Charlotte Checkers (1956–77)

Charlotte Checkers
City	Charlotte, North Carolina
League	Eastern Hockey League (1956-73) Southern Hockey League (1973-77)
Operated	1956–1977
Home arena	Charlotte Coliseum
Franchise history
1954–1956	Baltimore Clippers
1956–1960	Charlotte Clippers
1960–1977	Charlotte Checkers

The Charlotte Checkers were an American ice hockey team in Charlotte, North Carolina, playing in the Eastern Hockey League and Southern Hockey League.

Franchise history

Origin

The first effort to bring professional hockey to Charlotte began with the formation of the Charlotte Hockey Club, a group of local businessmen represented by Bill Shields who lobbied for a franchise in the Eastern Hockey League. On Jan. 23, 1956, a mechanical fire caused the total destruction of the Carlin's Iceland rink in Baltimore, leaving the EHL's Baltimore Clippers without a home rink for the remainder of their schedule. Clippers owner Charlie Rock was approached by Shields with an offer to play some of the games newly dedicated Charlotte Coliseum, with the ultimate aim of securing the franchise in Charlotte for the following season as well. Rock agreed to play five of the Clippers' remaining twelve home games in Charlotte.

At the time, there was little precedent for hockey in the American South. Aside from an abortive attempt to form a league in Florida during the 1930s, no professional team had ever played south of Louisville, Kentucky or east of Houston, Texas. The EHL approved the move, and only a week later the temporarily renamed "Rebels" played their first game in Charlotte. The result was a smashing success at the gate—an over-capacity crowd of 10,363 turned out for the debut, with an estimated 3,000 turned away. In all, the first five games in Charlotte drew a crowd of nearly 40,000, prompting Rock to keep the franchise in Charlotte for good.

Early Success

Buoyed by immediate financial success, the Clippers quickly became a powerhouse team. The forward corps included the EHL's top three scorers: Al "Bibber" O'Hearn (117), Doug Adam (114) and Chuck Stuart (108). The defense was led by future NHL coaches John Muckler and John Brophy. In goal was future Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Les Binkley. The Clippers cruised to the best record in EHL history, losing only 13 of their 64 games, and won the 1957 playoff championship over Philadelphia. Attendance was around 4,000 per game, best in the EHL.

In 1958, the team slipped slightly but still won the regular-season title by a single point. Forward Stan Warecki took over coaching duties for Andy Brown, but Warecki quit mid-season and Brown stepped back into the role. The Clippers lacked the overwhelming scoring punch of the previous season, and narrowly lost a 7-game Finals series to Washington.

Fall and Rise during the 1960s

Beginning in 1958-59, the team tumbled out of contention. Last-place finishes in three out of four seasons were interrupted only in 1960, when the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. An ownership change in 1960 brought a name change to Checkers, which has since been the only name used by Charlotte's professional hockey teams.

The Checkers continued to struggle until the mid-1960s, when former player Fred Creighton took over coaching duties from NHL legend Turk Broda. Creighton, who would later coach the NHL's Atlanta Flames and Boston Bruins, led the team out of the doldrums with 7 consecutive winning seasons including a run to the league Finals in 1968 and consecutive regular season and playoff championships in 1971 and 1972. Star players during this period included Maurice "Moe" Savard, Barry Simpson, and future NHL players John Gould and Rick Foley.

SHL years

By minor league standards, the Checkers were stable and well-supported as a fixture on the minor league hockey circuit. Along with most of the EHL's Southern Division, the Checkers joined the Southern Hockey League in 1973, along with the Macon Whoopees, Greensboro Generals, Roanoke Valley Rebels, Suncoast Suns and Winston-Salem Polar Twins. Charlotte would win SHL titles in 1974–75 and 1975–76 before that league's demise in the middle of the 1976–77 season in the face of severe financial difficulty. Despite the Checkers' popularity, professional hockey would not return to Charlotte until 1993.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season	League	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
1956-57	EHL	64	50	13	1	101	364	239	1st	Won Championship
1957-58	EHL	64	38	25	1	77	275	243	1st	Lost in Finals
1958-59	EHL	64	24	38	2	50	209	283	6th	Did not qualify
1959-60	EHL	64	31	29	4	66	243	244	2nd, Southern	Lost in First Round
1960-61	EHL	64	25	34	5	55	221	265	4th, Southern	Did not qualify
1961-62	EHL	68	26	40	2	54	226	270	4th, Southern	Did not qualify
1962-63	EHL	68	35	31	2	72	242	264	3rd, Southern	Lost in Second Round
1963-64	EHL	72	30	41	1	61	276	304	4th, Southern	Lost in First Round
1964-65	EHL	72	35	35	2	72	262	286	3rd, Southern	Lost in First Round
1965-66	EHL	72	42	30	0	84	300	251	2nd, Southern	Lost in Second Round
1966-67	EHL	72	36	33	3	75	259	235	2nd, Southern	Lost in Second Round
1967-68	EHL	72	42	21	9	93	333	243	2nd, Southern	Lost in Finals
1968-69	EHL	72	37	29	6	80	274	381	3rd, Southern	Lost in First Round
1969-70	EHL	74	34	31	9	77	284	266	3rd, Southern	Lost in Second Round
1970-71	EHL	74	55	12	7	117	383	153	1st, Southern	Won Championship
1971-72	EHL	73	47	18	8	102	330	180	1st, Southern	Won Championship
1972-73	EHL	76	26	40	10	62	241	313	4th, Southern	Did not qualify
1973-74	SHL	72	44	27	1	86	309	227	2nd	Lost in First Round
1974-75	SHL	72	50	21	1	101	370	256	1st	Won Championship
1975-76	SHL	72	42	20	10	94	302	206	1st	Won Championship
1976-77	SHL	50	22	25	3	47	180	186	3rd	League folded mid-season

External links

• "Charlotte Checkers (EHL)".
• "Charlotte Checkers (SHL)".
• Google Books: Hockey in Charlotte.

References