Professional hockey is returning to Greensboro. Darren Yorke, Associate General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes and General Manager of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, announced that the Greensboro Gargoyles will serve as the organization’s ECHL affiliate. They will be the 30th team and will start playing from the 2025-26 season, which begins in October.

The team will call the iconic 22,000-capacity First Horizon Coliseum its home arena. The East Coast Hockey League (EHCL) is an affiliate of the National Hockey League, considered a launching pad for rising stars. Adding its footprints to Greensboro is significant for more than one reason. 

 Why the Partnership Makes Strategic Business Sense

For the Hurricanes, it’s a trip back home. Back in 1997, the Hurricanes started out in Greensboro, playing for two seasons at Greensboro. After the Lenovo Center was completed in Raleigh, the team moved to the sprawling arena. 

From that perspective, the Hurricanes partnering with the Gargoyles may seem like a handshake with history, but it’s a calculated move designed to maximize fan engagement, operational efficiency, and revenue growth in North Carolina and beyond. 

An average of 19,526 fans attended Hurricanes matches in 2023, the second-highest in 2023. Whereas ticket sales in Hurricanes games went up by 15% between 2022 and 2023. Now, Greensboro is barely 80 miles from Raleigh. The close geographic proximity and now the official partnership will allow more opportunities for cross-promotion and dual market activation. 

Inside the arena, the Hurricanes are likely to utilize the Gargoyles as a developmental partner. On the other hand, a shared training setup will provide local players from Greensboro and the neighboring area an NHL-like experience. 

In addition, this will provide both teams and their sponsors with better scope for marketing activation: 

• Brands already partnered with the Hurricanes—like PNC, Lenovo, and UNC Health—can scale campaigns across two teams.
• Research shows that multi-team sponsorships improve brand recall and enhance brand image among its customers.
• Greensboro hosted the Hurricanes between 1997 and 1999. That dormant fan base now has a local team with an NHL-backed identity.
  

More importantly, since no direct presence of the NHL was in the west of Raleigh, the Greensboro Gargoyles’ tie with the Hurricanes plugs a critical geographical gap in the state’s Hockey landscape. The Hurricanes’ history in the NHL has already given a big boost to the league. Now, the NHL can increase its footprint in the Southern part of the country, where it has historically struggled compared to other parts of the USA. 

Why This Move Boosts the NHL’s Southern Expansion Strategy

25 years ago, America’s South barely knew hockey. The Hurricanes and the Predators’ success in the big arena had changed that. Which is why this partnership isn’t just about two teams. It’s also about the NHL’s scope to double down on the South, the promising growth territory.

• In 2024, the Sports Business Journal ranked Greensboro as the second-best Sports Business City for Attracting and Hosting Events among U.S. cities without a Big Five professional sports team.
• Greensboro generates around $250M from sports tourism per annum, drawing 400K visitors annually. 
• Nielsen’s 2024–2025 Designated Market Area (DMA) rankings put the Greensboro–High Point–Winston-Salem market at 46th in the United States.

This is not the first time, however, that an NFL franchise is partnering with a local team. Past instances prove that this can be a successful business model. Like the Golden Knights–Silver Knights (Las Vegas–Henderson) tie-up, the Gargoyles-Hurricanes setup can find success across multiple avenues: 

• A smaller market team boosts local engagement while feeding excitement into the regional club.
• Both franchises benefit from increased media exposure, corporate backing, and ticket sales, without cannibalizing each other’s fan bases.
• NHL can test merchandise, digital ticketing options, and regional content strategies with Greensboro, as the financial risk is lower. 

The South also brings a younger and diverse fan base into the NHL. North Carolina’s Triad area has a population of over 1.7 million, but with very limited pro sports competition, providing the NHL a fertile ground to plant its seeds. Interestingly, according to USA Hockey’s membership numbers, the youth participation has grown significantly in the south. 

Which is why it’s a win-win scenario for all stakeholders. The Hurricanes are getting a regional ally and brand amplifier. Whereas, the Gargoyles get an instant credibility boost and operational support. On the other hand, the NHL is also a gainer: leaving its footstep deeper into the South, a high-growth market.

So, the Gargoyles-Hurricanes alliance can very well become a blueprint for future success. And if it works, expect to see similar regional NHL partnerships in cities like Birmingham, Louisville, or even Jacksonville, and other areas.