1976–77 Southern Hockey League season

The 1976–77 Southern Hockey League season was the fourth and final season of the Southern Hockey League. The Roanoke Valley Rebels ceased operations, and two new teams were added for the season.[1] The Baltimore Clippers transferred from the American Hockey League, and the Richmond Wildcats were an expansion team. Both the Richmond Wildcats and Greensboro Generals folded on January 3, 1977 due to financial problems.[2][3] On January 7, the Tidewater Sharks folded after missing payroll, and the Winston-Salem Polar Twins pulled the Polar Twins out of the league.[2][3] The remaining three teams considered adding a fourth team, but the league was short on funds when Greensboro and Winstom-Salem defaulted on $25,000 loans.[4] The league also considered playing a round-robin tournament to determine a champion, or develop an interlocking schedule with either the North American Hockey League or the International Hockey League.[2] On January 22, 1977, both the NAHL and IHL rejected the proposal, and the final game was played on January 31, 1977, although the league planned on playing a 1977–78 season.[2]

Southern Hockey League
Southern Hockey League teams, 1976–1977.
Active teams Former teams

Standings

Final standings of the regular season.[1]

GP W L T GF GA Pts
Hampton Gulls503216219815266
Tidewater Sharks412613215813154
Charlotte Checkers502225318018647
Baltimore Clippers472124218216944
Richmond Wildcats382116116014443
Greensboro Generals401524114017331
Winston-Salem Polar Twins421130113019323

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 teamWHA parent clubsNHL parent clubs
Baltimore Clippers[5]Edmonton Oilersnone
Charlotte Checkers[6]Birmingham Bulls
Winnipeg Jets		Buffalo Sabres
Greensboro Generals[7]noneAtlanta Flames
Cleveland Barons
Colorado Rockies
Hampton Gulls[8]Cincinnati Stingers
Minnesota Fighting Saints		none
Richmond Wildcats[9]noneNew York Rangers
St. Louis Blues
Tidewater Sharks[10]Calgary Cowboysnone
Winston-Salem Polar Twins[11]noneNew York Rangers

Scoring leaders

Top 10 SHL points scoring leaders.[12]

RankPlayerTeamGoalsAssistsPoints
1Don GriersonBaltimore304575
2Claude ChartreHampton203858
3Paul O'NeilHampton213455
4Jack SurbeyCharlotte213253
5Ted LongHampton163652
5Ron MorganHampton213152
7Cam ColborneGreensboro/Charlotte143448
7Dan DjakalovicHampton183048
9Pat DonnellyHampton232447
9Ken GassoffWinston-Salem163147

References
  1. "1976–77 Southern Hockey League [SHL] standings". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  2. "Southern Hockey League [1973–1977] history and statistics". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  3. Crossley, Drew (2014-08-30). "Southern Hockey League 1973 Archives". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  4. "SHL Closes Campaign on Sunday". Kannapolis Daily Independent. Kannapolis, North Carolina. January 27, 1977. p. 16.
  5. "Baltimore Clippers Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  6. "Charlotte Checkers Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  7. "Greensboro Generals Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  8. "Hampton Gulls Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  9. "Richmond Wildcats Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
  10. "Tidewater Sharks Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  11. "Winston-Salem Polar Twins Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
  12. "SHL 1976–77 League Leaders". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
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