Editing SPHL (section)

== History ==
The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The [[Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002–03)|Atlantic Coast Hockey League]] started play in the 2002–03 season. After its only season, the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues, the [[South East Hockey League]] and the [[World Hockey Association 2]]. After one season, the SEHL and WHA2 disbanded, with their surviving teams rejoining with two expansion teams to form the SPHL, commencing with the 2004–05 season.

In 2009, the SPHL saw a large expansion with three new franchises, in [[Mississippi Surge|Biloxi, Mississippi]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Giardina |first=A.J. |title=Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast |publisher=WLOX-TV |date=April 9, 2009 |url=http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10161681 |access-date=April 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412132203/http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10161681 |archive-date=2009-04-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Press release |title=Biloxi to join SPHL |publisher=SPHL.com |date=April 30, 2009 |url=http://www.thesphl.com/fanzone/news/index.html?article_id=1163 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802201238/http://www.thesphl.com/fanzone/news/index.html?article_id=1163 |archive-date=August 2, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Coast Hockey announces new team name |work=[[The Sun Herald]] |date=June 17, 2009 |url=http://www.sunherald.com/newsupdates/story/1419476.html |access-date=June 17, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> [[Louisiana IceGators (SPHL)|Lafayette, Louisiana]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Foote |first=Kevin |title=IceGators to skate again; join the discussion |work=Lafayette Daily Advertiser |date=May 15, 2009 |url=http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326 |access-date=May 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519181330/http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326 |archive-date=May 19, 2009 }}</ref> and [[Pensacola Ice Flyers|Pensacola, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Blakeney |first=Jason |title=Hockey's Back! |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=April 30, 2009 |url=http://pnj.com/article/20090430/NEWS01/904300321 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503090421/http://www.pnj.com/article/20090430/NEWS01/904300321 |archive-date=May 3, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Blakeney |first=Jason |title=Commentary: New team, new name, new opportunity |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=May 9, 2009 |url=http://www.pnj.com/article/20090509/SPORTS/905090325/Commentary++New+team++new+name++new+opportunity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514050557/http://www.pnj.com/article/20090509/SPORTS/905090325/Commentary++New+team++new+name++new+opportunity |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 14, 2009 |access-date=May 10, 2009 }} </ref> In 2010, the league added an expansion team in [[Augusta RiverHawks|Augusta, Georgia]], another former long time ECHL market.<ref>{{cite web| title = Hockey Returning To Augusta, GA In 2010 | publisher = TheSPHL.com | date = February 3, 2010 | url = http://thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_10131 | access-date = February 3, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100206205445/http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_10131| archive-date= 6 February 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> For the 2011–12 season, the league added two-time [[Central Hockey League]] champions, the [[Mississippi RiverKings]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 2011–2012 Season |website=Oursports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=June 13, 2011 |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4223794 |access-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009193038/http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4223794 |archive-date=9 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Van Tuyl|first=Chris|title=Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/13/mississippi-riverkings-announce-change-southern-pr/?partner=RSS&cid=dlvr.it|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Commercial Appeal]]|date=13 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017213232/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/13/mississippi-riverkings-announce-change-southern-pr/?partner=RSS&cid=dlvr.it|archive-date=17 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> For the 2013–14 season, the league lost the [[Augusta RiverHawks]] but also expanded northward with two franchises in [[Illinois]]: the [[Bloomington Thunder (SPHL)|Bloomington Thunder]], a team also moving from the CHL, where they were known as the [[Bloomington Blaze]], and the [[Peoria Rivermen (SPHL)|Peoria Rivermen]], who were replacing an [[American Hockey League]] [[Peoria Rivermen (AHL)|team of the same name]] in their market.<ref name="Rivermen, Blaze expansion">{{cite news |last=Pope |first=Thomas |title=Two Illinois teams join SPHL; Augusta out next season |url=http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/15/1257129?sac=fo.sports |access-date=May 19, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Fayetteville Observer]] |date=May 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728012600/http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/15/1257129?sac=fo.sports |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, the Augusta franchise returned and relocated to [[Macon, Georgia]] as the [[Macon Mayhem]].

In November 2014, [[Shannon Szabados]] became the first female goaltender to win an SPHL game, when the Columbus Cottonmouths defeated the Fayetteville FireAntz 5–4 in overtime.<ref name="NHL.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=740449|title=Shannon Szabados becomes first female goalie to win in Southern Professional Hockey League|work=NHL.com|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> In that same game Erin Blair and Katie Guay became the first female officials to referee an SPHL game.<ref name="NHL.com"/>

At the end of the 2015–16 season, the [[Louisiana IceGators (SPHL)|Louisiana IceGators]] announced a one-year leave of absence for renovations to their arena but never returned. The IceGators' franchise was sold and reactivated as the [[Quad City Storm]] in 2018. Then in 2016, the dormant [[Mississippi Surge]] franchise was relocated to [[Southwest Virginia]] to become the [[Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs]]. One of the inaugural SPHL teams, the [[Columbus Cottonmouths]], suspended operations in 2017 after failing to find a buyer while an expansion team called the [[Birmingham Bulls (SPHL)|Birmingham Bulls]] were accepted into the league as the tenth team. Following the 2017–18 season, the [[Mississippi RiverKings]] suspended operations while the league searched for new owners.<ref name="suspend">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Giannotto |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2018/05/24/mississippi-riverkings-suspend-operations-southern-professional-hockey-league-sphl/641844002/ |title=Mississippi Riverkings suspend operations for 2018-19 season, will seek new ownership |date=May 24, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Commercial Appeal]]}}</ref> With the acceptance of the [[Quad City Storm]], the league was able to remain at ten teams for the 2018–19 season.

Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the [[2019–20 SPHL season|2019–20 season]] was curtailed and no champion was named. The following season, the league announced it would only play with five of the ten member teams due to pandemic-related capacity restrictions barring fans from attending games.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thesphl.com/sphl-announces-changes-for-2020-2021-season |title=SPHL announces changes for 2020-2021 season |website=SPHL |date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> During the season, the league approved of the [[Vermilion County Bobcats]] as a 2021–22 expansion team based in [[Danville, Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/sphl-expanding-to-danville-il-for-2021-2022-season/n-5673131 |title=SPHL Expanding to Danville, IL for 2021-2022 Season |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=March 10, 2021}}</ref> The Bobcats folded after only a year and a half.<ref name="vcb" />

In 2023, the league rebranded to the [[orphaned initialism]] "SPHL" to reflect the fact that the league's footprint had expanded beyond the southern United States.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/sphl-announces-rebrand-20th-anniversary-logo/n-5996617 |title=SPHL Announces Rebrand, 20th-Anniversary Logo |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=August 1, 2023}}</ref>