Pacific Hockey League

The Pacific Hockey League was a low-level minor professional hockey league that existed for two seasons in 1977-78, and 1978-79. Its member teams from California, Arizona and Washington states, replaced the void left by defunct World Hockey Association franchises, with some teams sharing the names of their predecessors.
The league started play in December, 1977, with three new teams in Long Beach, San Francisco, and San Diego. The Phoenix Roadrunners left the Central Hockey League to join the new league.
The next season the Long Beach team moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles and an expansion team was started in Tucson. The Spokane Flyers joined almost intact from the Western International Hockey League (WIHL).
However the teams in San Francisco and Los Angeles withdrew on January 18, 1979, because of severe financial problems. The Tucson team was kept alive with help from the other three teams.
When the regular season ended the playoffs were cancelled. There was no ice in Tucson and the ice machine was broken in Spokane. There were only a few dates available in San Diego and Phoenix.
The league then folded. Spokane rejoined the WIHL. San Diego and Phoenix had hoped to join the Central Hockey League but it never happened.
==Teams==
Team name 	City 	Arena 	Years 	Notes
Long Beach Sharks/Rockets	Long Beach, California 	Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center	1977-1978	fold
Phoenix Roadrunners 	Phoenix, Arizona 	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 	1977-1979	fold
San Diego Mariners 	San Diego, California 	San Diego Sports Arena 	1977-1978	renamed San Diego Hawks
San Francisco Shamrocks 	San Francisco, California	Cow Palace 	1977-1979	fold
Los Angeles Blades 	Los Angeles, California 	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 	1978-1979	fold
San Diego Hawks 	San Diego, California 	San Diego Sports Arena 	1978-1979	fold
Spokane Flyers 	Spokane, Washington 	Spokane Coliseum 	1978-1979	join Western International Hockey League
Tucson Rustlers 	Tucson, Arizona 	Tucson Convention Center 	1978-1979	fold
==Seasons==
*1977-78 Pacific Hockey League season
*1978-79 Pacific Hockey League season
==References==
* Teams & standings
Category:Defunct ice hockey leagues
Category:Pacific Hockey League
Category:Established in 1977
Category:Disestablished in 1979