Professional Hockey Debuted in NC

What would eventually be the Charlotte Clippers played a game of ice hockey in Charlotte, NC on January 30, 1956. It happened after a fire had destroyed the arena for the Baltimore Clippers. The City of Charlotte successfully convinced the Clippers, of the Eastern Hockey League, to temporarily play in Charlotte. they were called the charlotte Rebels while temporarily playing in Charlotte.

There happened to be an amazing response and the team decided to move to Charlotte permanently the next season. They changed their name to the Charlotte Clippers and would eventually become the Charlotte Checkers.

The Charlotte Checkers played in the Easter Hockey League and then the Southern Hockey League until the Souther Hockey League folded and the team went with it. The final Charlotte Checkers game was on January 30, 1977 – 21 years to the day of the first game of theirs in Charlotte. the final game was against the Baltimore Clippers also. It really went full circle.

The Charlotte Checkers were eventually resurrected in a new form in the American Hockey League. Who knew North Carolina had such an interesting hockey history? We love the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, of course, but it’s nice to know there are some other options to see some hockey in Charlotte as well. Hooray!

Sources:

NC DCR – https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2016/01/30/ice-hockeys-southern-debut

Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Checkers_(1956–1977)

Wikiepedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Checkers