Hampton Aces
The Hampton Aces were founded in 1978 as the Jersey Aces and competed in the NEHL in 1978-79. The NEHL sprang from the ashes of the NAHL, with former NAHL clubs like as the Baltimore Clippers and the Erie Blades joining traditional EHL & NAHL locations such as Syracuse, Utica, and Johnstown. Later, the NEHL was renamed the EHL in an attempt to carry on the tradition of the earlier EHL, which lasted for decades and finally became the NAHL.
The Jersey Aces played at the historic Cherry Hill Arena (named the Centrum at the time) in Cherry Hill, NJ, just over the river from Philadelphia. Mike Schmidt, the legendary baseball star, owned a portion of the Aces. The squad unexpectedly lost its home at the end of 1978 when the Arena was closed down. The arena's fire and liability insurance was cancelled, and the owner decided to lock the doors. The Aces scrambled for a place to play and ended up in the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, which had recently been abandoned by the Hampton Gulls after the SHL folded. However, the Aces were already in financial trouble and now had to pay the difference in travel expenses for each of their opponents who had to go to Virginia instead of New Jersey. The Hampton Aces finished the '78-'79 season 37-29-3 and lost in the Finals against the Erie Blades.
The Aces were terrible the next two years. In each of their two seasons in Virginia, they won fewer than 20 games. The league and the franchise would both collapse after the 1980-81 season. Future NHL GM Neil Smith was a member of the Aces.
The Jersey Aces played at the historic Cherry Hill Arena (named the Centrum at the time) in Cherry Hill, NJ, just over the river from Philadelphia. Mike Schmidt, the legendary baseball star, owned a portion of the Aces. The squad unexpectedly lost its home at the end of 1978 when the Arena was closed down. The arena's fire and liability insurance was cancelled, and the owner decided to lock the doors. The Aces scrambled for a place to play and ended up in the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia, which had recently been abandoned by the Hampton Gulls after the SHL folded. However, the Aces were already in financial trouble and now had to pay the difference in travel expenses for each of their opponents who had to go to Virginia instead of New Jersey. The Hampton Aces finished the '78-'79 season 37-29-3 and lost in the Finals against the Erie Blades.
The Aces were terrible the next two years. In each of their two seasons in Virginia, they won fewer than 20 games. The league and the franchise would both collapse after the 1980-81 season. Future NHL GM Neil Smith was a member of the Aces.
