2001–02 ISL season
| 2001–02 ISL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Ice Hockey Superleague |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| League | |
| Champions | Belfast Giants |
| Challenge Cup | |
| Champions | Ayr Scottish Eagles |
| Playoffs | |
| Champions | Sheffield Steelers |
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 and the competition ceased to take place.
Cardiff Devils were stripped of their franchise after the club went into voluntary liquidation. 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.
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. 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 and the club eventually continued in the ISL under the ownership of Norton Lea.
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.
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.
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