The International Hockey League (IHL) is a professional hockey league based in the United States. The league has gone through many changes and tribulations over the years; in fact, the IHL that exists today only came into existence in 2007. The original IHL was founded in 1945 and lasted until 2001 when it folded due to two factors: conflict with the NHL and extreme strain due to swift expansion. The modern IHL was originally established as the Colonial Hockey League in 1991, it then became the United Hockey League before finally resurrecting the IHL in 2007.
As of the 2007-08 season, the IHL is made up of six teams: Bloomington Prairie Thunder, Flint Generals, Fort Wayne Komets, Kalamazoo Wings, Muskegon Fury, and the Port Huron IceHawks. The league is not split into the typical conferences and divisions because of the small amount of teams; essentially, the entire league is one division/conference with every team playing every other team.
Following the regular season every year is the IHL playoffs. The playoffs culminate in a championship game with the victors receiving the Turner Cup. The Turner Cup is the name of the championship trophy of the original IHL and the new IHL renamed their trophy the Turner Cup in 2007 as a tribute to the original league.
