1973-74 Southern Hockey League season

The 1973–74 Southern Hockey League season was the first season of the Southern Hockey League. The league was formed when the Eastern Hockey League split in two; the southern teams became the Southern Hockey League, and the northern teams became the North American Hockey League. Four of the six founding members of the SHL came from the EHL, including the Charlotte Checkers, Greensboro Generals, Roanoke Valley Rebels, and the Suncoast Suns. Two expansion teams were added to complete the league, including the Macon Whoopees, and the Winston-Salem Polar Twins.
Six teams began the season, but two did not complete the schedule due to financial trouble. The Suncoast Suns folded on December 19, 1973. The Macon Whoopees forfeited a game against Charlotte on January 17, 1974 when players refused to play because of not being paid. The team eventually folded on February 15, 1974. The remaining four teams made the playoffs, with the Roanoke Valley Rebels finishing as James Crockett Cup champions.
==Standings==
Final standings of the regular season.
 	GP	W 	L 	T	GF 	GA 	Pts
Roanoke Valley Rebels 	72	53	19	0	366	244	106
Charlotte Checkers 	72	44	27	1	309	227	86
Greensboro Generals 	71	33	37	1	285	310	67
Winston-Salem Polar Twins	72	26	44	2	283	363	54
Macon Whoopees 	62	22	38	2	244	290	46
Suncoast Suns 	31	9 	22	0	123	176	18
==WHA/NHL affiliations==
Southern Hockey League franchises were primarily affiliated with World Hockey Association teams, however some also had agreements with National Hockey League teams. Summary of WHA/NHL affiliation agreements:
SHL team 	WHA parent clubs 	NHL parent clubs
Charlotte Checkers 	none 	Buffalo Sabres
Greensboro Generals 	Los Angeles Sharks 	none
Macon Whoopees 	Houston AerosCleveland Crusaders 	none
Roanoke Valley Rebels 	Vancouver Blazers 	none
Suncoast Suns 	Minnesota Fighting SaintsNew England Whalers 	none
Winston-Salem Polar Twins	Edmonton OilersNew York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights	none
==Scoring leaders==
Top 10 SHL points scoring leaders.
Rank	Player 	Team 	Goals	Assists	Points
1 	Garry Swain 	Charlotte 	34 	64 	98
2 	Claude Piche 	Roanoke Valley	44 	50 	94
3 	Camille LaPierre	Roanoke Valley	48 	43 	91
4 	Wayne Chrysler 	Charlotte 	28 	61 	89
5 	Howie Heggedal 	Greensboro 	51 	35 	86
6 	Guy Burrowes 	Charlotte 	29 	52 	81
6 	Howie Colborne 	Winston-Salem 	33 	48 	81
6 	Michel Boudreau 	Roanoke Valley	33 	48 	81
9 	Kirk Bowman 	Greensboro 	23 	55 	78
9 	Brian Carlin 	Winston-Salem 	36 	42 	78
== Playoffs ==
James Crockett Cup playoffs.
==References==
Category:Southern Hockey League seasons
Category:1974 in hockey