Confirmed with Link: Carolina Hurricanes Sale - He Dundon it.

[HisIceness]

I wouldn't mind this team severing ties with the Everblades and going local in the ECHL. Any inroads that can be made in making this team more relevant throughout not just NC but SC too I'm all for.

Looks like the Lightning no longer have an affiliate past the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL? I know at one time the 'Blades split Canes and Bolts prospects. Maybe have them take over the Everblades full time? Or is there a reason the Bolts don't carry ECHL-level prospects?

 

[Anton Babchuk]

I don't think it matters whether our worst prospects are playing in Florida or in South Carolina. 99% of this board probably couldn't pick Hayden Ganly or Keegan Smith or Jeff Babchuk or whoever out of lineup.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I don't think it matters whether our worst prospects are playing in Florida or in South Carolina. 99% of this board probably couldn't pick Hayden Ganly or Keegan Smith or Jeff Babchuk or whoever out of lineup.

Maybe it's not actually about the egghead idiots on this board. Maybe it's about getting hockey fans in Greenville SC to give a shit about the Carolina Hurricanes.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

make them play in fayetteville for the fireantz

 

[Unsustainable]

Maybe it's not actually about the egghead idiots on this board. Maybe it's about getting hockey fans in Greenville SC to give a **** about the Carolina Hurricanes.

I ran across a Hurricanes fan in Columbia yesterday.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

make them play in fayetteville for the fireantz

you mean marksmen??

but really that dog logo or whatever is still such an odd choice

 

[HisIceness]

Every so often I'll see a car w/ SC tags sporting a Canes sticker or front plate. I get excited when I see that, and then I steer clear of said vehicle because of how bad SC drivers are

 

[HisIceness]

I ran across a Hurricanes fan in Columbia yesterday.

The real question is, does he prefer Mustard BBQ sauce or is he more of a Vinegar guy?

 

[garnetpalmetto]

The real question is, does he prefer Mustard BBQ sauce or is he more of a Vinegar guy?

In Columbia the odds would tend towards mustard. Were he in the Pee Dee (Florence, Conway, Myrtle Beach, for instance), vinegar would be more likely.

I'd also agree with perhaps using this to move our ECHL presence to either Greenville or Charleston (that said, the Stingrays have been affiliated with the Capitals for just about ever). I mentioned in the BoH thread but the one area I'm still fuzzy on is whether Dundon's purchase of the team/GFSE also includes the Everblades and Germain Arena. I checked the Everblades filings with the NC Secretary of State's Office and they list the team as being owned/managed by KT Sports with an address at PNC Arena. I assume KT=Karmanos & Thewes, but it was interesting that it wasn't GFSE. Also, Karmanos's bio in this year's Media Guide mentions his ownership of the Everblades in the past tense. So yeah, no idea there.

 

[NotOpie]

Maybe it's not actually about the egghead idiots on this board. Maybe it's about getting hockey fans in Greenville SC to give a **** about the Carolina Hurricanes.

....or South Carolina in general. Build that fan base in that growing part of the state, get folks from Clemson interested in an ECHL team in Greenville, and you're building a slight beachhead in Atlanta too (although Nashville is the putative owner of that market).

 

[geehaad]

What about Greensboro? It is a city on the upswing, and they have hockey fans there.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

What about Greensboro? It is a city on the upswing, and they have hockey fans there.

I think Gbo still has hard feelings about the way the whole Canes thing went down; don't know if they would take to a Canes ECHL affiliate.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I would love to see like four SPHL teams in NC though.

 

[Unsustainable]

I think Gbo still has hard feelings about the way the whole Canes thing went down; don't know if they would take to a Canes ECHL affiliate.

What about Winston-Salem or Asheville?

Asheville would be cool.

 

[RodTheBawd]

WS already has the Thunderbirds!

 

[Unsustainable]

WS already has the Thunderbirds!

Talking as ECHL affiliation.

 

[AD Skinner]

Asheville had two different teams in the early 2000s, I don't guess either was very successful as neither lasted very long. Asheville has become such a tourist trap they may be more of a destination now though

 

[Unsustainable]

Asheville had two different teams in the early 2000s, I don't guess either was very successful as neither lasted very long. Asheville has become such a tourist trap they may be more of a destination now though

Population is up to 90k from 60k in 2000, median income is up 35%

Definitely a town on the rise.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

WS already has the Thunderbirds!

Wow, you're not kidding. The six team Federal League. Is Reggie Dunlop still playing?

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

I think the first professional hockey game I went to was an Asheville Smoke game back in the day.

 

[Elsker]

Made a pilgrimage to Asheville during the lockout to watch the Asheville Aces play the Fayetteville FireAntz.

Saw a lot of SPHL games that hockey-starved year including trips to Fayetteville and even Winston-Salem (Polar Twins).

 

[HisIceness]

I think Gbo still has hard feelings about the way the whole Canes thing went down; don't know if they would take to a Canes ECHL affiliate.

Even 20 years later? I mean, I'm not saying you are wrong but are there still many Greensboroites who hold that grudge? I kind of think the hockey fans in that city would take anything at this point, their last team folded in 2004.

 

[HisIceness]

Asheville had two different teams in the early 2000s, I don't guess either was very successful as neither lasted very long. Asheville has become such a tourist trap they may be more of a destination now though

I remember those teams, the Smoke and Aces. Smoke IIRC were coached by Wayne Gretzkys brother. One of their big problems was that the Civic Center wasn't really a great place to see a game, let alone host one. The arena also had a NBA-Dleague team (Altitude) that won back-to-back championships but ended up relocating to Columbus GA after 3 years. I seem to recall the city wanted to build a 10k arena about 15 years ago to replace the Civic Center and help stability of the Altitude and Smoke/Aces but nothing ever really got off the ground. Think Wilmington was flirting w/ building a similar-sized arena around that time too FWIW. AFAIK neither city has shown any interest in building one at this point, Wilmington couldn't even build a Downtown Baseball stadium.

Either way though Greensboro just makes more sense if the 'Canes are going to have an NC-based ECHL team.

-In-between Charlotte and Raleigh? Check
-Already an arena in place? Check
-Larger city (than Asheville) with another large city (Winston-Salem) and a mid-size city (High Point) in the vicinity to draw from? Check
-Moderate to fast growth? Check
-History of the game? Check
-Ability to host a preseason game? Check

To me Greensboro is really a no-brainer over Asheville.

 

[geehaad]

This forum has some members living in GBO, so when I went for a walk in my in-laws neighborhood immediately north of PTI and saw a older Hurricanes-logoed NC license plate, I wasn't entirely surprised.

 

[Hulkacaniac]

If the everblades are owned by PK we could see an affiliation change in the future. Bring back the Greensboro generals