A shot of the Brighton Tigers Ice Hockey Team taken in the late 1930s.

The Brighton Tigers were an English ice hockey club based in Brighton. The team existed from 1935 until 1965 and were one of the United Kingdom's most successful sides during that period. The club was based at the Brighton Sports Stadium (often known by its original name of SS Brighton) on West Street.

The Tigers were members of the English National League and later the British National League. The club was one of the country's best supported teams with 4,000 spectators regularly attending matches which were held on a Thursday night.

The Tigers' most famous victory was over the Soviet Union in December 1957, winning 6–3.[1][2]

The club won the first British Championship since 1930 when they defeated the Nottingham Panthers in overtime in 1960.

After the collapse of the professional league in 1960, the Tigers continued to participate in the inter-rink tournaments that were established in the league's place until 1965 when the Brighton Sports Stadium was closed down and demolished by the local council.

With the demise of the ice rink, Grice hockey, a variation of ice hockey that was played on grass, became popular for a while with pitches set up around Brighton.[3]

The Brighton Royals team, founded in 1977, included some Tigers players. The Royals had some success in the 1980s before folding in 1988.[4]

Further reading

  • Wilsher, Kevin; Roberts, Stewart (27 April 2020). Brighton Tigers: A story of sporting passion. ISBN 978-1527255630.

References

  1. ↑ "My Brighton and Hove". www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "Brighton's ice heroes back in the rink". The Argus. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  3. ↑ Fitch, Geoff (Winter 2020). "Fond Memories of Glynde" (PDF). Steadfast News. Brighton: Steadfast Association. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Looking back: What happened to city's ice hockey?". The Argus. Retrieved 30 August 2013.


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