Professional Hockey returns to Greensboro: The Greensboro Gargoyles in the ECHL/East Coast Hockey League

Greensboro Gargoyles

CLICK HERE and see and hear from Scott Johnson(Director of the Greensboro Coliseum), Andy Kauffman(Team Owner), JJ Jansen(Long snapper for the Carolina Panthers and part owner of the new team), and from the Commissioner of the ECHL/East Coast Hockey League(Ryan Crelin)…A 10 minute video presentation from WFMY TV 2, and very informative…

from www.wfmynews2.com:
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The latest chapter of Greensboro hockey history was written on January 14, as the name and logo of the Gate City’s new professional team was announced at Piedmont Hall at the Greensboro Complex.

The Greensboro Gargoyles are expected to start play in the ECHL starting in 2025-26 as the league’s 30th team. The team will play its home games at First-Horizon Coliseum.

The ECHL is a minor league that is considered the third tier of professional hockey behind the American Hockey League (AHL) and the National Hockey League (NHL).

“Greensboro holds a special place in the ECHL’s history and growth, and it will be a joyful moment to drop the puck once again in October 2025 and bring professional hockey back to the city for fans to once again cheer for their hometown team,” ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said when the team was first announced in October.

The team’s colors are aptly named Gargoyle Grape, Greensboro Gold and Midnight. The gargoyle mascot is portrayed as “a stone monster that watches over and protects the city of Greensboro,” according to an official with the Greensboro Complex.

A head coach is expected to be named in late spring or early summer of 2025. The National Hockey League/American Hockey League affiliate will be announced before the start of the 2025-26 season.

If you aren’t from the Triad, you might not be familiar with Greensboro’s extensive history with the sport. The city’s first hockey team, the Greensboro Generals, played at what was formerly known as War Memorial Coliseum/Greensboro Coliseum from 1959-1973 before joining the Southern Hockey League from 1973-77.

The Generals won an ECHL championship in 1962-63, but they didn’t make the playoffs in any of their seasons in the SHL.

The original version of the Greensboro Generals folded on January 7, 1977. The next time there was hockey in the Gate City was 1989 when the Greensboro Monarchs played their first season with the East Coast Hockey League. That first year, the Monarchs won the ECHL championship after defeating the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in the finals.

After playing through the 1994-95 season in the ECHL, the Monarchs jumped to the AHL under a new moniker — the Carolina Monarchs. The team played two seasons in the league before it was sold to the owners of the newly-named Carolina Hurricanes and moved to New Haven, Connecticut.

Greensboro was actually the first home of the Hurricanes, who made their NHL debut in 1997. The first game played at Greensboro Coliseum on October 3 of that year was a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes won their first home game at Greensboro Coliseum on October 10, 1997, against the New Jersey Devils.

The Hurricanes went 16-18-7 in their first season at Greensboro Coliseum and 20-12-9 in their second season, which saw them win the Southeastern Division and make the team’s playoff debut.

The Hurricanes finally moved to Raleigh in 1999, but hockey wouldn’t end in Greensboro. The Greensboro Generals were reformed that year and played the next five years at the Greensboro Coliseum. In 2004, the team folded having made one playoff appearance in their return to the ECHL.

The new Greensboro ECHL team is owned by Zawyer Sports and Entertainment. According to Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff, former NHL players Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney and Keith Yandle will be part owners.

Carolina Panthers long snapper J.J Jansen, the franchise’s career leader in games played, is also a part owner and was present at Tuesday’s announcement.