St. Louis Vipers
The St. Louis Vipers are a professional roller hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri.
| St. Louis Vipers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | St. Charles, Missouri |
| League | National Roller Hockey League |
| Founded | 1993 / 2019 |
| Home arena | St. Louis Arena (1993–1994) Kiel Center (1995–1997, 1999) Family Arena (2020–present) |
| Colors | Red, Black, Gold, White
|
| Murphy Cups | 1999 Won final year of league. |
| Conference Championships | 1999 |
| Division Championships | 1995 |
| Website | stlvipers.com |
History
The original team was a part of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International League.[1] They played their home games in the former St. Louis Arena, but moved to the Kiel Center in 1995. The ownership of the club was led by former NHL star Bernie Federko, who also served as the head coach.
Over their six-year existence in the 90s, the St. Louis Vipers had a total home attendance of 332,412 in 71 home games, an average of 4,682 per game. The largest home crowd in Vipers history was the final regular season home game in 1997 with an announced attendance of over 14,000 against the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers.[2]
They were the Murphy Cup champions in 1999, the final year of the RHI's existence.
The last official sporting event played at the St. Louis Arena was on August 16, 1994 versus the Tampa Bay Tritons in front of 11,146, the second largest Vipers home crowd.
The St. Louis Vipers hosted the 1995 RHI All-Star Game on July 15, 1995 in front of 9,166 at Kiel Center.[3] The East beat the West with a score of 14-12. Ed Anderson of the East was the game's MVP.
Vipers 2.0
A press conference was held on June 4, 2019 at Family Arena in St. Charles, MO announcing the return of the St. Louis Vipers. The National Roller Hockey League announced the team along with the Vipers head coach, Perry Turnbull. Turnbull played in 608 NHL games and had 351 career points. He also coached the St. Louis Vipers of the RHI from 1993-99 seasons. The St. Louis Vipers will begin play with a 28-game schedule in the NRHL beginning in May 2021.
Yearly records
| Year | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 19 | .679 | 104 | 115 | 292 |
| 1994 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 18 | .409 | 154 | 173 | 495 |
| 1995 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | .636 | 166 | 157 | 520 |
| 1996 | 28 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 31 | .554 | 207 | 209 | 520 |
| 1997 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 26 | .542 | 174 | 169 | 339 |
| 1999 | 26 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 35 | .673 | 221 | 168 | 297 |
Team records
| Player | Seasons | Stats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Skoryna | (95-97, 99) | 118 goals | Single season point record (80) in 1996. Single season assist record (44) in 1996. |
| Frank Cirone | (1994–97) | 106 | Single season goal record (37) in 1996. |
| Wayne Anchikoski | (94-97) | 74 | |
| Kevin Plager | (96,97, 99) | 74 |
References
- "1993-1999 St. Louis Vipers". Fun While It Lasted. April 23, 2013.
- "Gordo: Remembering STL's fringe sports teams". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 18, 2018.
- "RHI All-Star Game - 1995". RHI Stats. Retrieved August 10, 2019.