Detroit Vipers
| Detroit Vipers | |
|---|---|
| City | Detroit, Michigan |
| League | International Hockey League |
| Operated | 1994–2001 |
| Home arena | The Palace of Auburn Hills |
| Colors | Green, White, Red, Black, Eggplant, Aqua |
| Affiliates | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Franchise history | |
| 1969–1994 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles |
| 1994–2001 | Detroit Vipers |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships |
4 (1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99) |
| Turner Cups |
1 (1997) |
The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their mascot was a polar bear named Vipe-bear.
The Vipers were originally the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. In 1994, the franchise was purchased by Palace Sports and Entertainment (owners of the Detroit Pistons and The Palace of Auburn Hills) and relocated for the 1994–95 season. A sponsorship deal with the Chrysler Corporation led to the naming of the team after their Dodge Viper, although the team's logo primarily featured a common Viperidae (a venomous snake). A similar deal was in place with another Palace Sports-owned team, the Detroit Neon of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, which would switch its sponsorship to GMC in its final year and rename the team the Detroit Safari after yet another vehicle, the Safari.
The team hired former Buffalo Sabres coach Rick Dudley as head coach. Their first season was during the NHL lockout, and this, combined with a liberal amount of free ticket vouchers distributed at local stores, helped the Vipers break IHL attendance records that season with nearly 17,000 per game on average. Led by 44 goals from Daniel Shank (never equaled through the franchise's existence), the Vipers won their division that season, and gained some press by defeating a team of locked out NHL All-Stars in an exhibition game. However, despite winning their division, the Vipers would be eliminated by the Kansas City Blades in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
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