| Carolina Thunderbirds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| League | Atlantic Coast Hockey League 1981–1987 All-American Hockey League 1987–1988 East Coast Hockey League 1988–1992 |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Home arena | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex |
| Colors | Black, red, white, gold |
| Owner(s) | Dave Gusky (1981-82) Rick Dudley (1982–84) Bill Coffey (1984–88) John Baker, Phil Barber, and David Redmond[1] (1986–90) Ed Broyhill (1989–98) Jamie Koufman (1991) John Redmond |
| Franchise history | |
| 1981–1982 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds |
| 1982–1989 | Carolina Thunderbirds |
| 1989–1992 | Winston-Salem Thunderbirds |
| 1992–1996 | Wheeling Thunderbirds |
| 1996–present | Wheeling Nailers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 5 (1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90) |
| Playoff championships | 5 (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989) |
The Carolina Thunderbirds were a professional ice hockey team located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The Thunderbirds played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum before the arena was demolished in 1989. The team played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1981 to 1987, the All-American Hockey League during 1987–88 and finally moved into the newly created East Coast Hockey League in 1988.[2]
The Carolina Thunderbirds were one of five teams that played during the inaugural season of East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Thunderbirds won the first ever ECHL championship and were awarded the Riley Cup for the 1988–89 ECHL season.
The team changed its name to the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds before the start of 1989–90 season and the team remained in the ECHL until the end of the 1991–92 season when it was announced by co-owner Ed Broyhill that Winston-Salem would move to West Virginia to play as the Wheeling Thunderbirds.[3]
- ^ "1988–89 Johnstown Chiefs Media Guide" (PDF). Chiefs Slapshot. Johnstown Chiefs. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ Scott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. p. 138. ISBN 1-894974-21-2.
- ^ "Wheeling Thunderbirds Statistics". HockeyDB. Archived from the original on 2010-06-05. Retrieved April 4, 2018.