Winston-Salem, North Carolina is currently home to the reigning Federal Hockey League champion, Carolina Thunderbirds. While this Thunderbirds franchise is still very young, they are hardly the first to call the city home. The Twin City has a history of hockey spanning decades.
The first team to call Winston-Salem home was the Winston-Salem Polar Twins. The team got their start in 1973. They were members of the Southern Hockey League (SHL) alongside the Charlotte Checkers. They took the ice inside Memorial Coliseum for every season. Due to low attendance, legendary professional wrestling promoter Jim Crockett Jr, of Jim Crockett Promotions, took over control of the franchise after its first two seasons.