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Winston-Salem Welcomes New Hockey Team, The Carolina Thunderbirds

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By Bethany Chafin
Published September 7, 2016 at 3:15 PM EDT
The Carolina Thunderbirds are asking fans to choose the color scheme for the new hockey team. Credit: Scott Brand

It's official - Winston-Salem's new professional hockey team has a name. The Carolina Thunderbirds will hit the ice in 2017.

And it won't be for the first time. The Carolina Thunderbirds was the name of Winston-Salem's professional hockey team in the 1980s.

The team will be part of the Federal Hockey League and owned and operated by FHL franchise owner Barry Soskin. A new logo was also introduced Wednesday, featuring a bird with outstretched wings holding a hockey stick.

The Carolina Thunderbirds will call the Annex at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds home, with games scheduled to begin in November 2017.

Until then, fans are being asked to weigh in and pick the Thunderbirds' official colors. This is the FHL's first hockey team in the South, joining others located in the Northeast and Midwest.  
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Bethany Chafin
Bethany is WFDD's editorial director. She joined the staff in the fall of 2012. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University. Between undergraduate studies and graduate school, Bethany served as the intern to Talk of the Nation at NPR in D.C., participating in live NPR Election Night Coverage, Presidential debate broadcasts, regular Talk of the Nation shows, and helping to plan the inaugural broadcast of ‘Talk of the World.' She enjoys engaging with her interests in books, politics, and art in the interdisciplinary world of public radio. Before becoming editorial director, Bethany was assistant news Director, a reporter and associate producer for WFDD's Triad Arts and Triad Arts Weekend. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bethany enjoys calling the Piedmont home.
See stories by Bethany Chafin

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