rebels from 1967 to 1970, playing at the

Salem Civic Center The Salem Civic Center is a 6,820-seat multi-purpose arena in Salem, Virginia. It was built in 1967 and is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex (named after a former mayor of Salem), which also includes Salem Football ...

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combine ...

. In 1971, the Rebels began splitting home games between Salem at the newer and larger

Roanoke Civic Center Berglund Center (originally called the Roanoke Civic Center) is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971 and is currently the home of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of ...

in Roanoke. The team name recalled

Johnny Reb Johnny Reb is the national personification of the common soldier of the Confederacy. During the American Civil War and afterwards, Johnny Reb and his Union counterpart Billy Yank were used in speech and literature to symbolize the common sol ...

, a

national personification A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda. In the first personifications in the Western World, warrior deities or figures symboliz ...

of the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. The team logo was the '' Battle Flag'' of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

cut in the shape of a maple leaf. The Rebels were founding members of the Southern Hockey League in 1973 after the Eastern Hockey League ceased operations, and won the James Crockett Cup in 1974. After nine seasons of play, the team ceased operations in 1976.

History

The first Salem Rebels game was played October 24, 1967, and Salem won 3–1 over the Jacksonville Rockets. Most of the players lived in a mobile home park across, near the

Lakeside Amusement Park Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado, adjacent to Denver. Opened in 1908, it is the oldest amusement park in Colorado still operating in its original location, and is the lone remaining White City park ...

. Dave Lucas was coach the team's first coach, but struggled for the first two seasons and missed the playoffs both years. Colin Kilburn was brought in to coach in 1969, and improved the team to second place in the southern division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Kilburn coached the next two seasons to third place finishes, and first round playoff losses. The Rebels affiliated with the

Philadelphia Blazers The Philadelphia Blazers were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the 1972–73 WHA season based in Philadelphia. The team's home ice was the Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center. The franchise was origi ...

in 1972 and the parent club assigned Gregg Pilling to coach. The Rebels finished first place in the southern division, won two playoff series, and finished runners-up in the 1973 EHL finals. In 1973, the Rebels became a charter team in the Southern Hockey League due to travel costs to the multiple northern teams in the EHL for the 1973–74 season. Pilling stayed on as coach and the team roster featured eleven

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

, including the league's most valuable player, Claude Piche. The Rebels finished first place in the regular season, and won the James Crocket Cup in the playoffs. Pilling was named the SHL Coach of the Year for 1973–74. Bill Needham coached the 1974–75 season, and the team dropped to fourth place and a first round playoff loss. Team operator and league commissioner, Gene Hawthorne, filed for bankruptcy protection for the team July 14, 1975, and the Rebels were obtained by local oil distributor,

Henry Brabham Henry Brabham IV (April 29, 1929 – March 30, 2020) was a founder of the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the ECHL Hall of Fame. The Brabham Cup, first awarded in 1989, is ...

. Player-coach Jack Chipchase led the Rebels in the 1975–76 season, finishing fourth place, and a first round playoff loss. The Rebels ceased operations after the season. Salem eventually got another team in the Salem Raiders of the restarted

in 1980 and the Rebels branding was revived for an

East Coast Hockey League The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

team from 1990 to 1992.

Major league affiliations

The Rebels were affiliated with 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 ...

in the 1971–72 season, and with the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...

from 1972 to 1976.

Notable players

Notable players for the Salem Rebels (EHL 1967–1970), the Roanoke Valley Rebels (EHL 1970–1973), and the Roanoke Valley Rebels (SHL 1973–1977), who also played in either the National Hockey League or the World Hockey Association. * Randy Andreachuk * Yves Archambault * Ron Ashton * Jamie Bateman * Serge Beaudoin * John Bennett * Michel Boudreau * Brian Bradley * Brian Bye *

Rychard Campeau Rychard Campeau (born April 9, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Early life Campeau was born in Montreal. As a youth, he and teammates Rick Lalonde and Denis Meloche played in the 1963 and 1964 Quebec Internation ...

* Mike Chernoff * Jack Chipchase * Howie Colborne * Pete Donnelly * Guy Dufour * George Gardner * Jean-Claude Garneau * Sam Gellard * Merv Haney * Derek Harker *

Pierre Henry Henry at his home (January 2008) Pierre Georges Albert François Henry (; 9 December 1927 – 5 July 2017) was a French composer known for his significant contributions to musique concrète. Biography Henry was born in Paris, France, and bega ...

* Ted Hodgson * Ralph Hopiavuori * Ed Humphreys * Dave Hutchison *

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

* Jimmy Jones * Joe Junkin * Doug Kerslake * Roger Lafreniere * Camille LaPierre * Dave Lucas * Peter McNamee * Denis Meloche * John Migneault * Wayne Mosdell * Murray Myers * Billy Orr * Pierre Paiement * Michel Plante * Jan Popiel * Rich Pumple * Michel Rouleau * Claude St. Sauveur * Dave Schultz * Gord Smith *

Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...

* Jean Tétreault

Results

As recorded in the Internet Hockey Database:

References

External links

The Eastern Hockey League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roanoke Valley Rebels) 1967 establishments in Virginia 1976 disestablishments in Virginia Calgary Cowboys minor league affiliates Defunct ice hockey teams in Virginia Eastern Hockey League teams Houston Aeros minor league affiliates Ice hockey clubs established in 1967 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1976 Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates San Diego Mariners minor league affiliates Southern Hockey League (1973–1977) teams Sports in Roanoke, Virginia Sports in Salem, Virginia Winnipeg Jets minor league affiliates