Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, and Keith Yandle Join Ownership Group of New Expansion Team
The ECHL affiliate for the Carolina Hurricanes has a new ownership group, and man, is it star-laden: former NHLers, including Paul Bissonnette, headline.
Hockey revival is coming to Greensboro, North Carolina, and the brains behind it are about as unexpected as it gets.
This fall, the ECHL's newest expansion team will hit the ice at First Horizon Coliseum, returning professional hockey to the city for the first time since the Greensboro Generals folded in 2004. But that's not all.
Boldly going where few, if any, have gone before, the co-hosts of the wildly popular Spittin' Chiclets podcast are now part-owners of this new franchise.
Former NHLers join the ownership group
As per Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff, former NHLers Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, Keith Yandle, and producer Mike Grinnell have officially joined the ownership ranks.
Of course, this deal was able to be made after the ECHL approved Greensboro's expansion in October, with the franchise operated by Zawyer Sports & Entertainment. So what's the team's official name? That's still to come.
This is more than just business for Bissonnette and company; it's a full-circle moment. Bissonnette used to lace them up in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers before embarking on a run of 202 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes.
He even shared the ice with Yandle in Arizona, who went on to play 1,109 NHL games with the likes of the Rangers, Panthers, and Flyers. Whitney, another defenseman, logged 481 NHL games with the Penguins, Ducks, Oilers, and Panthers.
Greensboro has a rich history when it comes to hockey. It is more than just the ECHL history with both the Monarchs and Generals; it was even used as a temporary home for the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in their time stationed in North Carolina.
Now, with the Spittin' Chiclets crew at the helm, Greensboro is ready for an exciting new chapter in hockey.
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