Hockey Goes to Winston-Salem

Wednesday, it was announced that the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Pee Dee Cyclones would be relocating to Winston-Salem for the 2007-2008 Season.  Pee Dee used to be the home of an ECHL franchise.  Details can be found at the Winston-Salem Journal.

Tickets will run between $8.50 and $13.  According to the team’s owner, Bob Kerzner, they need between 2,200 and 2,500 to break even.  The team will play in the Annex, which is charging the team $2,500 a game, plus 50 cents of ever ticket.  The Joel Coliseum retains parking and concessions.

It’s going to take some effort to win fans in Winston-Salem.  Many never returned after the demolition of the Thunderdome, which was replaced with the LJVM Coliseum.  The coliseum was designed specifically for basketball and does not have the floor size required for professional ice hockey.  Hockey fans in Winston-Salem never forgave the city for that and never really embraced the Annex as a ice hockey facility.

The team will be called the Twin City Cyclones.  The SPHL season begins in late October.