Front Office and Player Personnel
The Vipers were owned by William Davidson, a Detroit businessman with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion with holdings under the banner of Palace Sports and Entertainment. Davidson holdings included the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit Neon, DTE Energy Music Theater, and the Palace of Auburn Hills (the Pistons and Vipers home arena). Davidson would later add or purchase the Detroit Fury, Detroit Shock, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The CEO of Palace Sports and Entertainment, Tom Wilson, oversaw the daily business operations of the Vipers.
The Vipers were aggressive in marketing and player acquisitions. The team acquired minor league free agents with prior success in the AHL/IHL, including Peter Ciavaglia, Stan Drulia, Lonnie Loach, and Daniel Shank. The Vipers also made hockey headlines by signing star NHL players in the midst of contract holdouts, such as Peter Bondra and Michal Pivonka of the Washington Capitals in 1995-96, and Bryan Smolinski of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1996-97.
The Vipers also served as a launching site for young Eastern European players looking to adjust to the NHL-style game, which involved a slightly smaller rink and more aggressive play. These players included Petr Sýkora, Stanislav Neckar, Miroslav Satan, Krysztof Oliwa, and Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov in particular was a popular player who made his Vipers debut in 1996 at age 17, and was widely regarded as a phenom. He was drafted off the Vipers by the Boston Bruins following the season as the eighth pick of the first round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and would win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie in 1997-98.
Veteran NHL players concluded their playing career with the Vipers, including Dan Quinn, Gerard Gallant, Brad Shaw, Brent Fedyk, Jimmy Carson, Michel Petit, and Shawn Burr.
The Vipers made headlines in 1997-98 by signing Hockey Hall of Fame winger Gordie Howe to a 1-day contract. Howe, 69 years old at the time of the game, suited up for the Vipers and played one shift. The publicity stunt was intended to drum up interested in the club as well as afford Howe the opportunity to play a professional hockey game in six consecutive decades.
In 1999, Davidson purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. The Vipers were named as an affiliate of the Lightning and served as such until the the league ceased operations in 2001.
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