2001–02 ISL season

{{Infobox sports season

| title = {{Page}}

|logo =

| league = Ice Hockey Superleague

| sport = Ice hockey

| duration =

| attendance =

| season = League

| season_champ_name = Champions

| season_champs = Belfast Giants

| MVP =

| MVP_link =

| top_scorer =

| season3 = Playoffs

| season_champ3_name = Champions

| season_champs3 = Sheffield Steelers

| season2 = Challenge Cup

| season_champ2_name = Champions

| season_champs2 = Ayr Scottish Eagles

| playoffs =

| conf1 =

| conf1_champ =

| conf2 =

| conf2_champ =

| prevseason_year = 2000–01

| nextseason_year = 2002–03

| seasonslistnames =

}}

The 2001–02 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the sixth season of the Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).

Although the league started the season as the Sekonda Ice Hockey Superleague, Sekonda withdrew their sponsorship of the league in December 2001 and the league reverted to being known simply as the Ice Hockey Superleague. Benson & Hedges also withdrew their sponsorship of the Autumn Cup{{cite web | first = Stuart | last = Hughes | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/1257049.stm | title = Superleague needs a higher profile | date = 2001-04-02 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }} and the competition ceased to take place.

Cardiff Devils were stripped of their franchise after the club went into voluntary liquidation.{{cite web | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/wales/1320814.stm | title = Cardiff loses Superleague status | date = 2001-05-09 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }} Following the Newcastle franchise being taken over by the Eye Group, the Newcastle Jesters players were not paid and the club was eventually stripped of their franchise in October 2001 without having played a game.{{cite web | first = Stuart | last = Hughes | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/other_sports/1618133.stm | title = Jesters thrown out of Superleague | date = 2001-10-24 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }}

There was trouble in Sheffield when the Cooke, Jenkinson and Smith consortium who bailed out the Steelers at the end of the previous season were denied the franchise in favour of the league's preferred bidder, Norton Lea.{{cite web | first = Stuart | last = Hughes | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/other_sports/1420911.stm | title = Sheffield steels itself for worst | date = 2001-07-03 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }} After the Sheffield Arena refused to award ice time to Norton Lea, preferring to deal with the Cooke, Jenkinson and Smith consortium, the Cooke, Jenkinson and Smith consortium applied for the Sheffield Steelers to play in the second tier British National League. However, this application was refused{{cite web | first = Stuart | last = Hughes | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/other_sports/1483918.stm | title = Steelers denied BNL entry | date = 2001-08-10 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }} and the club eventually continued in the ISL under the ownership of Norton Lea.{{cite web | first = Stuart | last = Hughes | publisher = BBC Sport Online | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/1517682.stm | title = Steelers boss calls for fresh start | date = 2001-08-30 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }}

As a replacement for the fixtures lost from the Newcastle Jesters games, the ISL arranged a new Ryder Cup style tournament between the ISL teams and teams from the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) to be called the Ahearne Trophy to be played in February 2002.{{Cite news | first = Simon | last = Crosse | title = Top clubs challenge Germany | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2001/11/29/soiceh30.xml | date = 29 November 2001 | access-date = 2007-12-14 }}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

The Belfast Giants claimed the league championship in only their second season of operations. The playoffs championship was won by the Sheffield Steelers while the Challenge Cup was won by the Ayr Scottish Eagles.

After awarding three points for a win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss the previous season, the league discontinued overtime and reverted to awarding two points for a win and one point for a draw.