Henry Brabham

Henry Brabham
Born(1929-04-29)April 29, 1929
DiedMarch 30, 2020(2020-03-30) (aged 90)
Vinton, Virginia, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Former mayor of Vinton,[1]
Former minor league hockey franchise owner:
Roanoke Valley Rebels (1975–1976)[2]
Virginia Raiders (1982–1983)
Virginia Lancers (1983–1989)
Erie Panthers (1988–1991)
Johnstown Chiefs (1988–1993)
TitleECHL co-founder
AwardsECHL Hall of Fame (2008)

Henry Brabham IV (April 29, 1929 – March 30, 2020) was a founder of the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League.[3] In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the ECHL Hall of Fame.[4] The Brabham Cup, first awarded in 1989, is an ECHL award for the team that finishes with the best regular season record.

He bought the Salem Raiders of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in 1982 and renamed them the Virginia Raiders.[5] He failed to get a long-term lease with the Salem Civic Center, so he disbanded the Raiders after the 1982–83 season.[1] The ACHL then convinced Brabham to take over the Nashville South Stars during the following season, which he relocated back to Salem in December 1983 as the Virginia Lancers, named after his chain of convenience stores.[6] In 1984, he built the LancerLot Sports Complex in his hometown of Vinton, Virginia, to serve as home to the Lancers due to the cost of playing in the Salem Civic Center.[7][8]

In 1988, Brabham and Bill Coffey founded the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) as a minor professional ice hockey league with five teams, three of which were owned by Brabham — the Erie Panthers, Johnstown Chiefs, and the Virginia Lancers[9] — as well as being a co-founder of a fourth team, the Knoxville Cherokees.[10] He sold the Lancers in 1989,[6] the Panthers in 1991, and the Chiefs in 1993.[11] The ECHL has since become a development league for the National Hockey League.[12]

The LancerLot's roof caved in during the 1993 Storm of the Century and the ice rink was destroyed.[13] Brabham sold the complex in 2018.[14]

Brabham died on March 30, 2020, at the age of 90.[15]

  1. ^ a b Mcfarling, Aaron (March 30, 2020). "Roanoke Valley pro hockey 'godfather' Brabham dies at age 90". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "1970-1976 Roanoke Valley Rebels". Fun While it Lasted. December 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Scott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. p. 138. ISBN 1-894974-21-2.
  4. ^ "The ECHL". Archived from the original on 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
  5. ^ "ECHL grows into starting point toward NHL". NHL. November 26, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "ROANOKE VALLEY HOCKEY TIMELINE". Roanoke Times. October 13, 1996 – via Virginia Tech library.
  7. ^ "Remembering Vinton: The LancerLot in 1984 – The Beginnings". Vinton Messenger. March 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "Brabham IV, Henry J. – Obituary". Roanoke.com. March 30, 2020.
  9. ^ "Former Johnstown Chiefs owner, ECHL co-founder Brabham dies at 90". Sharon Herald. March 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "ECHL History". ECHL. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  11. ^ "Remembering Henry Brabham". ECHL. April 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "ECHL Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  13. ^ Murray, Ken (March 18, 1993). "Rampage may come running after roof cave-in, ECHL move possible". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
  14. ^ "Dedicated Ice Rink Coming Back To The Valley". Roanoke Star. January 2, 2018.
  15. ^ "ECHL mourns loss of League co-founder, Hall of Fame member Henry Brabham". ECHL. March 30, 2020.