Roanoke Valley Vipers

{{more citations needed|date=September 2020}}

{{Infobox Pro hockey team

| text_color = black

| bg_color = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#473899 5px solid; border-bottom:#adafc9 5px solid;

| team = Roanoke Valley Vipers

| logo = Roanoke Valley Vipers.png

| logosize = 220px

| city = Roanoke, Virginia

| league = United Hockey League

| conference =

| division =

| founded = 2002

| arena = Roanoke Civic Center

| colors = Purple, silver, black, white
{{color box|#473899}} {{color box|#adafc9}} {{color box|black}} {{color box|white}}

| owner =

| GM =

| coach =

| captain =

| media =

| affiliates =

| name1 = Port Huron Beacons

| dates1 = 2002–2005

| name2 = Roanoke Valley Vipers

| dates2 = 2005–2006

| reg_season_titles =

| division_titles =

| conf_titles =

}}

The Roanoke Valley Vipers were a minor professional ice hockey team located in Roanoke, Virginia. They were a member of the United Hockey League and played in the Roanoke Civic Center.

The franchise was formed in 2002 as the Port Huron Beacons and played in McMorran Arena in Port Huron, Michigan, through the end of the 2004–05 season. The franchise was relocated to Roanoke for the 2005–06 season, filling the void left after the ECHL's Roanoke Express disbanded and to provide a travel partner near the Richmond RiverDogs. While professional ice hockey had been previously played and successful in the Virginian towns of Roanoke, Salem and Vinton since 1967,{{cite book|first=Jon C.|last=Scott|title=Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South|year=2006|publisher=Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd.|pages=3–35|isbn=1-894974-21-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hockeynightindix0000stot}} the Vipers were unsuccessful on and off the ice with a losing record in their lone season in Virginia and an average attendance of about 1,000 fans in an arena with a capacity of over 9,000. Local fans complained about high ticket prices and a lower level of play than the ECHL.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} The midwestern focus of the UHL also made rivalries less intense than they had been with the southeastern and mid-Atlantic teams of the ECHL.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} The owners and their marketing plans were frequently criticized by local media.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

The Vipers folded on May 15, 2006, shortly after the RiverDogs moved to Chicago and became the Chicago Hounds.{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2006 |title=Roanoke Valley Vipers cease operations |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/roanoke-valley-vipers-cease-operations/n-3311038 |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=OurSports Central |language=en}}

Notable players

References